Hi Reader,
Let's talk about the biggest time wasters of your business.
Just like this guy fishing in grass, you are basically doing the same thing with the tasks I HOPE you're not doing.
Let's face it though. I certainly did a lot of these and faced them really early in my journey, but at the time I didn't know I was wasting my time. I thought it was what I was supposed to do because of what I was absorbing from the internet and frankly I didn't know where to place my energy.
But! there are better ways to hone in on your time and to really feel that your business is making progress. Overall, what you want to feel is that you're learning, that you're implementing the things that you're learning and that you're seeing results.
But sometimes when we don't get the outcomes we wish, we move on to other things.
And that is because we don't stop to reflect on why that didn't work.
Here's some some tasks that are very common for new entrepreneurs. And if you're doing them, I want to tell you to STOP and some solutions for what to do instead.
1. Perfecting Your Business Plan
Now I know that everybody says that in the beginning you have to have a business plan, right? Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying don't do a business plan. I'm saying don't spend too much time perfecting the business plan specifically because your business will evolve over time. So do what you can with the information that you currently have, and if you don't plan on using lenders like a bank, angel investors, or receiving capital you most likely are creating the business plan for you.
2. Thinking Too Much About a Logo or Branding
At the end of the day, logo and branding only matter if your product or your service actually provides value. So, if you haven't seen the real impact of your product or your service yet, you most likely want to focus on that first before really going deep on a logo or a brand. It could really help to perceive the quality of your product or service, but if there's no value there and you're not really providing a true product or service, branding is not going to help. So make sure that you provide true value first and know that your branding can evolve over time.
3. Perfecting the Website
Okay, when I first started I was so overwhelmed with building my own website that it took me months and precious hours of my very limited day to come up with a website when I wasn't even receiving that many clients or inquiries about my services.
What you need is a very basic, very functional website that just says who you are, what your product is, how that product will help them and how they can get in touch with you. A booking link will suffice. That is all. That is a minimum viable product. And once you begin to see more and more people coming to your website and booking with you, THENNN you can think about going back to the website, creating better systems, and creating better ways for people to work with you. All right. This is a big one...
4. Overemphasizing on Learning
Learning is a huge value of mine, but sometimes I like to learn a little too much before I might feel comfortable to actually go out and try the things that I'm learning. Maybe we're learning about marketing, email lists, how to bring your product to market, financing!
Whatever you're learning about, know that at some point you have to stop ingesting and absorbing information and actually implement what you're learning. Have a good balance between learning and actually taking action.
So if you're learning something new, great.
How are you going to use that new information to help your business? To help you grow? And once you do use that information, once you put it into action, how are you going to know if it worked? Are you taking the time to reflect and to really think about what you learned from taking this action? Any action you take should give you information about your clients, your customers, and your market.
Lastly...
5. Shiny Object Syndrome
This one happens to the best of us, even the most seasoned of entrepreneurs and business owners fall trap to this.
Shiny object syndrome basically means you're getting distracted by a new trend, new tool, or a new idea that's hot out there in the business or entrepreneurship world. Be selective about the things that you want to pursue.
If something feels like you must try it, but you're perhaps in the middle of a specific strategy or you're really in the middle of building your email list, write it down in your device of choice, (whether that's your laptop, maybe it's your phone) wherever you write out your ideas and just store it.
Know that it's not going to go away and come back to it when you're ready. Stick to your goals, stick to the strategies that you're implementing so that you can follow through with what you're doing and actually learn from everything that you're taking action on.
If you keep getting distracted by many different tools or new ideas, you might feel like there's little progress that's happening.
So be aware!
All right, that is all for me I hope this really helped!
Remember I'm here to support you in your entrepreneurial challenges, but also wins! Book a call with me and let's explore how coaching can help you.