Five Dos and Don'ts When Running Your Business

Scattered thinking is deadly to a business. Are you at risk of falling into the trap where you become too busy to really work on your business? Do you constantly run after potential work or clients, spend your days jumping from one activity to the next and end up exhausted with little to show for your efforts?

It can happen to any business owner, no matter how large or small their business is. This scattered thinking syndrome happens for a variety of reasons. The outcome, however, is never pretty.

Here are 5 Dos and Don'ts you can deploy at any time when you feel yourself becoming scattered.

#1: Follow the Money—Adopt this MANTRA as you work to get your business to produce more revenue so you can grow your business.

DON'T waste time on activities that don't bring in revenue.
DO focus every single day on 3 to 4 activities that you can do that will start your Revenue Machine working.

DON'T waste time networking with groups that aren't going to move your business ahead.
DO be very picky about where you spend your time. If a group offers great contacts where you can plant seeds for growth, great. If the group is only a 'feel good' group, or a reason for you to get away from the real work of generating income, rethink the time you are spending with them.

#2: Get something productive done every single day that moves you toward making money.

DON'T spend untold hours during the day entering data into your database. Do this work at night, not during the productive working hours of the day.
DO create lists of people to contact and make a commitment to talk to 75% of them every day.

DON'T run out and buy every gadget, every new tape dispenser, the latest 'get rich quick' marketing scheme.
DO spend time thinking about what you need to really generate money. If the expenditure of the dollar has the potential of bringing you in two dollars, that may be a good deal. If the expenditure has long term ability to add to your productivity, like a contact manager database, find the money.

#3: Track your money.

DON'T make the assumption that since you don't have any money, there's really no reason to track the comings and goings of your money.
DO put together an easy-to-use Profit Plan that outlines where and when your income is hitting your pocket and where and when your expenses are leaving your pocket.

DON'T make rash decisions when you panic because no money is coming in.
DO go back over the 'seeds' you have planted and find other ways of harvesting those seeds.

#4: Create partnerships.

DON'T try and build a successful business on your own.
DO start thinking about what you offer that someone else could profit from and see if there are partnership opportunities with people who have been around a lot longer than you have.

DON'T give away the farm in these partnerships. Think clearly and confidently about what you bring to the table and NEVER lose sight of the value you bring. NEVER let yourself believe someone knows YOUR business better than you do.
DO find people who share your values, your beliefs and that get excited about your vision. Explore ways to work together even if at first, it's only sharing links on websites.

#5: Be very clear about what you want.

DON'T think you can simply muddle along and your business will run itself or that hiring someone right out of the box will solve all of your problems. You are the critical component in your business.
DO write down the Vision and your Values and where you see yourself in 3 to 5 years. If you can SEE the future, you can build the future. Letting the future happen won't cut it.

DON'T be afraid to dream big, to talk to people who are more successful than you are, to find people you can ask for help from.
DO get outside your comfort zone every day, every week, every month.