“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” Benjamin Franklin
I’m sure you’ve heard this quote before, but I didn’t know who it was attributed to, did you?
I know I’ve been guilty in the past of not spending enough time in the planning phase. Sometimes that’s been as simple as not getting enough food for the weekend picnics we need for all day athletic events. At other times, in my business, it’s been not getting everything ready I’ve needed before launching something. Thinking that if I launch something, I’ll respond to customers needs when they ask. All that has done has put extra pressure on me, I’ve been vague with clients, and I’ve not always given the best service possible. And it was something I could have avoided!
Sometimes in business, especially in the early stages, we’re so keen to be ‘doing’ things all the time, we don’t spend enough time planning, or setting systems and structures up. There may be things which others could help with (partners, children, parents, friends), if only you’d ask them to help you. I know I’ve sometimes felt that if I’m not “out there” trying to “get the money in”, I’m not doing my job properly. But then, looking back, if I’d only put those systems in place, I’d have sold more, or helped that customer in a much better way than I did by rushing.
This was brought into sharp focus last week with a client who has an amazing mission. She was trying to do things by herself, and hadn’t even thought about asking for help. When I asked if someone else could “do that”, she thought about it and said, “yes, but they’d have to be the right person”. So she thought some more and came up with the idea that her Dad may be able to help out with a particular aspect of this project. I got a text from her over the weekend, saying Dad had said yes. She was relieved that she’d got help, and whilst she’ll still have to have an overview on the tasks Dad is carrying out for her, she doesn’t need to find time to actually do “that job”.
It’s a simple thing to ask for help, but many of us think we have to do everything ourselves. Just because it’s your business, doesn’t mean you have to do everything. Yes you’re responsible for everything in your business, but if you got a bit of help, what would that allow you to do more of? Rest, spend time with the family, create new products, see more clients? Think about it.
Two things which are linked for you to think about this week – planning and who can help you? I’d love to hear what ideas this has sparked for you. Let me know.
I had a wonderful conversation about “Conversations that Flow” last week with Matthew Newnham (it’s about 45 minutes). It was fascinating how his simple ideas for how we can think about conversations, can help us make the most of our time with people. If we think of a conversation as a two-way process, talking about something both parties are interested in, the end result is that both parties will feel better at the end than at the start. Does that make sense to you? I need to listen to it again and pull out the excellent tips he gave us to make use of every opportunity we’re given to share our business with others.
You can book a free 20 minute Explore Call with Tracey-Jane if you’d like help with your business planning.
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