Aim For The Sky: Programming Each Stage Of Your Business Development For Success
Oh yes, you're sure to have realised the significant amount of work to be done to make your business happen. And why creating a plan of action with realistic goals is essential to make your business work for you.
Striding Out can help you plan your approach through the Business Motivation Programme, which includes a Business Plan Review. Motivation, Positive Action and Energy are essential criteria for you to take your business forward and succeed.
To create an effective action plan, you need to embed a few important practices within your approach to achieve real business success. Expert Adviser, Jenny Ungless, explains.
Keep your vision clearly in mind - Successful people know exactly what they want. Visualise what your success will look like. Where will you be? What will you be doing? Who will you be with? Use pictures, quotations and any other prompts to remind yourself constantly of what you're aiming for. Imagine yourself succeeding and telling someone else how you did it - make it real in your minds eye, then go out there and make it happen!
Believe in yourself. Henry Ford famously said: "Whether you think you can or you think you can't, you're usually right" Successful people believe that they can - and prove themselves right! Remind yourself regularly that you are gifted, talented and capable of anything. Write down your achievements and celebrate reaching targets and goals. If you don't believe in yourself, why should anyone else? Need motivation?
Prioritise - As you progress through your business journey you'll learn where to concentrate your efforts for best effect. Successful people put first things first. Make sure that you know what your core priorities are, and don't allow anyone to distract you from them. Don't allow urgent but trivial tasks to get in the way of the important stuff - the tasks that will make a difference.
Challenge yourself - Push yourself beyond your comfort zone on a regular basis. Try something new or do something differently whether it's learning a new business skill, taking up a new hobby, or striking up conversation with a stranger. Keep finding ways to stretch yourself intellectually and this will be reflected in your business. A motivational coach will help you to do this regularly.
Keep an open mind - People achieve great things because they are open to all possibilities. In contrast, when our mindset is narrow, we limit our chance of success. Teach yourself to think 'outside the box'. Question your assumptions. Don't take anything for granted. Ask questions and think about things from other people's perspectives. Be alert to what's happening and to what's new. Keep learning all the time and be open to learning - always. Be flexible and open to new ideas and embrace them.
Manage your time - Create a daily framework for your business activity. Make a list of what you need to achieve that day and schedule when you're going to do each task. At the end of the day, take 10 minutes to plan the next days activities. Review your diary regularly and make sure that the way you spend your time at work reflects your business priorities: What's important rather than urgent.
Put boundaries in place - Success is about achieving the right balance. You may find you need to delegate, and working as a self-employed person means the boundaries can get blurred and you may find it difficult to switch off. Set limits on how much work you're going to do and stick to them. Of course there will always be times when you need to put in some overtime, but you must be disciplined about maintaining the boundary between work and leisure.
