Small Business Talk
The Podcast to Grow your Business Faster
Are You Wasting Your Brilliance Chasing Someone Else’s Dream?
Show Notes
Are You Wasting Your Brilliance Chasing Someone Else’s Dream?
We are consistently bombarded with advertising messages that say we should:
- Look like this or that
- Act like this or that
- Have these qualifications
- Not those qualifications
And the list goes on.
Have you ever or recently stopped and thought about what you really want in your business or life?
“Attitude is the little thing that makes a big difference”. – Winston Churchill
If you don’t like what you are doing, how can you have a great attitude? We have all met the “Debbie Downer’s” and wondered why they are in business at all.
Over the last 5 – 10 years, business has changed so much and if you have not adjusted your ways, then you might be left behind or even go out of business. Kodak and Block Buster are 2 prime examples. Both these companies that were booming and very well established however, they didn’t look forward. The ironic thing is Block Buster was even given the chance to buy Netflix in 2013 and passed only to be put of business by them years later.
What Lesson Can We Learn As Business Owners?
The lesson here is to be prepared for change and back yourself. There has been a lot of talk recently about Simon Sinek’s Know Your Why. If you don’t know why you are in the business, really why you are in business then when things get tough, it will be even tougher to move forward. And don’t say to make money.
Yes of course, you need to make money but what is your greater purpose? If you have a mission and vision statement, go back and have a look at them. Are they still relevant for your business today?
“Look for your choices, pick the best one and then go with it.” – Pat Riley
Back Yourself
Be You, Be Authentic
As Marie Forleo says “this world needs the gift only you can give” however, only if you are being you. If you have reassessed your why, go out there and do it. Whatever you are passionate about. If it is into your current business, then why not.
Do You Love Your Business?
Think deeply, can you change things slightly so you can fall back in love with your business? Pauline Bright does a great episode on that which was our very first episode of Small Business Talk.
Can you delegate out the jobs that are dragging you down? We often do tasks, jobs that are not in our skill set and we really should be delegating them out. Esther Anderson did a great episode of Outsourcing which was Episode #027. You may find you already have someone on your team or engage a part time contractor to do the task.
Years ago, I was not invoicing my clients properly. I would spend hours, days, and often weeks doing the work, building beautiful websites that the customers loved. Yet when it came to invoicing them, I would choke and procrastinate. You can’t live on thin air.
Solution is to get a book keeper. A book keeper was the first task I delegated; she does the invoicing, chases payments if necessary and follows up on suppliers chargers. As you can imagine, that made a huge difference to my business. If you are thinking of hiring an employee, listen to Episode #009 of Small Business Talk with Jo Alilovic who is a HR lawyer and has some great tips and how to avoid some of the pitfalls you might find the first time around.
Are You A Qualified Enough?
Yes, there are very few exceptions when you are not. Don’t try to be a lawyer or a surgeon without the correct qualification. However, for most of us if you genuinely feel that you can help the person with their problems and that your solution is right for them, and then do it. As long as you have your customers best interest in your heart and it’s not just a money making exercise, then go for it. Now, I am not saying don’t make money – no, not at all. If you don’t make money, then you will be very limited on who you can help. Change for your services and charge well. Think about it as a value exchange. You are saving your customers time, and often money by working with you so be paid appropriately. Then you can feed your family and pay other people to help you with tasks, jobs that are not in your wheel house.
It is silly to spend hours doing something ourselves jus to save a dollar when we can pay someone else to do it faster, better and in the long run, cheaper. The time you are saving, you can use to help your customers, spend time with your family or just have some “me time”. Yes, that is really important too.
I Need To Do More Course Before…
No, you don’t!
Chances are, you have already done plenty of courses. You have the knowledge, just implement it. Yes, it will be imperfect and you may fall down however, how can you improve if you have not started. We never tell a toddler not to try to walk because she will fall over. And guess what? Most times she falls flat on her bottom and her nappy/diaper breaks her fall. The only thing she hurts is her pride. And you will be no different. Go for it. JK Rowley kept going and so can you.
Follow your own dream and live your brilliance. We spend far too much time working in and on our businesses not to enjoy it.
Next week, we will talk to a Bookkeeper who gives us a lesson on how watching our invoicing and expenses can really save/make us money.
Plus, she makes it fun. Yes, seriously. Come and take a listen. See you next week.
For all this gold and more listen to Small Business Talk Episode #038 for the full details.
Attitude is the little thing that makes a big difference.
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