Are you frustrated with your business right now?  Do you feel like you are in over your head? Trust me, all business owners have felt like this.  I have felt like this!  Whether you own a new business or one that just seems a bit stagnant, it is normal to want to improve your business success. Today, I am going to give you advice on how you can get your company back on track. In just three simple steps, YOU will be a successful entrepreneur.  

 

Before we dive into these steps, I want to make an important point. You are not responsible for anything outside of your control. For example, who could have predicted Covid-19? We cannot control pandemics, natural disasters, or even the personal finances of our customers.  We can only control what we can control.  Say it with me: “I can only control what I can control.”  While this seems like a simple concept, it can be hard to practice in real life.  Because of the way that our brains are hardwired, we are sensitive to suggestions from others and the potential for fearful situations.  We are already pre-programmed to worry about things that haven’t happened and run stressful scenarios in our head.  We are constantly bombarded with media headlines that play on these fears, which just increases our anxiety.  So, let’s not focus on these fears and anxieties and only focus on what you can control – YOU!  

 

Here are my 3 important steps that business owners should take in order to be successful:

  1. Plan.  
  2. Prepare. 
  3. Execute Consistently.  

 

What does planning mean?  It is more than just having an idea.  Making a business plan is the first step in moving forward.  It is vital to set goals and have a clear idea of what you want to accomplish. The more detailed and robust your plan is, the better it is. Ask yourself questions like: What is my goal for the end of the year?  How do I achieve this goal? What steps do I need to take?  What do I need to every month or every week?  Have a detailed plan broken into these steps.  Be as specific as possible. 

 

After we have a solid plan in place, we can begin to prepare. Prepare to meet the goals that you planned.  This means that you are thinking about what actions you need to take to fulfill your business plan.  Who do you need to make it happen?  What investments do you need to make?  What marketing should you have?  You can also break these questions into more specific one.  What email server do you need to set up?  What kinds of communication do you need to be having?  How many phone calls do you need to make?  To be a successful entrepreneur, you need prepare every item of the plan or business strategy.  Otherwise, it’s not a plan.  It’s a wish.

 

Now, it is time to execute the prepared plan.  Many people have said that they are great at execution, myself included.  But when I really looked at it, I realized that that is not true.  For example, I noticed that I always leave one part of a project open or unfinished.  Why?  I do not know!  I start a proposal but don’t finish it.  When I do finish it, I have it sit in the draft folder for a long time.  I found myself being stuck in this cycle. I thought that if I didn’t start or finish a project, no one would ever receive it.  If they don’t receive it, they cannot reject my ideas.  This is the bad mindset that I was talking about earlier. 

 

If you are also struggling with executing your plans, here is my advice.  Execution has to have no meaning to it.  What do I mean by this?  Well, logically, we know that when we execute a business strategy, some of it will work and some of it will not work.  For example, say you write an email and find that no one is opening or responding to it.  Instead mentally telling yourself that you are a horrible writer or that you are stupid, take a step back.  Do not make it about you. Take the judgment out of the execution.  Ask yourself why people aren’t responding.  Maybe the headline doesn’t work. Become curious as to why something is not working instead of attaching emotion to the failed action.  Do not focus on the negatives of a situation.  Instead, say “I’m so glad that I only sent that email to a few people.  Now, I can change the headline and make it better.”

 

We see this type of negative thinking all the time.  “I did really good today but I didn’t get everything done” is a common sentence that I hear from business owners.  The second part of this sentence, “but I didn’t get everything done,” completely undoes the positive first portion of the sentence.  Just say that you did a good job today and then STOP!  Stay in the first part of the sentence where you give yourself credit.  You deserve it!

 

I hope that you found meaning in these three tips of Preparing, Planning, and Executing.  It is my expert advice that with a strong business plan and business structure, you can increase your success.  Success does not just mean increasing your money or cash flow. It means having a safe and inclusive workplace for your employees.  It means that you treat your customers with respect and cater to their needs.  Plan, prepare, and execute!  I will see you next week!

 

 


Beate Chelette is The Growth Architect & Founder of The Women’s Code, a training company specialized in providing companies an ROI on Balanced Leadership. She has been named one of 50 must-follow women entrepreneurs by the Huffington Post. A first-generation immigrant who found herself $135,000 in debt as a single parent, she bootstrapped her passion for photography into a highly successful global business and eventually sold it to Bill Gates in a multimillion-dollar deal.

Beate works with business leaders and supports organizations by developing and providing training the training, tools, and expertise to create and maintain a balanced, equal, and inclusive work environment that fosters creativity, employee engagement, and corporate growth.

Recent clients include Merck, Women’s Legislative Caucus of California, Cal State University Dominguez Hills, Small Business Development Centers (SBDC), NFTE, CreativeLive, the Association of Corporate Growth, and TracyLocke.

Beate is the author of the #1 International Amazon Bestseller “Happy Woman Happy World – How to Go From Overwhelmed to Awesome” a book that corporate trainer and best-selling author Brian Tracy calls “a handbook for every woman who wants health, success and a fulfilling career.

To book Beate to speak or train please connect here. Your Time Is Valuable!

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