If You’re a Home-Based Business Owner or Solo Entrepreneur, You Need to Get Into Action to Achieve Your Dreams

Several years ago, a fellow coach was addressing a group of solo entrepreneurs.  He said something that has always stuck with me: as a company of one, there are only two things you should ever be doing with your time: either serving a paying client, or getting a paying client. 

Take just a moment to ponder those words and I’m confident you’ll find them to be very powerful.  

How much time do you waste in a given day?  Some of us can answer that question easily, and some need to think about it.  If you’re among the latter, here’s an exercise I’ve been giving my clients for years: track your time for two weeks.  It’s very simple and can be done on a sheet of paper – no computer required.  As you go through your day, every 15 – 30 minutes make a quick note on this sheet of paper as to what you’ve been doing. Very dedicated clients have tracked their day starting with wake-up time and concluding with going to bed.  Others have tracked only their work day.  Without exception, discoveries are made.  One of those discoveries is often inaction.  That’s right.  Many solopreneurs and home-based business owners find themselves doing absolutely nothing for a good part of the day. Solopreneurs can be experts at frittering away time. If you’re a company of one and you find that difficult to believe because you never waste time, I say bravo.  Keep up the good work.  On the other hand, if you admit – readily or reluctantly – that this is you, commit now to making a change.  Here’s why: businesses fail for all sorts of reasons: lack of capital, poor customer service, ineffective marketing, no clear direction, inadequate business, and yes, even inaction. 

In talking with clients and colleagues these last few months, I’ve found many to be paralyzed.  They’re serving paying clients, yes, but they’re doing nothing to get paying clients. I keep hearing “the recession,” or “the economy” as excuses to all but stop working.  If this is you, there’s one thing you need to do and that’s get into action.  If you buy into the down economy as the reason you can’t bring any business in the door, guess what?  You won’t be able to bring any business in the door. It’s the Law of Attraction: what you focus on is what you get.

Here are ten tips to get you into action:

1. Write a vision for your business for 12 months from now (If you need help with this, email me and I’ll send you some guidelines.)
2. Turn that vision into a picture show: create a vision board.
3. Set 8-10 annual goals that will take you to the achievement of your vision. Put these goals in writing and hang them near your desk so you see them all the time.
4. Each month, create goals that will take you closer to the achievement of your annual goals.  Keep these goals on your desk and review them daily.
5. Each week, create a task list of the most important things to do that week.
6. Utilize the concept of gold time: set aside time every day to work on what’s important, but not urgent.  These are the activities that will move your business forward.
7. Find an accountability partner: a spouse or friend will do, but it would be better to have a business colleague play this role for you… and you for him or her.
8. Start or join a mastermind group.
9. Take time every day to review your vision.  Imagine it’s your reality.
10. Cultivate the attitude of gratitude.

To your success.