Do you ever feel overwhelmed in your business? Do you sometimes feel bored with your business? Are you frustrated with the amount of work that has to be done like yesterday? Are you wondering why you don’t have a steady stream of new clients or customers? Are you feeling like a complete failure for not being where you thought you’d be by now? I understand. I’ve got great news. You are not alone. Many entrepreneurs feel the same way you do. The rest of the story is this: you can easily make a shift and switch the situation around. In no time flat, you can and will be back on track to being the trailblazing, happy, fulfilled, satisfied and successful entrepreneur you have always been at your core. Read on…
Many people get bogged down with the day to day tasks required to run a business and sometimes it can be a bit much. This is especially true if you are a solo-entrepreneur and you wear many hats. You may be lonely, overworked and even underpaid. However, please understand, you do not have to remain stuck. I’ve got a few tried and true ways to help you get refreshed and recharged and finally get on track to making the money you deserve. It all starts with change. That’s right, change. Is it really that simple, you ask? With a resounding YES…I submit the following… when something is not working, that’s a sign that change is necessary. Here’s my short list of 5 ways to refresh and recharge and boost your income now.
1. Change your scenery. Sometimes there’s nothing better than a change of scenery. Have you ever noticed that if you are stuck in a place of mediocrity or complacency, you can usually snap out of it, if you get up and go somewhere or do something? It’s no different in business. If you are stuck in your business and you are not getting the results you want, then you might need to change your office or work space to become more productive. On the other hand, you may need a day or two to get away and unplug. The time away might do you a world of good. You will return with a fresh perspective and maybe new ideas too. Sometimes that’s all it takes.
2. Change your marketing. Maybe you aren’t marketing your business at all. Maybe you are marketing your business on a random basis. Maybe you are not marketing your business effectively. Either way, if you’ve hit a wall and you are not producing the results you seek or generating the income you desire, it’s a great time to change your marketing. Because when marketing is done properly, quite simply it works. Start by writing a marketing plan or better yet, hire a marketing professional to write one for you. The key is to focus on the strategies that are going to deliver your message to your ideal clients in the most effective way.
3. Change your mind-set. It’s easy to slip into a mode of indifference and negativity when you are not getting the results you want. When things are not going as well as planned, sometimes we fixate on the negative and begin to doubt ourselves, our talents, our business and wonder “what have I gotten myself into?” These self sabotaging beliefs will only spiral out of control and limit your success. I don’t think you will find many millionaires who are chronic pessimists or negative thinkers. Successful entrepreneurs see challenges as opportunities not obstacles. Obtain a winner’s mindset and set your intentions to succeed.
4. Change your focus. Whether you need to adjust your focus for a day, week, the year or in general, you must pinpoint your efforts in a new area if your current area is not working. Focus is about placing your attention, action or attraction to a specific person, place or thing. For the purposes of running a business, perhaps your focus is to get more customers to walk in the door or to get the phones ringing, but maybe your real focus should be on great customer service. It is a lot easier to retain customers and acquire new ones rather than losing customers and constantly starting from the ground up. Figure out what area of your business needs your primary focus and make that a priority in your business. I’ll give you a hint, sales and service are usually in the top 3 areas of focus for most companies. Wherever your focus is, make sure you have allowed the appropriate amount of time and energy to FOCUS on what generates the most income with the least amount of effort.
5. Create systems. Your business should have systems and standard operating procedure for everything you do. As an entrepreneur or small business owner, you need a comprehensive guide that contains methods, principles, policies and instructions for basic and complex functions in your business. Whether it’s about your social media strategy or a new product launch, you need to write down how you do what you do for the important areas in your business. You should have a system for everything including generating and paying invoices, point of sale, customer contact and follow up, distribution, inventory, marketing and so much more. Furthermore, if you have systems implemented in your business, it’s easier to take a break, delegate or hire a team to do the work. Having systems in place will help your business to run more smoothly and prevent you from costly mistakes. The best part of having systems is that you can sit back and relax and allow your systems to work for you and avoid overwhelm and burnout. Creating systems for your business will not only make you money but save you money, time and headaches.
© 2012 Quality Media Consultant Group, LLC – All Rights Reserved
This article is written by Lori A. Manns –Marketing Mentor and Sales Success Coach. Want to use this article for your website, blog or newsletter? No problem. Here’s what you must include: Lori A. Manns, CEO of Quality Media Consultant Group and founder of ABC’s of Successful Sponsorship Sales System;TM that shows you how to get more sponsors and sales for your business, guaranteed. To purchase consulting services on marketing, advertising or sales and, learn how to increase your revenue and grow your business; please visit www.qualitymediaconsultants.com.