Put Your Business on the Priority List
Here are some sayings I’m sure you’re familiar with: It’s always the plumber with the leaky pipes. The cobbler’s children don’t have any shoes. The architect's house is always crooked.
It’s easy to hide from our own work by doing someone else’s
We make light of not getting our own work done in our businesses by saying these types of things, but truthfully, it’s easy to hide from our own work by doing someone else’s.
Secretly we feel pressured to do the same things for our own businesses that we do for our clients. We can be so confident in the advice and service we provide to others, but we are overwhelmed by the tasks and decisions required to sustain what we are doing ourselves. Somehow it seems different, more personal and vulnerable. And this feeds into our doubts of whether we know what the heck we are doing in the first place.
Why do we consistently struggle to do the things in our business that we do without hesitation for our clients? Some common answers are: I’ll get to it later, or I’ll do it tomorrow, and these can turn into repetitive excuses.
We allow ourselves to get so caught up in the work we owe our clients
Sometimes we just can’t get out of our own way. We allow ourselves to get so caught up in the work we owe our clients that we forget to put our business where it belongs, at the top of the priority list. The reality is that clients come and go, but you want your business to grow, so you have to maintain it. And the best way to do that is to service your business first, to keep your goals and the actions it will take to achieve them at the forefront.
Part of the problem is, you can’t see the size of the ocean when you’re standing in it. You have to step back to get a full view of what you need to be doing for your own business. You have to separate yourself as a person from your business as an entity. When we are in the thick of it, we can overlook easily attainable possibilities and opportunities. We miss clear solutions to our challenges that are right in front of us. We need to have the distance to see things for what they are.
With some minor shifts in mindset and accountability, we can see and do the same things for the success of our business that we do for others.
“The medicine we prescribe is also the medicine we need.” - Kam Snow
You have to own your identity as the boss and not just as the service provider
You have to own your identity as the boss and not just as the service provider. This requires a different skill set that you might not have had before you started working for yourself. And that can be a little daunting, knowing you have to learn a bunch of new stuff for your business while you’re helping your clients run theirs. And it will all take more time, something we constantly say we don’t have.
I want you to know that, as entrepreneurs, we all struggle with this very thing. You are not alone. It’s common for small business owners to get caught up in the daily cadence of their business and lose sight of creativity and innovation. Part of it is working solo. There’s no one else to bounce ideas off of, no one there for accountability, or to answer any questions you may have. We set some really high expectations, and when we don’t meet them, it’s not easy to be gentle with ourselves.
One of the best things you can do is find your tribe of entrepreneurs - buddies, groups, communities. People who can offer support and accountability as you continue on your business journey. If you’re interested in hearing more about these types of groups, let’s talk. I run 12- week Path of Action Strategy & Accountability groups where business owners like yourself can make a plan to achieve their goals, commit to the steps necessary to do that, and work in a supportive environment with other like-minded business people. Join the waitlist now.
P.S. Ready to stop spinning in place and get to the other side of your goals? Here are several ways I can help:
Download my free weekly planning guide - it will help you become more intentional with your time, develop a clear action plan for your week, and ensure that you are focusing on activities that will move your business forward - Download Now
Join our next CEO Power Planning Session and spend two and a half hours ON your business. During this facilitated workshop, you’ll set and prioritize your next 12-week goals, break them down into an executable action plan and create a resource plan - Join the Wait List
Apply for the next Close the Gap Program and stay on track to achieve your most important goals. 1:1 support and guidance on prioritizing goals, creating a plan and putting structure and routines in place. Then 12 weeks of group support around execution - Apply today