If you're like many small business owners, you've put in the hard work to get your business going, you've taken risks, overcome some obstacles and now your business is doing ok. But ok is just…well, ok. You want it to be doing great! Why not? You didn’t start a business in order to stay mediocre.
The longer you're in business the more ideas emerge as to how you could take your business to the next level. You can see the potential and yet it feels comfortable and safe to stay where you are.
Maybe you do want to be more prosperous and have a business that is a bit bigger and offers more services and products to your clients. Maybe you are sort of ready to take your business to the next level but not sure what to do or how to get out of the box you created.
The box is starting to feel too small. Like all boxes, it feels familiar, safe and well…boxed in. Here are a few tips to help you make that shift and break through those barriers and to get a clearer feeling of what you want to do.
It's about getting past the unconsious obstacles. If you can make those more conscious it's easier to take the next steps of strategic planning. Get a pad of paper and answer these five questions.
1. Develop a very clear picture of what your business would look like at this next level. Find a quiet place in nature, by a stream or in the forest and write out a vision, picture or idea of where you want your business to be in five years. It’s not about whether you think you can or can’t, only what you want. This needs to include the number of employees, their job descriptions, new products and services, new location, revenue, anything to make that picture complete.
2. Why would you want this? What would be the positive outcomes? What would be the motivation for you to take this leap forward? Write down anything that comes to mind.
3. What’s inside of yourself that could be blocking this from happening? What feels scary, too risky or too hard? How are you getting in your own way?
4. Do you want to overcome those blocks? Maybe you aren't sure what it would take to move past the obstacles. That's ok, but if you did have the tools to get past whatever is stopping you, would you use them? Do you want it enough?
5. What would be your first step in moving forward? It could be that your first step is to carve out time to work on this goal. Quite possibly without making the time, it will never happen. Maybe you need to make a committed time to work on this process and set up a way to get accountability. Part of being an entrepreneur is setting aside time to work on your business goals and vision.
Acknowledge what you have already accomplished in your business so far. What strengths do you have that can help you jump to the next level?
Do these five steps and you are on your way toward taking your business to the next step, if this is what you want. At least you will be clearer about what you want and what is getting in your way.
Once this decision is made the next part is to deveop your action plan, goals and clearer vision. These first 5 steps will help you to get to the place of making the decision to grow or not.
Kaya Singer, of Awakening Business Solutions. Check out my book "Clear Your Focus, Grow Your Business." Includes sales funnel and Money Map. Contact me to schedule a free 30 minute session to assess your prices.
Learn more about the author, Kaya Singer.
Great Job Kaya!
I think all entrepreneurs desire to take it to the next level---otherwise they wouldn't have started their business in the first place. I definitely get stuck in the box and this is something specific I can do to break out!
Have a Great Day, Rusty Lee http://CallMyPcDr.com
Thanks for your great comments. I'm glad I'm not alone and I could give you some steps to follow.
Kaya
I like your article but it stops short.
Once a vision has been created, there should be a concrete plan behind it. Once the plan is created there should be relentless execution to make the plan happen. Vision without execution is hallucination. Also I'd suggest going a little further out in developing the vision - like 10 years instead of 5.
I invite you to look at my website www.pandeassociates.com. It might give you some new ideas to make this article more complete. Good luck.
Prafulia
I totally agree with you. This is just the very first 5 steps to get to the place of making the decision. Once that decision is made the planning, goals and action plan are the next step to making it happen.
I have discovered that people who are facing inner obstacles have a much easier time thinking about 5 years ahead. It's more tangible. Again- once the decision happens, then 5 years is too short.
I appreciate your comments. Kaya
Kaya,
I like it that you started with a visualization exercise. It's helpful because it encourages me to picture where I want to be, which is the first step to getting there.
I think that this kind of "growing" in our thinking is not an easy process, but you have given us a place to start. I think what you are really helping us do is overcome the paralysis many of us may experience because it seems like such an overwhelming task to undertake. But we have to start somewhere.
Thanks for sharing these tips, Kaya!
Hi Kaya,
Nice. I enjoyed reading your article. I agree depending on where the individual is sometimes even looking out five years into the future is too long or too overwhelming.
Business success is based on a strong foundation and if an entrepreneur focuses too much on the bigger picture and the far reaching future that they forget about the small more immediate steps, then they are opening themselves up to a 'wobbling' business instead of a strong foundational business.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and insights with us.
Namaste, Karen
Excellent, Kaya. Thanks for the reminders!
I don't think visioning without execution is hallucination. It's the first step, to be sure, but in the process you may find out what you thought you wanted is what you really want.
Maybe right now you do not want to "take it to the next level."
Action is over-rated if it's uninspired.
Kaya - I liked the visioning exercise very much. I think this is the most important part of the process. Getting clarity on my vision has been the hardest part for me. Once I can envision what I want, the execution is easy. There are already a million resources out there to help small businesses with execution. Helping them see a realistic vision is harder, because it deals with mindset, which is harder to change. I think you've hit the nail on the head. Keep up the good work.
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