One ritual that will change the way you do business forever
Well folks, what can I say, this is Business Bullet #100. Wow, we have covered a lot of ground over the last few years. I know there are quite a few of you who have been with me since Business Bullet #1, and for that, I thank you. To the newcomers, there is a lot of info in the past Business Bullets that is only click away. As I looked back through the titles of the posts, all are still relevant and all contain really sound business building advice.
Today, being such a big milestone, I wanted to share some really big advice and that is exactly what I am going to do. And at the end of the this email you will get a chance to see me in my underpants (OMG).
There is a lot of very good business building advice out there. For many Small Business owners finding the right things to do is not hard, but implementing these ideas is next to impossible.
If you are serious about transforming your business, and I really do mean transforming it, you have to commit to spending one hour every working day, building your business. Sounds simple doesn’t it?
Now this is not the hour at the end of day when you are really worn out and you start to flick a few emails around about business development. I am talking about investing the one hour per day where you feel dynamic, fired up, energised and thinking like the entrepreneur you are.
It is not an hour where you check emails, take calls, talk to staff, shuffle bits of paper around and generally do little bits of nothing. It is about spending one, high quality hour, disconnected from the daily clutter, focusing on nothing, but implementing smart ideas that will transform your business.
Still sounds simple doesn’t it? When was the last time you did this? Most of us spend our day responding and reacting to everyone else’s demands. This is very draining, on every level. The minute you “check in” to this demanding network, you sigh and surrender. The day is gone and you have a tiger by the tail.
I am working on a new book called, The 7 Rituals of Small Business Superstars. This book is based on this concept. We are drowning in information, but thirsty for action. To me it is all about developing the right rituals for success, but unfortunately, most of us have developed the wrong rituals that are now holding our business back. But that is the topic for another discussion or two down the line.
Every year I talk to so many Small Business owners who are struggling to survive. They work hard, in fact too hard, they are smart, intelligent folk who have put everything on the line, yet years after starting their business, they are still struggling. Why? Because their business controls them, not the other way around.
So what kind of things do you do in that hour? Well I suggest you start by making up a long list of all the things you know you should be doing but are not. Or the things you used to do, but somehow never seem to find the time to do now. Pick a theme each month and work on it.
Maybe this month you will spend one hour each day working out ways to be more engaging with your customers. Or perhaps contact existing customers to say thanks for the business. Next month might be about research, find out what other businesses like yours are doing, here and further afield. You could have a month dedicated to improving your online presence, updating your website, getting more active on the social media side of things or writing more blog posts. Believe me, once you get started you won’t struggle to find things to do.
I guarantee that if you invest your best hour each day into building your business, within a very short amount of time you will be making more money, enjoying what you are doing a whole lot more, making smarter decisions and doing all of your other work in a much more focused way.
And I know that this sounds way too easy, but the reality is that very few businesses come anywhere near spending one hour a day on building their business. Those that do, get great results. The real power of this exercise comes from making it this one task a daily ritual.
If you can make this one of the rituals in your business you won’t have a tiger by the tail any more, that sucker will be wearing a saddle and you will be riding it.
And here’s to another 100 BUSINESS BULLETS.
Cheers,
Andrew
Check out my new promotional video
OK, being a professional presenter is tough these days. There are lots more presenters than events, so you need to get a little smarter when it comes to marketing. I teamed up with some pretty smart fellas at AnimationWRX in New Zealand to develop my new promotional video and it is certainly very different to anything I have seen. Check out this link and let me know what you think – ANDREW’S NEW VIDEO (if you really want to enjoy it – click on the You Tube link and what it on a bigger screen).
The KPI PROGRAMME now heading to Sydney.
The Key Person of Influence Programme continues to grow from strength to strength. We are doing two in Melbourne this year and one in Sydney. The best way to find out more about this amazing entrepreneurial programme is to take a few seconds to check out the link and short video showcasing the last event in Melbourne in January 2012 – KPI JUNE, MELBOURNE AND SYDNEY
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