To live a satisfying small business lifestyle and have a successful small business starts with taking control of the “me factor”.
“Me” is you, the business owner. It is decisions you make and the control you retain. It is priorities you set, plans you make and the way you spend your time. All have a dramatic impact on whether you have not only a successful business but a satisfying life.
3 Powerful Tips to Focus on the Me Factor
Focusing on factors that you have control over such as setting boundaries, priorities, and attitude, for both small business and personal situations, can help you be successful and feel fulfilled in life. Here are 3 simple tips that illustrate what’s possible:
1. Set Clear Boundaries: Learn to Say “No”
Tara James spent the better part of a decade saying “yes” to every request made of her. Lead a committee, chair a board, help her husband with his business booking—when anyone asked a favor, she always said yes while devoting 8-10 hours, five days a week to her own business.
She blamed poor time management on not getting it all done, until she finally realized there was only one to improve the situation and that was to say “no” more often. It is human nature to want to say “yes” and to please others, to take time away from ourselves and our family to deliver on those promises and then to blame ourselves when we fail.
Truth is, we all have only 24 hours in every day. We can’t buy, borrow, or steal any more. What that means is we have to know what is most important and make choices based on our priorities.
2. Prioritize the Way You Spend Your Time (Both Business and Personal)
Five days a week, from Tuesday through Saturday, Sam Grant dedicates all of his time and attention to his customers . . . whether it’s installing new faucets and fixtures to update a bathroom, or averting a crisis of pipes burst in an ice storm. Sundays are devoted to “family time” with his wife, and five children. And then on Mondays, Sam devotes time to executive thinking, administration, planning, all things only he can contribute to the ongoing success of his company.
Those are things that give him clarity, direction, and a positive boost of energy he needs to approach the rest of the week.
Planning time saves time on a ratio of 4:1. That is reason enough to make time to plan and create.
3. Have a Winning Attitude – Be an Optimist
If there is one factor that is a red flag in the potential for success for any small business owner, it is a negative attitude.
Mike has owned his furniture business for eight years and, despite his attitude, continues to be profitable. What he has not had success with is living a satisfying life while owning the business.
His endless worry that his success is an anomaly, his certainty that no one can perform without him on site every day to micromanage the behavior of his very qualified employees, and his unwillingness to fairly compensate himself for fear he will one day be left without enough, has left him with a strained marriage, no time to share with his children, no friends, and poor physical condition.
Optimism costs nothing! Anyone can have it! Give it a try.
Take Control & Plan for Success
By concentrating on setting boundaries for yourself and others, efficiently planning and prioritizing your time, and by staying optimistic you can set yourself up for success in your small business as well as feeling satisfied in life.
Remember, you must give control away for someone else to have it. Keep the steering wheel of your future firmly in your hands, your foot on the pedal, and drive home the results you want for yourself, your business, and all that you serve.
For effective advice on how to best prioritize and plan for your small business success, reach out to Sherry Jordan today!