Reminder - keep your head in the game
I wrote my first ‘reminders’ blog for small business owners back at the beginning of pandemic in 2020. Since then, a lot has changed and stayed the same.
Running a business continues to be hard and it's easy to get caught up in the weeds.
So whether you’re dealing with a pandemic, inflation, a recession, generalized anxiety about the economy, or an average Tuesday, it can’t hurt to have some gentle reminders that help you recenter and reorient to take your next aligned action.
Plan for the future
Planning is hope in action.
To plan is to believe in a future that doesn’t yet exist and your capacity to thrive regardless of the circumstances.
Planning gives you a running start to take advantage of new opportunities and respond thoughtfully to unforeseen challenges.
It’s scenario time! Write down a few ‘what if’ situations. What if you beat your Q2 revenue goal? What if your average order size increases by 10%? What if your supplier delivery is delayed by two weeks? Think of the scenarios that can potentially impact (positively and negatively) your ability to meet or exceed your goals.
Put some numbers behind those assumptions. Now that Q1 is in the books, what does the remainder of the year look like? How are the priorities and actions
What celebrations do you want to have at the end of the quarter? End of the year? Create a detailed description of what you want to celebrate having accomplished and an ‘idea bank’ of things you might do to make that outcome a reality. Pick one or two things to take action on.
Who do you want to meet or rekindle a relationship with? This could be former or prospective customers. Or a key relationship with a banker or distribution channel. Start making coffee and lunch meetings to increase the potential of unlocking the magic that comes from having conversations and sharing ideas.
Don’t let situational delays or disruptions derail you. The most common response to unexpected events or the ambiguity inherent in business is to freeze or scrap your plans and dive into problem solving and triage. That most often means slowing or stopping business development. You can’t achieve growth goals without consistently marketing and selling regardless of whatever else is going on.
2. Improve your relationship with time
Time is a construct. So you get to build the relationship with time that best serves you.
My friend Jess Dewell helps her clients make more time. No, she doesn’t have a time machine. Instead she works to create a schedule that maximizes her time to plan, ensure that she’s focused on the right things, delegating what needs to be done by others, and setting a pace that allows her to take care of business and herself.
You can get started making more time by
Make your peace with time being finite and work being infinite. There will always be more things that you want and need to do than your time on earth will allow. This means you need to make intentional choices about what to do and what to let go.
Stop trying to keep your options. Not making a choice means you abdicate control over what gets done, when and how. Putting off a decision to replace hardware or upgrade technology? It will eventually break and make the decision for you. Not sure you can afford to let a toxic employee go? Your star performer might decide to leave an unhealthy environment that you’re perpetuating. Choice is power. Use it.
More activity doesn’t equal progress. Not for you or your team. Pause to reflect on what everyone is doing and decide what to stop, start, or change.
On an “average” day our capacity to make quality decisions wanes. By the end of the day we experience what’s known as decision fatigue, when we are prone to making sub-optimal choices. Discover the time of day when your strategic decision making is most adept. Strive to make good decisions, not perfect ones.
3. Stay connected
People do business with people. You need to be in deep, authentic relationships with our customers, employees, and vendors. Lean into your relationships and continue to be of service, create value, and create connection.
Don’t isolate yourself. You don’t have to solve problems or make decisions by yourself. Reach out to trusted peers and advisors. People love to give advice and be of service. Whenever you ask for help you’re giving the other person the gift of being able to serve and support you on your journey. Don’t deny them that opportunity.
Communicate. In the absence of information peop[le will make up stories. So while you might want to ‘protect’ someone from uncertainty or what until something is ‘complete’ to share an update, don’t. Share what you know or what you’re working on so there are no mysteries or surprises. Let others know you expect them to do the same.
Your people are your greatest asset. Even if you’re a solopreneur, you have people. Check-in on them. Make time for them. Take a genuine interest in who they are and how they’re doing. Acknowledge their contributions and find out what they need to feel confident and capable in whatever role they play.
Interested in working with someone to put these reminders into action? Let’s talk.
