If you want to get the most from what I am about to share with you, I strongly recommend you read this first!
What do you want from your business? I ask you this question, because the only way to get from where you are right now, to where you want to be, is to be as clear as possible about your destination.
Let’s begin
A great way to start this process, is to ask yourself the following kind of ‘ideal world’ questions. This will show you what you really want to achieve, professionally and personally. It’s then far easier to map out what your ideal business will look like.
For example: In an ideal world…
- Where would you live?
- What type of home (or homes) would you live in?
- What school would your children or grandchildren attend?
- How many weeks would you spend travelling the world each year?
- Which charities or causes would you support?
- How many hours would you work each week?
- How much would you earn?
- Who would your clients be?
Add your own questions to the list.
So, what type of business supports YOUR ideal lifestyle?
Your business is directly linked to your lifestyle. It determines how many hours you have available to spend with those you love. It usually determines where you live, both in location and the type of home you can afford.
Once you take some time to answer the questions, around what matters most to YOU, take a look at your current business and see if it’s on course to get you where you want to be.
If not, change your direction. Now.
Remove anything that’s working against you. Build your business model, so that each element is taking you from where you are today, to where you want to be. Focus only on what matters.
How it worked for me
Will this process magically set you on the right path, to live an exceptional lifestyle and grow a great business? Possibly. It did for me.
I went through the exercise I just shared with you and found my ideal business and business model. Here’s a very brief overview of the things I needed to change and how I did it:
I made the decision 9 years ago, when my wife became pregnant, that I wanted to be there for her and our child. No more crazy hours. No more travelling around the world working. This meant completely changing my business model, which consisted of endless travel and minimum 12 hour work days.
So, I took my business and made it 100% digital. I moved all my face-to-face client work to teleconferencing (then Skype). I did the same for all of my meetings. I set boundaries on how many hours I would work and when those hours would be. So, I am around every morning to have breakfast with my son and every evening for dinner.
Pretty much everyone told me that none of that could be done. Not only were they wrong, I soon started earning more than before and massively improved my profitability too. This was only possible, by mapping out my ideal business, in advance… a business that would support what’s most important to me.
Be deliberate
It’s worth reminding ourselves that success requires deliberate planning. Success doesn’t interrupt us.
Yet, we find the vast majority of small business owners make fractured business decisions, with no joined-up strategy. They then wonder why they work so hard and often go round in circles. In many cases, all they need is direction… which only comes when they get clear about what they want and where they’re going.
So, get deliberate. Get specific… and get moving!