Running a business or practice can be a daily challenge. Everyone else seemingly does it so easily, so why does it sometimes seem like so much hard work? Business owners don’t always have someone they can turn to for answers to daily frustrations, which is why more and more are looking to find a business coach. The most common issues revolve around people, money and time. In particular, the lack of it. This question and answer series of articles provides scenarios for practice and business owners to find answers to those frustrating situations.
Q: My partner and I are trying to grow our business but growth is painfully slow. We seem to take as many steps back as we do forward. We are both very clear on what we want, but it seems elusive. How do we get from here to there?
Both having a clear picture of where you want the business to go and what it will look like when it is there is the primary prerequisite. The second is having a plan or a strategy – in fact a strategy for each key area – marketing, sales, operations, financial, staffing, and so on – all of which operate within the context of your bigger picture. We call this strategic work. It is the work you do on the business as opposed to the work you do in the business. Not doing this work, not dedicating at least one hour a day to it, is negligent and delinquent. Saying you don’t have time to do it is like saying you don’t have time to stop and fill your car with petrol. Like your car, the business will stay in one spot with a lot of people in it who only look like they are going somewhere.
The third step is action. Determine what has to be done and do it.
Start planning the actions you need to take and spend time each day fueling your business to get where you want it to go. It often helps to create a set of timelines to show when you will tackle and complete each action within the strategy areas.
Watch for Part Thirteen…coming next week!
Until next time…
P.S. Learn more about working ON your business–talk to the coach! Click here to connect with me!