We entrepreneurial types are perfectionists. We believe we can do it all and do it pretty darn well. I’ve been one of those business owners who do it all. No matter what’s thrown at me, I believe I can take it on. I’d start every day with a list longer than what’s possible to get done in a day and usually manage to get it all done in a day. Then wake up the next morning and start again.
My self-worth was synonymous with how much I got done in a day.
Business owners who do it all—do what has to be done when it needs to be done, right?
Being the creative entrepreneurial type, I enjoy rapid direction changes. Being in the business of business coaching, I strive to lead well and follow strategic and tactical plans. As one of the company founders, I know everything that needs to be done in the business so it’s easy to too-frequently do what has to be done when it needs to be done.
For business owners who do it all, there inevitably comes a point where it becomes a physical impossibility.
I went crazy in the garden this weekend and hurt my shoulder. It forced me to the couch for a couple of days. Initial panic about how the day’s list would get done gave way to a search for how to make the best use of this obligatory break. If I couldn’t get this week’s tasks done, I needed a plan for how they’d get done. Roger and I run a quarterly workshop about planning for business owners, Trying to follow our own advice, I started my planning with an eye toward the long-term goals. But being the practical type, I quickly moved to the actions necessary to meet those long-term goals. Then I broke those actions down into this year’s, this quarter’s, and this week’s actions.
Having it all laid out gives me a sense of peace and confidence. Having organization, structure, and solid strategies mapped out gives me security that the priority activities will get done. And having a renewed focus on what those priority activities are makes it easier to discontinue activities that don’t drive toward my goals.
If a monkey wrench gets thrown into my day I know it will be OK, even if I have to sit this hour, or this day, out. I’ve transitioned from one of those business owners who do it all to one of those business owners who enjoy relaxing knowing that it will all get done.
It’s June and time for us business owners to lay out the 3rd quarter plan. I personally invite you to join Roger and me in Indianapolis for the 1-day Growth Plan Business Planning Workshop.
It’s a good opportunity to work on a long-term operating plan for your business which, by the way, is all on 1 page. You’ll walk away with:
- A clear picture of where you want your business to be in 3-5 years
- Your 12-month goals broken into bite-size quarterly goals, monthly milestones, & weekly actions
- Strategies to build your profits
- A network of like-minded business owners
Thursday, September 27, 2018, 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM Holiday Inn Indianapolis Airport, 8555 Stansted Road, Indianapolis
Click here for more details and to register.
The Growth Plan Workshop is an opportunity to step back, get perspective, define your strategy, and develop a focused plan to guide your business forward… without having to injure your shoulder!
