Walk the Walk
There are a number of reasons for this. We may feel too close to our own business that we can’t do our specific work for ourselves. Or we don’t consider the time we spend working on our own businesses as a direct money generator. And the most common reason is we let our stuff fall to the bottom of the priority list because we put our client work first.
I’m sure you’ve heard many proverbs that represent this concept, like “it’s the plumber with the leaky pipes”, and “a workman always blames his tools”. It actually has a name:
The Cobbler’s Children Syndrome
This comes from the old proverb that “the cobbler’s children have no shoes”. We are so focused on serving the needs of our clients that we neglect our own. The question is, why is it so difficult to do the things for our own businesses that we have no problem doing for our clients? And in most cases, we love what we do. We’re passionate and excited about our work.
This comes up with almost every client I work with. They are baffled and frustrated by the temptation to let their business go without the high value services they provide for others. Here’s what it looks like:
A writer who doesn’t write enough blogs
A web designer with an outdated website
A social media strategist with no social media presence
A bookkeeper whose own accounts are a mess
Does it take time to work on your own business? Yes.
Are you unrealistic about the time it takes? Yes.
Do you get caught up in your own mind drama? Double yes.
Are you suffering from perfection paralysis? Most likely.
Have you learned to talk the talk? Yes, definitely, or you wouldn’t have clients.
As entrepreneurs we deal with a good amount of self-scrutiny. So the embarrassment of not doing your own stuff can keep you from telling others and asking for help. It’s best not to wallow in it. At least not for long, because “haste makes waste”. Then you have to take action and move forward. Remember, “actions speak louder than words”. Here are a few ways to “talk the talk and walk the walk”, too.
Make yourself a client
Anywhere you have your clients listed, put your business name on the list, too. In your CRM, your contacts, or anywhere you keep a running list of current active clients. It’s “out of sight, out of mind,” unless you keep your business right where you can see it.
Schedule time realistically
So much of maintaining a business is recurring tasks. Sit down with your calendar and block the time to do your daily, monthly, and quarterly tasks before you schedule everything else.
Stop “forcing a square peg in a round hole”.
Those 15-minute cushions you should be putting on your calendar? They are for going to the bathroom, grabbing a snack, or getting up to stretch. They are not for jamming important things in where they don’t belong, like the crucial things you need to do for your business. See above.
Hire someone else to do it
I know, I know - this one can be tough. But “a man who represents himself in court has a fool for a client”. If you’re beating yourself up for not doing it, stop torturing yourself and delegate. This is an excellent way to show your clients that you think your work is so valuable, you’re willing to pay to have it done.
Proverbs are these fun, gentle kicks in the butt. Together with the suggestions above, you can get your business on track and treat it like the valuable entity it is. But if you want to get serious about prioritizing your business tasks and goals, please consider my 12-week Path of Action Strategy and Accountability group now. “Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today”.
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