As a busy entrepreneur, you spend the lion’s share of your day meeting the needs of others. You’re actively tackling the needs of your clients, your employees, your accountant, that weird guy on Linkedin with his connection request….you get the picture. Your day is all about others and their requests. How about you and your business? Did you know that your business has needs, too?
There’s allot of talk about how we ‘set ourselves up for failure’. Whether its self-limiting beliefs, sabotaging behaviors, or an unwillingness to do what it takes, failure lurks around each corner. Even the books, websites, articles, and workshop sharing secrets to business success don’t address the notion of how to set ourselves up for success.
Entrepreneurship is not for the faint of heart. It requires taking calculated risks, learning to live with uncertainty, and hard work, just to mention a few aspects of small business ownership. Yet, over 550,000 businesses are created every month in the US alone. Why the explosive growth? Despite the many challenges of entrepreneurships, the quest for freedom, flexibility, and “being the boss” is more compelling.
An entrepreneur-in-the-making asked how much “time” should be dedicated to growing a smart business. Hmmm, that’s a real thought-tickler. And, one many entrepreneurs ask. Are 40 hours enough? Are 70 hours too many? What is the exact number of hours needed to grow a successful business?
If you participate in any sort of athletic activity (running, biking, hiking, walking, etc.), there is much to learn about achievement that can be aptly applied to your business. Like today, while completing a 6 mile pace run in preparation for an upcoming half-marathon, I learned that when I take myself to the limits of my physical capabilities, I discover a missing ingredient that will expand those limits.
Let me begin by saying I’m not a fan of the term “fire a client”. It sounds a bit egotistical, especially when I’m half of that equation and likely shouldn’t have engaged the client in the first place. (More on that later.) However, for the sake of this conversation, or until someone gives me a better phrase, I’m going with it.