Do you have a business….or does the business have you?
Almost everyone that I have ever met in business started out with enthusiasm, hope and the expectation that they would be able to end up with a great business…and the achievement of their most important goals. Maybe they started out with an idea for a product or service, or learnt from what they could see from an employee or clients point of view….and vowed they could do it better.
However they started, is not nearly as important as it is to ask the question …..how are they coping now? …and are they achieving their goals with balance?
The working and business landscape has changed dramatically in recent times, and it probably will continue to do so. So with this in mind, let’s just take a little time out and refocus on the reasons ‘why’ we have a business and how it is going.
A business can make a great ‘servant’ but a horrible ‘master.’ If you are not careful, it can take all of your attention, drive, and energy and leave you tired and listless for many of the other important areas of your life, like your family, your health and your peace.
So let’s not provide you with ‘glib’ ‘quick fixes’….because really they don’t exist.
Here are a few things for you to consider.
Are you on track to your most important personal goals?
Do you have a clear ‘vision’ on what your personal life should look like, and it your business structured so that you can enjoy that vision?
Have you looked at some of the key variables in your business. Areas that can provide dramatic improvements include:
Your products’ uniqueness….if it is not unique..seek to make it unique….or you will have to compete on the only differential left….. price.
Your people…how are they serving, and interacting with your clients….are they doing this well?
Your processes...are they user friendly …do they impress or are they cumbersome, long-windedly and boring…seek to re-energise your clients through reconnecting with them!
Make your processes better, more time efficient and simpler.
Your recurring problems or issues. Recurring problems or issues are ‘markers’ for areas to improve. View them as opportunities to implement a new process.
Your promoting of your business and its products and services. Is the quality and quantity of business where it should be?
Your own passion for what you do….do you need to re-kindle that and get a fresh new look at what you do…….and why you are doing it.
Maybe it is time to stop, look at what you are doing, how you are doing….and what you can do about it.
Source Peter Daniels Lead Australia Pty Ltd www.leadaustralia.com.au