Congratulations! You just landed a big new contract. Now for the
bad news. Who will run your company while you're buried under
the onslaught of work? Often a new project will derail a
business owner's efforts to build a successful
business--marketing activities screech to a halt, bookkeeping
tasks pile up, planning is thrown out the window, and your
friends wonder whatever became of you. When the project ends and
you rise slowly to the surface, you often experience a cash flow
crunch because no one was taking care of business while you were
working.
So, how do you avoid the lingering negative effects that can
hold your business back while you get the job done?
1. Planning is everything. With a solid plan in place you stand
a much better chance of things running smoothly. A plan allows
you to anticipate what needs to happen and also to develop
contingency plans for the inevitable times when "stuff happens."
2. Your marketing plan. If you don't already have a marketing
plan in place before you get busy, chances are you will
experience plenty of cash flow ups and downs. A good marketing
plan will map out exactly what you need to do each week to
generate future work. Once a system is in place, it's a matter
of doing the proscribed activities and tasks. You don't need to
think about it, you just need to do it (or get some help doing
it).
3. Building a business vs. working for a living. Often
professionals trade the security of a paycheck for the
insecurity of small business ownership only to find themselves
struggling to earn a living wage. They end up taking any work
they can get and working tons of hours just to pay the bills. In
the meantime, they have no time to build their businesses.
Building a business and working for a living are two very
different goals. Building a business requires regular time spent
on planning how to grow, reputation or brand building, seeking
out additional sources of income, and developing a business that
operates when you're not there or tied up with a project.
4. Sweating the small stuff. Often your day hinges on the little
things--a computer glitch, a cancelled appointment, a car that
won't start, or a childcare emergency. Anticipating and
preparing for life's little emergencies makes a world of
difference in your ability to keep your business on a smooth
track. Sometimes it's as simple as having your clothes ironed
ahead of time or making sure you have food for lunches in the
house.
5. Managing the boss. The key to success for every business is
having a leader who has the right mix of optimism, realism,
leadership, and expectations. You wouldn't expect your employees
to work non-stop for weeks at a time, so don't do it to
yourself. You wouldn't want to work for someone who had
unrealistic expectations about what you can get done in a day,
so cut yourself a little slack. Be sure to schedule time off and
stick to it. And dust off your sense of humor when it goes
unused for too long.
Being a business owner means always looking beyond the tree in
front of you to the forest beyond. Building a truly successful
business means operating at a big picture level while still
performing the day to day details. No one ever said the
balancing act would be easy but with forethought and discipline
it becomes much more doable.
About the author:
Caroline Jordan, MBA helps business owners build successful
businesses without losing their minds. For more tips and
strategies to build your business visit www.TheJordanResult.com.
Written by: Caroline Jordan MBA
Use a cPanel Server To Easily Start a Web Hosting Business - Dan Chris
Demand for web hosting is increasing at a tremendous rate with the growth of the Internet. Launch a web hosting business to capture this growing market and save time by automating server functions using a cPanel Server.
What is cPanel?
cPanel...
What is a Reverse Mortgage? - barry mcdonald A Reverse Mortgage is a popular but complex home loan just for
senior homeowners. If you qualify for a Reverse Mortgage, you
will not have to make monthly payments on the loan. Instead, the
lender pays you. Typically, the Reverse Mortgage is...
Palmetto Dunes Plantation – Hilton Head Island - Rich Neste An Award Winning Vacation, Golf, Tennis and Beach Resort If you are planning a vacation for your family this summer and still are not sure where to go, I recommend going to Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. This luxury getaway is just forty five...
HostChart.com Top 7 Uses for a $5 per month Hosting Plan - Rodney Ringler
In today’s budget web hosting market, hosting companies are offering over 5 gb of storage and 250 gb of bandwidth for $5 to $7 per month. Historically, small business and website designers used these plans to host websites, and more often...
Protecting yourself from credit card fraud - Jakob Jelling Credit card fraud has become surprisingly common nowadays. Credit card fraud can potentially cause consumers a great deal of stress and hassle. Therefore it is important to pay attention to the security features offered in your credit card deal. For...
5 Tips for Working "In" and "On" Your Business...At the Same Time
