The AC is pumping. The drinks are chilling. And every supermarket is pushing charcoal and grills as you enter. Yup. It’s summer summer summer time.I used to live for this time of year. Even when I had my busiest client seasons. (Yes, I was crazy enough to develop youth entrepreneurship programs. Which meant my summers and evenings were always over-scheduled). I loved this time of year because, people tend to slow down. Breathe more. Relax. Which leads to creation and new ideas.
And for my entrepreneurs, this is a GREAT thing. Because you have time to tackle this big business goal. One that will make a HUGE difference for the second half of your year.
What ONE goal do you need to focus on ?
Now before you start screaming that I’m adding more work to your plate, consider this:
Focusing on ONE business goal can be super effective. Rather than trying to tackle everything, you put your energy into one thing.
Once you’ve mastered it, you can move onto your never-ending list.
But you want to create that goal when you are engrossed in down time. Planned R&R . A day where you work outside of your office. A few hours on the laptop while you are on the beach or pool. Or an afternoon with your favorite iced drink at a coffee shop.
During this time, put on your creative CEO hat. And analyze how your business is doing.
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What things have worked well for the first half of your year?
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What things are chaotic and need to be addressed?
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What could you be doing to serve more people in your business?
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What could you stop doing so that you can free up more time?
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What goal would make a big difference in the second half of your year?
It’s easy to ignore these BIG questions. When you are working day to day, you are in hustle mode. You are super focused on serving clients. And finding new ones.
And that’s a good thing for your cash flow.
But if you want to GROW your business, you need to think big picture. You need time to step back and look at things. What is your system for finding new clients? What is your system for keeping your clients? What could you do in your marketing? What could help you manage more sales? When are you ready to hire your first or next employee?
All big picture thinking.
Questions that can change the trajectory of your business. Where you are working LESS and focusing more on what you love to do.
So let me challenge you to find time to address these big picture questions. And pick ONE! Because time is your most challenging commodity. There ain’t enough of it.
Use the summer to your advantage to create this goal. Tack on one more day to the family vacation. Hop on a train or bus for a day trip and get outside of your usual surroundings. Find a coffee shop cross town that doesn’t know your drink order.
This new environment will allow you the space to create. The space to dream and think big.
And start tackling what’s not working with new energy.
If you want to take this activity next level, schedule a call with your business coach or mentor. Talk through your ideas. Get insights on what to focus on and/or what else might be hindering you. And be open to new ways of thinking and operating after your call.
You could also join an accountability group. I’m running one over the summer with a few brave entrepreneurs. They were willing to tackle goals this summer so they could have a radically different fall and winter. This is the perfect time of year to test out new ideas for most industries. You finally have time to do these things.
So open your online calendar or crack open your paper scheduler. And pick your time to tackle this question.
Cheers to the brainstorming and new goal you choose to focus on!
