What One Thing Can You Do To Improve Your Business? Start Small
You have big goals. HUGE goals. And you’re ready to take the bull by the horns and get things done. Maybe that motivation to accomplish more has even become your motto for 2020…the year to get “it” done, whatever “it” is for your business.
For many business leaders, myself included, the initial momentum of creating goals begins to fade the moment the task of actually accomplishing them sets in. That new podcast/blog/initiative/marketing plan sounds like the perfect solution until it comes to the overwhelming task of getting it done.
And so we look to fast track our success. In our culture of “5 ways to do this” and “Top 10 tips to do that,” it is no surprise that we lean so heavily on the need for fast, efficient, one-off solutions to our big goals.
I’m often asked, “What’s the one thing I should do to…”
Engage new prospects
Close more deals
Get more referrals
Form new partnerships
Streamline operations
Motivate my team
Improve Communications
The list could go on. The problem I encounter, however, is that there is no single solution to resolve your goals in one fell swoop. Instead, the one thing you can do to get more done and tackle those big goals—is to start small.
The Better Way to Build
Let’s think about it in a different context. I’m currently working with a health coach. I’ve done Weight Watchers in the past (and had success) but this time around, I knew I wanted something different, more comprehensive—a holistic approach to my personal wellness moving forward. My coach, Emily Zwilling, offers clients like me the education, coaching, and support it takes to live a long, vibrant, healthy life—my long term health goal.
We’ve been working together for months as she helps me understand how sleep, stress, movement, food, exercise, mindset, metabolism, hydration, hormones, etc. all interact and work together to create health and wellness. I’ve increased my steps and my water intake, started weekly food prep, increased protein, added healthy fats, and so on.
Needless to say, I have never more keenly longed for there to be just “one thing” I can do to lose weight, be healthy, and stay that way.
What is true for my health and wellness is true for the sustainability and profitably of my business. And yours. The thing is, there is never just one thing you can do to accomplish something important. Goals, strategies, and worthwhile business ventures require one thing after another, after another, strung together in processes, methods, and habits.
I consult with leaders daily who are struggling to find solutions to overwhelming challenges. Together, we analyze operations, growth factors, and the obstacles that are keeping the business from turning revenue into profit. Much like my wellness journey, we have to observe the organization as a system of smaller units, looking at how each piece fits together to impact the whole. It is from that place that we can develop a strategy—and the meaningful, practical steps we will need to take in order to implement it.
How to Start Small
Starting small and working toward that big goal is not a new concept. It is, however, a concept we quickly push aside in our fast-paced busyness. But what if I told you that sticking with it, building on a series of small steps and tasks toward a larger goal really works?
It’s called micro productivity. In an effort to find better ways to get more done, Microsoft did a study on the practice of breaking large tasks into tiny microtasks. The idea was to help creatives and leaders accomplish more within their fragmented days, instead of pushing projects until larger blocks of time became available (hint: because they never did). The research revealed that having a concrete plan and actionable steps helped people accomplish large, overwhelming projects better and faster.
Starting small doesn’t have to be difficult. It is a matter of looking at the bigger goal and deciding what one step you can take today to move toward it.
And then, you build more small steps on top of that one. With a little planning, strategy, and teamwork, your small steps can become the process you need to not only accomplish your current goal but your future endeavors as well.
Your huge 2020 goals and your seemingly impossible business challenges are absolutely achievable, especially if you take the time to separate each one into small, attainable steps. Include your team in the process and delegate tasks according to each member’s unique skill set and role. Before you know it, that one thing that leads to business success will be your resolute practice of starting small.
Business Consulting and Strategy
Christy Maxfield and the team at PurposeFirst Advisors offer over 20 years of growth strategy and consulting experience to support small businesses, growth-stage companies, and entrepreneurs achieve goals both small and large. Contact us today to get started building, networking, and growing your business.
