Here's 4 insanely simple lists for entrepreneurs (and they can transform performance in established tradie businesses!).
Starting your own company may seem like a dream come true: The life of an entrepreneur, so flexible and enviable!
Yeah, right.
But no one tells you too much about the responsibilities and risks of being the proprietor!
You’re likely wearing the hat of Scheduling, Purchasing, Accounts, and Marketing, etc., possibly as well as doing your share on the tools!
Your decisions in these departments will all contribute to the profitability of your operation, or otherwise. But the rewards are, potentially, enormous!
Structure, organization and planning are the key to success as an entrepreneur. You must have a clear vision of why you did this, and what it is going to deliver for you, and by when!
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For those entrepreneurs needing some help in organization, here’s four important lists you should be making:
1: The to-do list
You have to have one. Start with your day’s high priority “important” tasks. In your diary make sure to build your weekly list for the days ahead. “Important” and “urgent” are not the same thing! Have you allocated sufficient time to your marketing and business building?
The best time to make the next day’s to-do list is before you leave the ‘office’ at night. Run through everything that is coming up and what has to be handled the next day. Include any appointments and meetings on the list, obviously, so you can be clear about whether you’re adequately prepared for them. Then you can hit the ground running in the morning.
2: The outsource list
Just because you can do something, doesn’t mean you should. Control is a difficult thing to give up — especially when we’re talking about your business. You’ll do whatever it takes to make sure it’s successful. But you can’t do everything anyway!
Outsourcing will provide you the freedom to focus on the tasks you’re really good at — and hopefully increase your chances of making more money. So, make a list of all the mundane tasks that are necessary, and find people who will do them at less than your own hourly rate.
3: The “to-become” list
Oprah Winfrey keeps telling us: “You become what you believe.” You must have a clear, determined intention to turn out how you want to turn out! Writing it down is important, because it makes your own thinking crystallise. Try it – it’s not as easy as it sounds! But people with written goals always achieve more!
That in itself is a good incentive to commit to writing how you really want you and your business to turn out.
But not too long a list! Warren Buffet insists it must not exceed 5 things! The ‘law of diminishing returns’ tells us that the more things you try to focus on, the less you will achieve!
Of course, you must be clear about your starting position too: “My financial condition today is …. And in 5 years’ time I will be …”. Write it up and keep it in view.
4: The ‘Don’t Do’ list!
A “to do not” list is a daily list that includes things you should never do because they are either time wasters, bad habits, or things that hold you back from a successful, balanced life.
Remember that your goals are very vulnerable to your habits! The best of goals will not happen if you can’t develop successful habits, and bad habits quietly kill productivity and focus.
To achieve success, you will no doubt be doing many things you’ve never done before, and will spend most of your time out of your old comfort zone.
So on this list will be things like:
- Don’t start the day watching the news. It’s almost always negative.
- Do not criticize other people today.
- Do not make any impulsive purchase today.
- Do not waste time on social media during chargeable hours.
- Don’t procrastinate today; either do it, delegate it, or bin it.
- Don’t overlook time to invest in personal development.
- Don’t wish bad luck on anyone else.
- Don’t allow unscheduled distractions and interruptions to wreck your schedule.
- And so on, so you can build your own list
Success in the business world is a combination of grit and creative thinking. If you passionately believe you can really make it then you will make it. Know that setbacks and uncertainty never prove you won’t make it.
Believe in yourself, and remember that success is not an entitlement!
But all around you, humans are launching out and becoming successful and wealthy in some business they’ve chosen.
Why not you?