Step 1 of Building a Better Business

What does a better business look like to you? Before you can start building a better business, you need to define success. Be crystal clear on exactly what you want from your business. Remember, your business is there to serve you, not the other way around.

Life is simply too short to be stuck doing things we don’t enjoy. The average person spends 40,000 hours at work over their lifetime. Make the most of this time and do what you love doing.

To build a compelling vision of where you want to be in the next 12 months, consider the following questions, and write down your answers.

1. Who do you need to be right now?
Instead of having a mindset of ‘when I have this, I will do that, and I will be this’, think about who you need to be right now. By focusing on who you need to be, you’ll start acting in a way that’s consistent with that person – doing what you need to do to get what you want to have.

2. What do you love doing outside of work and at work?
Define the things that you love doing most. We all have tasks we don’t enjoy doing and likely put off for as long as possible. Determine which of these can be delegated so you can stop doing them.

3. How many hours will you commit to the things you love doing?
Write down how many hours a week you’ll spend doing what you love. Commit to doing this – tell someone so they can hold you accountable. Setting aside time to do things you love doing is a great way to start taking back control of your life.

4. What holidays do you want to have?
Write down where you want to go and when. Be specific so the image is implanted in your mind. Book the holiday now or block out the time in your calendar.

5. How much income do you need to deliver on this new life?
Write down a figure. Don’t worry about how you’ll achieve this right now, just write it down.

You now have your own personal plan for what you want to get out of your business. Make this visible and start working towards it now.

“The first secret of getting what you want is knowing what you want.” – Arthur D. Hlavaty