Most of us tend to work on our small business one piece at a time. Yet, if all the pieces are not in place: the picture is not complete, success is not maximized: profit is not optimized and a piece might be missing.
Thinking of your business success and profit as a JigSaw Puzzle is one way to continue to work "One Piece at a Time" while not missing out on putting all the pieces together and completing your picture of success.
I know this is an Old Idea, really out of step with Internet times, but it does work. Today, I'll be picking up the phone, maybe not a red one, to initiate contact with some local, potential clients. My fear is not the call or the receptionist, but getting stuck when it comes to a short conversation.
I subscribe to a daily service, CanDoGo. Today's offering was entitled:
Telephone Prospecting: Conversation Technique
I learned some tips and was reminded of some things I can really use today to move my business forward even if it seems like using the phone as a small business marketing tool is a step backwards.
"Our mission at Raising CEO Kids is to to educate, empower, & encourage parents to RAISE smart, savvy, successful, and confident CEO KIDS as well as to support CEO Kids or those who want to be CEO Kids!" ... Sarah Cook of RaisingCEOKids.com
At all levels (Small Business Owner, Parent and Author of The Profit Puzzle Learn & Do Start-Up Success System), I can't say enough about how impressed I am about Sarah Cook and her recently launched RaisingCEOKids.com project.
Why? Because she has really nailed a need and opportunity for both kids and parents. It not about a family with a small business. It's about people in a family supporting each other in a business of their own. Whether a parent is supporting a kid, a kid is supporting a parent or both, everybody wins. The challenges and values of being in business create healthy and, perhaps, wealthy relationships.
Join. I'm strongly recommending you not only check it out, but give it a spin - Join and Enjoy. There is tremendous amount of energy being injected into this project. I find it refreshing and powerful. Yes, the links I've provided are my Affiliate Links; I disclose that because it is the right thing to do, but it also tells you how much I believe in what RaisingCEOKids.com has to offer.
If I've heard it once, I've heard it a thousand times "When my business gets big enough, I'll worry about that. Right now I just need to ..." you fill in the blank. It our hurry to get our business up and running, we ignore the obvious steps of learning about business and sketching out some basic plans.
I'm guilty of being in too much of a hurry to get my unique, wonderful, can't lose small business idea up and running now. I'll clean up the mess later.
Yet, when you talk to people who've made it down the road a ways, most of them will tell you they would of spend less time, money and stress if they'd just learned and planned a bit more.
My sense of things is that the "Hurry Up" mentality is moving in the direction of "Fill In the Blanks" as you go. It's becoming "OK" to Learn as You Go and Make Plansto guide you as you create and launch your small business.
I'm not suggesting you slow down, keep up a brisk pace, but save yourself some time and energy now so you're not worn out and out of cash later.
Ever been in a hurry to get some where or grab that parking spot right next to entrance to the mall only to have to slam on the brakes to slow down for a speed bump? There are times in my small business activities when I'm rushing ahead and, out of nowhere, hit obstacles that slow me down.
My first reaction is to be irritated and lose my focus on where I'm actually headed. Most of us just don't like being "slowed down" as we drive to our destination. Worst of all, someone else may beat us to the ideal parking slot we spotted. But, there are other spots in the lot that will get us safely parked and into the mall.
What you learn over time is to be prepared for speed bumps. They exist for a reason. They don't prevent you from continuing down the road. They do ask you to slow down and pay more attention to what's going on around you and in the near distance.
If you haven't encountered any small business speed bumps yet, you will. Keep your focus on the big picture on the horizon line. You'll get there despite the obstacles you'll encounter along the way as long as you keep driving in the right direction and slowing down for the occasional speed bump!
This morning as I chatted with Cheryl Isaac of A Different Business, I mentioned a Tweet I posted yesterday "Is your small business office filled with clutter or creativity?" and we both agreed it is a challenge. How about your small business office?
I know my level of creativity is higher when things are organized. When I have a lot of "white space" around me I feel more energetic and ready to make things happen.
But, it's so easy to start a pile of stuff and move on to the next task with the promise I'll get back to filing it later. Same is true with my computer "desk top" - open files waiting to be Favored later.
I know better. I even mention the need to set up a filing system in the Operations session of The Profit Puzzle System for Small Business Start-Up Success.
I promised myself just now to be a better student of my own advice. In fact, I'd write that promise down but I'm not sure where I'll put the piece of paper!
