Sometimes, the most difficult part about being in business for yourself is holding yourself accountable to accomplish your purpose. When you’re the boss there’s no one looking over your shoulder to see if things are getting done. Also, it can be challenging to think through your ideas and figure out what direction to take next.
Growing your business and achieving your goals is often the biggest challenge small business owners face.
As an entrepreneur, you know all (or almost all) of the things you need to do to make your business successful and prosperous. For example, you know you should:
- Keep your website up to date
- Network strategically
- Have a plan for marketing your business
- WORK your marketing plan
- Stay abreast of trends in your industry
- Outsource non-revenue generating tasks
- Keep your financial records in order
- Invest in continuing education opportunities
- Apply what you learn
…and the list goes on. Read more about How to Make Exponential Progress in Business
So often, it isn’t a lack of knowledge that prevents service professionals from achieving their business and marketing goals.
Being successful as an entrepreneur requires one to take initiative and maintain a spirit of innovation. You can’t sit back and wait for clients and a steady income to be handed to you. Instead, you have to get out there and create the opportunities you’re looking for.
I am often asked, “Sydni, how do I figure out a marketing strategy that will be broad enough to allow me to address a wide array of issues and ideas from a variety of viewpoints? I need it to be narrow enough that I have a niche and people feel I will adequately answer their questions.”
Entrepreneurs are great at coming up with ideas! But we're not always very good at following through and turning our ideas into reality. Too many business owners fall in love with an idea or project, but then quickly become overwhelmed when it's time to execute. Thus they give up and never reap the rewards they were so eagerly seeking in the first place!
This step is hard for most people. It can be difficult to admit that you're not focused – but it’s essential to get real about the situation. This isn’t about judging yourself or beating yourself up. Your goal is to be more efficient and more productive, so take a deep breath and ask, “Where am I procrastinating or getting distracted?”
Partnerships are a powerful tool to grow your business. The right partnership will give your business a shot in the arm. You'll get fresh ideas, a new audience and maybe, depending on the type of partnership, a new product.
"Within the first month of working with Sydni, I secured contracts for $14,000... and I don’t have any of the other insecurities that a lot of new businesses have."