There are several common factors that prevent small business owners from massive success. One of those things is the lack of a strategic plan! This post is dedicated to expand your awareness and offer you some tips on how to be more effective in business.
Action vs. Reaction
The biggest difference between successful businesses and not-so-successful businesses is how they operate on a daily basis. Whoa! Earth-shattering wisdom right there wasn’t it? But seriously, successful companies operate their business from a place of action while unsuccessful businesses operate from a place of reaction.
Successful businesses operate with intention. They have goals and strategies in place and wake up every day knowing what needs to get done in order to reach their goals.
Unsuccessful businesses operate with hope and faith. They run their business in reaction to the events of the day. They take the calls, they make sure their customer are happy, but they don’t have direction with their actions.
Action Plan vs. To-do List
To-do lists are full of things that need to get done. The line items on a to-do list are usually reactions to something that happened or will soon happen. (ie: ran out of eggs and toilet paper)
An action plan is also full of things that need to get done. The difference is that the line items on an action plan have been determined by prior critical thinking and, if done right, align with some form of strategy designed to accomplish a larger goal or objective.
An action plan takes a little longer to create than a to-do list does, but, once it’s created, an action plan allows you to make ten times more progress towards your goals because you know what needs to get done and you don’t need to think about it.
It’s time to throw out your to-do list and create an action plan!
If you need help creating a marketing strategy and an action plan for your business, check out this post: Introduction to the Strategic Marketing Compass
Why you might need a “not-to-do” list!
As a business owner, you’re used to wearing many different hats and fielding many different positions. Although it may feed your ADD, playing all the different roles in your business is not a sustainable business model.
What many business owners need is a “not-to-do list”. A list of things that can and should be delegated to other team members. This list of “not-to-do’s” should allow you to focus less on working in your business and focus more on working on your business.
As the business owner your time and energy is valuable and must be spent in what I call high-value roles. You should be creating systems and processes that are designed to leverage your time and grow your business.
If you are doing tasks that can be hired out for $10-$15 per hour, then you are not spending your time in high-value roles.
How to change it
The best way to start operating your business from a place of action is to develop a strong marketing strategy. Be sure to create a marketing strategy that’s consciously designed to achieve your business goals and objectives. Then, you must develop a specific action plan to execute your strategy and to ensure you’re making progress towards your goals.
If you really want to do this the right way, but don’t know where to start, check out this post: Introduction to the Strategic Marketing Compass
If you want to go the quick fix route, check out this post: 3 Essential Steps to Creating an Effective Marketing Campaign
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