Trying to navigate the business terrain can be a minefield or should I say a “mind field”. Dealing with staff, suppliers, cash flow, marketing, strategies for growing the business, accounts, shipment and the list goes on and on. However one of the biggest challenges that business owners face is their ability to keep focused on a daily basis and not lose faith in the long run.
Sometimes the pressure of owning and operating a business whether you a solopreneur or have employees can be overwhelming. Often business owners jokingly share with me “ that wasn’t in the one your own business brochure” and I can definitely empathise with them. Remember I too have a business.
So how do you stay focused and not lose faith throughout your business career?
- You need to have a big picture – It’s not enough to just think about your daily activities you must have something to aim towards that I like to call ( the lighthouse) The reason being is it can become a little like groundhog day every day where you lose focus on “why” you’re really doing this. BTW it’s often not just the money. It’s more than that it’s a bigger picture than that. So having a long-term reason for why you do your business is paramount as every time you feel like you’re straying from the path the big picture or lighthouse brings you back and keeps you in line.
- Small incremental goals – A lot of talk has been shared about having your “big hairy audacious goal” and that “goals should be so scary that you need to grow into them” and that’s cool, however what’s wrong with this is that relating that to your daily activities can be a challenge cause it’s hard to measure and keep the intensity up on a continued basis. The solution? I believe having smaller more incremental goals that serve to act as in a compounding way is the key. Here’s why. When you set a goal and achieve it reasonably easy or with X amount of effort the brain begins to think” well if I can get this done, what’s next and how can I take on the next task” It’s almost like an addictive drug for the brain itself ( it actually triggers the same area as when we experience euphoria, sex or tobacco and alcohol) Now the reason we want these incremental wins is to train the brain into focus on the end game and crave the reward that comes with it to now combine drive with achievement. Both a winning combination
- Clear end Goal – Often as business owners, the end is very rarely clear. Be it money, the size of the company, exit strategy, holiday planning etc. So the question is “how do you stay focused of you’re not even sure where you’re heading or what you are wanting to achieve? The answer: You don’t you start looking for the magic bullet, the shiny object and the next fad that will in some form of miracle get you there by a sheer stroke of luck. So the key is to set sail to the destination you are clear on sailing to. The waters and wind may change but if you’re clear you will get to the shore.
Following the above strategies have helped me stay focused and keep the faith that I will achieve what I set out to create. To add a little clarity it hasn’t always been in the same time frame that I thought it would be or in the way I may have planned it out to be in but nevertheless achieved I have and so can you.
For more strategies on how to stay focused on your business, book a discovery call now or contact us at 1300 459 302 and get one on one advice from our business experts here at UpCoach.
