Get the Facts: How Multitasking Is Hurting Your Business

Skype is open. Instant message programs are pinging. Your unread email count is rising. Your browser has 8 tabs open. There are 5 documents open on your desktop. Your calendar alerts are popping up and you stop to send a quick text. Sound familiar? You probably think you’re being efficient, but you’re not. Multitasking is a big mistake and it’s hurting your productivity. Which in turn is hurting your profits.

Consider these startling statistics that highlight the negative effects of multitasking:

  • Multitasking leads to as much as a 40% drop in productivity.  (Bergman, P. (2010, May 20). How (and why) to stop multitasking. Harvard Business Review.)
  • The estimated cost of interruptions to the American economy is nearly $650 billion a year. (Jonathan B. Spira, chief analyst at Basex, a business-research firm)
  • Multitasking causes a 10% drop in IQ. (Bergman, P. 2010, May 20. How (and why) to stop multitasking. Harvard Business Review.)

The scientific evidence against multitasking is overwhelming. Consider the evidence: Read more about Get the Facts: How Multitasking Is Hurting Your Business

7 Small Business Advertising Ideas That Rock

Man with LighbulbUncover the 7 small business advertising ideas that will help you grow your business to a huge success.

Having a variety of small business advertising ideas at your fingertips is a necessity for any business owner who wants to build his business and succeed in his niche. While there are literally hundreds of ways to advertise your small business, focusing on a select few proven ideas will deliver the best results. Here are 7 quality small business advertising ideas to help you meet your goals.

Work with a Complementary Business

By working with a non-competing business on joint advertising ventures, you can reach more people and spend less for better results
Raise your prices.

While this is a tricky area, your prices may actually be holding your business back in terms of growth. If your prices are too low, your potential customers may not see your business as one of quality. Study your competitors’ prices and make a decision about any adjustments you need to make to your own fee structure. Read more about 7 Small Business Advertising Ideas That Rock

How to Get Back on Track With Your Goals and Increase Your Profits

on trackDo you remember the goals that you set for 2012? How are you doing with being on track with those? I am asking you this for a VERY important reason. I want you to focus on your goals, remember them and crush them!

Every year, people in general start the year off with fascinating expectations. But what normally happens to those expectations, goals or aspirations? By March or April, the target often becomes blurry and the objective is not accomplished.

It is my hope as a friend and mentor to keep you on track with the goals that you have set for your business and even your life. If you have fallen off track, try not to beat yourself up. Pull out those goals and put them in the forefront of your mind.

Being goal oriented and stretching yourself is part of being an entrepreneur. Sometimes, you miss the mark and don't get the exact results you were looking for. That is understandable. But, it's also preventable. Creating your version of a successful business is yours for the taking. All you need is a little planning, organization and consistency.

No matter the objectives that you have for your business, you can absolutely reach them if you create and implement a simple marketing plan.

Goal setting is easy! But for business owners who want to be successful, this is a MUST.

If you want different results in your business, you have to take different action. Perhaps you're more of a "fly by the seat of your pants" entrepreneur, which means sitting down to create a plan isn't exactly your idea of a good time. I get that. But this is why you do it.

Creating a plan helps us to change behaviors that aren't working. It helps us to see specifically what we need to do to get where we want to be. That's why you plan.

If you've struggled with planning and executing your marketing in the past, you may be wondering, "Sydni, where do I start?" The answer is simple.

Look at the 3 important points in your career: 1) where you have come from, 2) where you are now and 3) where you want to be. Now you can determine the gap between where you are currently and the end of your target.

Once you're clear on the gap, then you want to determine exactly what you need to do to bridge the gap. While it's nice to think "I want to create 5 new referral partners," or "I want to increase my profits by 50%," you'll never see those goals accomplished unless you've got a marketing plan to pull you towards such a future.

Keep these questions in mind when you are planning your marketing activities going forward: Read more about How to Get Back on Track With Your Goals and Increase Your Profits

Use Your Past Success to Create More Profits Now

Simply click the play button to watch my video tips for you:

Take Action Notes:

Leverage is the key to a profitable and sustainable business. When you think about leverage, what comes to your mind? One definition says it is the power to influence a person or situation to achieve a particular outcome. So, what is your "particular outcome"? To create and maintain a profitable business, of course!

There are 3 ways in which you can leverage previous triumphs and turn that into current success:

  1. Leverage what IS working NOW - Sure you could complain about the many things that are not quite perfect in your business. A more productive and effective path to take is to focus on the activities that ARE working well for you. If you get clear about those items and do more of it, you will boost your level of success and increase your income.
  2. Leverage profit opportunities - Where have you spoken or networked in the past? Are you still in touch with the wonderful people that you have served way back when? Get in touch with them and show them that you are available and willing to help them now.
  3. Leverage the people who have helped you in the past - Just as it is important to focus on what is working in your business, it is a good practice to keep in touch with the people who have helped you get where you are. Perhaps your target market has changed or you are offering new packages or products. Notify your supporters so that they can share your excitement and new direction. Keep in touch and watch your business soar.