Confession time… let’s talk about bad habits. I’ve got them, and I think (or maybe I want to say hope) we all do. Mine would be eating too much chocolate, not exercising enough, procrastinating about house work or trying to do too many things at once and not taking a break.
Bad habits in your business are a whole different story though. During my one on one client sessions, a number of these come up too frequently and I wanted to share this with you so that you can go back to your business and work on giving these bad habits a kick up the bum. Get them out as soon as possible, and don’t invite them back in.
Here are 4 things you need to stop doing in your business right now.
1. Thinking you can do it all by yourself
Somehow us business owners are all about ‘I want to do it myself’ (my go to line when I was a kid, ask my mum), or ‘nobody can do it as well as I can’. Somehow we’re afraid to ask for help, but let me tell you this: asking for help is not a sign of weakness or giving up control! It shows that you are mature and willing to grow your business with the help and advice of others. Nobody knows everything, you’re skilled at what you do and it’s perfectly fine to team up with others who are skilled in their areas of expertise, such as a book-keeper or copywriter. If you’re still hesitant to ask for help, go check out why Richard Branson is so successful, now there’s a man who knows when to ask for help.
This also applies to your to-do list. Just because you can do all the items on your to-do list doesn’t mean you should. Is it time to outsource your admin, book-keeping, or cleaning so you can focus on growing your business?
2. Talk but no action
Lots of ideas but no time to implement? Saying you’re constantly busy? With what?! I often find this with clients. They book in a session and think that all their problems will be solved. It’s like buying a gym membership and expecting the kilos to drop off magically. It’s no good having ideas, talking about it but then not implementing them. Your business will go where you will take it. So stop talking and start implementing if you want results.
3. Not working on your business
Time sometimes tends to slip away and we simply don’t have the time we would like to work ON our business. When I was younger, I worked for a small business coaching firm and the one thing that I remember very well is that their number 1 rule was that working ON your business is vital to your success. It’s important to plan your time so that you can work on how you want to grow and develop your business. I make sure that I don’t book all my days full of coaching sessions but that I also spend time working ON my business, every day. Take a step back and spend time on looking at your business, take a helicopter view, think about what’s not working so well, what can be improved etc. Then go away to find the answers, learn and educate yourself and then spend some time actually implementing all the knowledge you’ve gained.
4. Trying to please everyone
There is no way you could keep everyone happy all of the time. It is also impossible to work with everyone that could benefit from what you do. Stop trying to please everyone. Focus on a group of people that you do your best work with, the ones that inspire you and the ones you inspire the most. Try to find more people like them, because both of you will benefit the most from the working relationship.
Ps. If you’re looking for help with social media and marketing, I’d love to teach you! Let’s do it together.
