How to grow a business & not lose your mind (Part 1 – Time)

Recently, I teasingly told my 7 year old daughter I’d take a Little Pet Shop toy away every time she said the phrase “darn it!” As I sat down to think through today’s article, I realized I am exceptionally more annoying when I say “I don’t have enough time!” I say this DAILY. Many times I’m sure. So, to ease my hypocritical conscience and to test it out, I’m putting a dollar in a jar each time my daughter catches me. And that dollar… well, I’m contributing it to the summer ice cream fund. The stakes are high! I’m certain I’ll be caught in the act.

Why would I do this? It’s not that the statement is untrue (or that I won’t buy the ice cream anyway). It is because it is completely true that I do not have enough time to do everything I want! And therefore it’s redundant and counter-intuitive to my core teaching philosophy* to waste my breath uttering this pointless phrase! 

*help part time entrepreneurs be successful no matter how limited their resources

And for goodness sake! Time is one of my most limited resources, and yours too, so you say. This is just the reality of the life of a mompreneur, part time entrepreneur, small business owner. So… core lesson about lack of time: suck it up! You are NEVER going to have enough time to do everything you want… as fast as you want to! So let’s get over talking about it and start doing something about it!

The only reason for time is so that everything doesn’t happen at once.

~Albert Einstein

5 exceptionally smart things to do with your time:

1. create crystal clear, written down goals & reference those goals every time you are in a decision-making panic
2. develop a marketing map (marketing mapping class announced this week, fyi!) to outline how you’ll achieve your goals – including what you don’t yet know/have/understand that may impede the plan being enacted
3. analyse your strengths, weaknesses and resources and seek insight or help where you need
4. act on marketing plans directed to: clients first, client leads second, finding new clients third (when limited in time, existing clients nearly always come first)
5. evaluate every decision/action/outcome regularly (monthly, weekly or daily) and then tweak, reconsider or discard to improve success

This is a GREAT go to list. So print it off. And then let’s continue chatting about what you can do to succeed, even with this perpetual lack of time! Time is but one of 7 valuable resources of part-time entrepreneurs. And the other 6 are the companions to limited time. By knowing how to best use all 7 resources, you’ll become downright optimistic over the possibilities of using whatever limited resources you have to passionately share whatever it is you want to do!

Take time to deliberate, but when the time for action arrives, stop thinking and go in.

~Napolean Bonaparte

If you are a stretched business owner, read a summary of all 7 resources. This is part 1 of a 7 part series.

Next week: Money can’t buy you love! (Or a business that will succeed)