Aaahhh the beauty of being a business owner is that you can take off every Friday, right? Well, maybe not so fast! If you’re taking every Friday off will your business grow and thrive? Do you take Fridays off? If you do, are you working on another day of the week? Are you working a four day work week consistently and working longer days when you do work?
Hey, as your own boss, you can do what you want, but know that if you don’t put in the time, how will your business grow? Perhaps time doesn’t have to be a factor in your business, but I don’t know too many entrepreneurs who work only a few hours a week and attain success.
Success, though is personal and only you know what success looks like to you.
Do You Take Fridays Off?
If you’re not productive or working on Fridays, and know that you should be, here are some ways to regain control of your Friday and perhaps even be productive when you do!
Plan to attend networking events on Friday.
Schedule client calls or client meetings on Fridays.
Take a class on a Friday.
Teach a class on a Friday.
Set aside time on a Friday to go through the enewsletters you sign up for and read through the trade magazines to stay current.
Use Friday to look at what you’ve accomplished.
Use Friday to plan for Monday and the next week.
Get out of the office and attend a networking event.
Clear out your email inbox so you’re not faced with an overflowing inbox on Monday.
Connect with colleagues.
Use Friday for prospecting calls.
Fridays don’t have to be full work days, but if you know you’re not productive on a Friday, that doesn’t mean you can’t make forward momentum on your business and its growth.
Are you productive on a Friday? What do you do on Fridays to move your business forward?
The excitement of going into business for yourself cannot be denied. You are looking at all the great things you want to do, the customers you want to find and a myriad of other actions that need to be taken when you’re getting off the ground. We have a list of 4 things entrepreneurs need to avoid when just starting out.
4 Things Entrepreneurs Need To Avoid
Take a deep breath, grab a pen and paper or open a document on your computer and ponder these tips we’re offering.
Don’t think you need to immediately, or ever, bring on a partner. Do you truly need a business partner? Is your business something that was launched by more than one of you? Are you thinking, “I need a partner” just because you don’t want to go it alone? Stop and think about the reasons you went into business for yourself. Say that out loud, “for yourself.” If you’re excited about being a business owner chances are you want to do it on your own — if that’s the case, don’t rush into getting a partner.
Keep moving forward even when disappointments arise. Know that disappointments and setbacks will happen. Entrepreneurs have to have the will power to move forward and learn from mistakes.
Know what you’re good at and what you need to outsource. If managing your money or your social media isn’t within your wheelhouse, outsource that and focus on your core competencies.
Remember why you wanted to be an entrepreneur and shout it from the rooftops! Tell anyone and everyone you meet that you’re a business owner. You truly don’t know when or where you will find a new customer. You don’t need to be obnoxious or a boor, but you can certainly say, “I just started my XYZ business.. if you need what I do, please let’s talk!
Congratulations on being an entrepreneur. Go forth and be successful! If you’re struggling with working alone, remember you don’t have to go it alone. Find a coach or join a mastermind group. Talk with us and let’s help you be a success!
How can you motivate your team and employees to keep them better engaged and more loyal to the company? By offering ongoing training and coaching. Don’t wait for a specific moment in time or until you invest in a training program – open yourself and offer your skills on an ongoing basis to your team. Do you motivate and coach your team? If not, why not? If you are, congratulations!
When your team knows you’re providing impromptu coaching and training they will be eager to learn and their value to your company skyrockets.
Even if you have a competent – and why wouldn’t you – the staff there is always room for learning and growth and if you’re providing that they just might stick around. Don’t fall into the mindset that if you train them, they will learn and leave. Be confident in what you offer that they will, indeed stay and the coaching you provide only enhances their value to your company.
Do You Motivate And Coach Your Team?
Empower your staff to learn. Whether they learn on-site or online if they come to you with an opportunity to learn and if it will enhance their value and the skills they bring to the job then say, yes!
Why should you implement workplace training and coaching?
Don’t assume what your staff knows or doesn’t know. Ask them to outline their unique skills and talents. You may have a talented staff member in a position that isn’t challenging him or her and you may want to move them into a position that better suits them and the company
When you’re delegating tasks, use that as an opportunity to provide customized staff training opportunities
Has there been a major shakeup in staff? Before simply sliding the next person in line into a vacant position, open the opportunity to others who may want to prove their mettle and grow in the company with new responsibility
Tell your staff that you’re open to their learning new skills. Tell them to let you know what they want to learn and why and how it will help them in their current position
Keep the door open for coaching and training. Let your employees grow and excel by offering them new opportunities to show you just how great they are
Your office surroundings have a lot to do with your state of mind as well as your productivity. This is the same whether you work in an office, a cube or your home office. We have some tips on how to kick off 2020 more productively by starting with your office setting.
We know there are those individuals who will say they can work in a mess because they know where everything is. That simply isn’t true. When you’re working in a chaotic environment — even if you can find everything — you’re still adding to your stress and that can unwittingly decrease your productivity.
Here are some ways to boost productivity by starting with your office.
Add foilage. Whether you’re adding live plants, air plants or artificial plants, greenery enhances your mood and just makes you feel better. Adding plant life gives you a break from staring at the office walls or computer screen and if you concentrate on the plant you just might feel yourself relax.
Get rid of the clutter. This goes for your physical as well as your virtual desktop. Set up filing systems. Put stuff in drawers or folders. Keep out what you need to use regularly. Put items away that are used infrequently. Don’t let clutter roll around the desk because it’s distracting.
Lighting matters. You don’t have to replace the ceiling lights to enhance the lighting in your space, but add a table or desk lamp to brighten up the work space.
How inspired are you by your office decor? If you have any say in the matter, update and upgrade the decor. Add a coat of paint or hang photos. Add a few personal items or motivational quotes.
How is the flooring in your office? If you’re working on hardwood floors or linoleum and the floors are cold or loud or dark, install new flooring or at least add a few throw rugs to dampen the sound and brighten up the space. If you already have carpet that is worn and dingy, add throw rugs or a mat to help your chair roll easier.
Take some time before the new year gets too far into its cycle and give your office a once over and see if it’s helping, or hindering, your productivity.
Burnout. It is real, but it can also be an excuse entrepreneurs tell themselves they are suffering from when they really have just lost their passion (momentarily) for their business. How to reignite your business passion is something we talk with our clients about quite regularly.
It is easy to be excited when you have an amazing business idea. It is also easy to feel as though you’re pushing a rock up a steep hill when you’re in the midst of making that business a success. All of a sudden that “thing” you loved is now your “job.” Your passion project has grown wings and will be the driving force in your entrepreneurial endeavor. That is a lot of pressure to put on something you love, right?
How To Reignite Your Business Passion
We have come up with five ways you can use to reignite your passion for the business idea you’re pursuing and making a living from.
You’re the expert. Whether you’re making widgets or crocheting blankets, you have taken the first steps in turning that passion — your unique expertise — into a business. Shout it from the rooftops that you are the expert. If you don’t believe it, potential clients won’t either.
Take a break. If your business is crocheting or dog grooming or whatever was once a hobby and is now a business, take a break from it. Do something completely different. You may just come back refreshed and renewed.
Just because you’re passionate about something doesn’t mean you have to make a living at it, right? If you love to crochet blankets, sell them at local craft fairs, set up an etsy store, give them away to the homeless — no one says that just because it’s your expertise that you HAVE to turn it into a business.
If you’re currently an employee who wants to break out and become an entrepreneur, is there anything about your current job that you enjoy? Can that translate into a passion project that might set you on the path toward being an entrepreneur?
Maybe you just need a career change. Your passions can change and rather than trying to force yourself to become passionate about it again, admit that you want to go in another direction. Perhaps you have reached the end of your creativity with a certain project. Maybe you have uncovered something else you are more passionate about — go for it!
Life is too short to be stuck in a rut or be doing something that kills your soul. Perhaps you need a vacation or perhaps you need a business coach or an accountability group who can help you uncover the reasons why your passion has changed. Don’t close the door to a new opportunity if that is the path you are facing.
Are you still passionate about your business? Has it evolved since you started it? Leave us a message.
The last thing a business owner wants to do is to trick the subscribers to his or her newsletter. If you have been invited into an inbox, you need to know how to deliver on the promise of your newsletter. Remember, your subscribers can just as easily delete and unsubscribe as they subscribed.
It is your lead magnet that is helping you grow your newsletter subscriber list. What was the lead magnet about? What does your newsletter sign up form have on it? Did you promise to be in their inbox once a month? If that’s the case, then don’t start sending weekly emails. That will earn you an unsubscribe before you know it!
How To Deliver On The Promise Of Your Newsletter
Because time is precious and inbox real estate is precious you want to honor the privilege you have been given when a subscriber opens the virtual door and welcomes you in. Sure, it could be your lead magnet that originally drew them in — and that is its purpose — but you want to continue to build on the promise of the lead magnet and you want to remain in that inbox.
Here are ways to deliver on your email promise:
Stick to the publishing frequency you promised during the initial sign up. If you decide to change the frequency, let your subscribers know prior to the change being made.
Your headline should deliver on the promise of the newsletter content. Don’t use a “leading headline” — You Won’t Believe The Secret To Longevity… and it’s right in your cupboard!” then write a newsletter about how to clean a swimming pool. That is pure click bait and you will see a plethora of unsubscribes — and rightly so.
Never add people to your email subscriber list without their permission. Your email provider will prompt you to answer whether you have permission to email the people you’re uploading — if you say “yes” then have a lot of complaints or unsubscribes, your email account could be shut down.
If you have offered to show your subscriber, “how to grow your email list in five easy steps,” you need to deliver on that promise. don’t give one step a week for five weeks.
Always have a call to action (CTA). Don’t leave the reader without a clear course of action. What do you want them to do? Call you? Schedule an appointment? Comment? Determine what you want then add a CTA in each newsletter. Your calls to action don’t have to be the same for each newsletter.
Are you sending out a newsletter? What is your open rate? What is your click through rate? Do you have an effective lead magnet? If you’re not sure, let us know. We can help!
