Are you ready to grow your business?

A fundamental element of any business is focusing on growth.

Yet the challenges of staying on top of the day-to-day business demands often make it difficult to give much time and thought to expansion. If you find yourself swamped by activity with the feeling of “churning” around in a circle, you must take some time to evaluate before burnout takes over.

A common question a business coach would use: Are you running the business or is the business running you?

Take an evening or other time away from your business to reflect and review what is taking place in your business. Are you reaching the goals you first envisioned when you started the business?

Take on the role of a 2-year-old and begin to ask “Why?” as you reflect.

For example: “I am not reaching my goals because I am too busy.” Why? “Because the volume of business does not allow me time to focus on growth or expansion.” Why? “I feel the need to do quality work and deliver what the customer wants and that takes all my time.” Why is that important to you? “Because without doing quality work/product the customer will not return.”

The purpose of this exercise is to surface deeper dynamics that could be influencing your way of doing business that may not be apparent unless you take this time to reflect.

Consider:

If you are an artisan and your business product is a direct reflection of your skill, consider retaining others to do the “business” aspects of your company. These could include marketing, sales, accounting, etc.

If your company is a service-type organization, then consider different ways to organize the workflow. One key area I have noticed is that the owner often does not take the time to consider what type of skills and experience would be most beneficial in employees. Just hiring a body is not the way to handle the demands of a business.

Still no clue where you can start to be more efficient? A local community college, chamber of commerce or state business organization can be a great resource, as well as can a professional business coach.