As you probably have gathered from my previous articles, the success of your business isn’t just about the plan; it is about getting the results expected from executing the plan. Effective time management is a large part of making this happen and success in managing your time effectively works much the same way - Focus on the results not on being busy.

We’re used to the frenzy of the work day and if we’re not literally “in motion” we feel we’re not being productive. The funny thing is that so much of what makes your business (and life for that matter) successful has little to do with motion or being busy and everything to do with results. The Pareto Principle (also known as the 80-20 rule) applies here; 80% of unfocused efforts account for only 20% of the results achieved.

So, how do you solve the Pareto problem? Focus on the “Gold Time"; the time you spend on important but not urgent activities. Gold Time activities focus your attention of the results that will bring about the biggest improvement or that are most important to you and/or your business.

For example, let’s consider doing your taxes (ugh) and having to get your business receipts together, organize and summarize your mileage and auto expenses, make sure you have all your bank statements in order, etc. As I write this it is late February. Would you consider this to be urgent now? Probably not. However, can you see how these activities could become urgent, quickly? You turn around and it’s April 12 (March depending on your deadline). If you hadn’t started doing this record keeping chore, how do you feel, what is your stress level and what does this do to your schedule for April 12 and possibly 13, 14 and possibly 15?

Exercise and eating healthy can also be important but non-urgent activities. From my own experience, you can easily put off exercising because “I’ll start back as soon as __________”. You fill in the blank. I have a zillion reasons and I’m sure you have one or two as well. After so long (too long) I turned around and it’s 10 pounds, 2 inches and a wardrobe later. Urgent? You betcha. At least I didn’t wait until my heart told me it was urgent. I listened that old pair of jeans to get the message.

Yes, unexpected issues come up during the day that need addressing; there are changes in schedules, phone calls that throw you off. The challenge is having the discipline to do the important, non-urgent activities before you focus on the crisis activities. Those important and urgent activities HAVE to get done. They WILL get done and generally 1 hour won’t make any difference.

BEFORE you check your email, before you return the irate customer call, before you go for that second cup of coffee and before you tell everyone how great that Marcia Ball concert was, spend just one hour focusing on an important long-term results or an important but not urgent task.
Making this change usually involves changing your behavior which isn’t easy and takes persistence and patience. Over time however, practicing Gold Time Management you will:
• Be more in control of what you do;
• Be more productive and effective;
• Have less stress;
• Enjoy your work more; and
• Have more quality time to relax and enjoy life outside work.

As Goethe said, “Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least.” Focus on the important results first.

The Gold Time Management philosophy was developed by Jinny Diztler, the creator of the planning and implementation system, Best Year Yet. Jenny named this time management system after the precious metal because the time you spend on important and non-urgent activities pays off at least tenfold over the time you invest in other types of activities. You can try the Best Year Yet online workshop for FRE*E - just use the link here and enter Referral Code 380 and they'll know you came from the Maine Today BLOG.

And in closing, I wanted to let you know that on March 7th, I’m the presenter of the Greater Portland Chamber’s Professional Development Workshop in Portland, Maine. The title of the workshop is “Have Your Best Year Yet in Business – The 5-Principles of Transformation”. If you’re going to be in Portland, Maine on 3/7 and are interested in attending, click here for information or to register. It's free for Chamber members and $10 for non-members. The maximum attendance for the workshop is 30 and there are only 5 spaces left at the time of this writing. Hurry, space is limited. Check out our online brochure for information on other BoldVision workshops and seminars.

And remember, Be Bold! It all starts with a vision.

I had never considered starting a business before moving here, although it had been a dream of my husband’s for decades. The thought of starting a business on my own was simultaneously exhilarating and terrifying. After some careful thought and discussion, my husband Gerard and I cashed in our NY chips and moved to Maine in 2003 to birth Gerard’s “baby”, his jewelry store Porte4.

For all of you self-employed, small business owners reading this, you know what I mean about the exhilarating / terrifying contrasting emotions that occur in the course of running your own business, don’t you? In fact, the exhilaration can turn to terror in the blink of an eye, feeling like the two emotions are inseparable.

But get here, we did and I found the resources the state of Maine makes available to small business owners and entrepreneurs overwhelming. If you are thinking about starting a business, want to buy a business or want to grow the business you already have, there’s no shortage of information here: SCORE, SBA-Maine, CEI, FAME, SBDC, Maine.gov, Maine Business Works. These are just a few. (2 other great sources of information is Entrepreneur.com and About.com. Happy researching)

What I found difficult was to convert all the information I found into usable and practical ‘how-to’ data. I didn’t know where to go to talk to someone about the real-world of starting the business. Things like:

• How do you balance the needs of everyone: customers, employees, family, self?
• When and how do you make the decision to hire your first employee?
• ..and then how do you recruite and keep great people?
• What is the right mix for marketing your small business? – Multi-media advertising, PR, speaking, event sponsorship, direct and e-mailing; networking; community involvement …Argh!
• Growth Strategies – How do you balance the need for growth & innovation yet keep the core of your business steady and strong?

Well? Who can you turn to for help in making critical decisions? Wouldn’t it be nice to talk to someone on a regular basis who 1) you could trust and 2) could give you feedback based on their experience?

If so, you should consider joining a peer advisory group (aka master mind group). Peer advisory groups provide small business owners a confidential environment to share with each other, helping each other by leveraging each other’s experience and knowledge. The benefits can be huge. Among them are:

• Reduce Costs: Small business owners often don’t have the budget to "re-invent the wheel". By learning what other businesses have successfully done, you can save time and money.
• Avoid Mistakes: Solving business problems on your own can result in costly delays and errors. Learning what others have done can help keep you moving forward.
• Find New Ideas: Get outside your own paradigm and see through the eyes of other business owners. They may give you a perspective that leads you to a far greater outcome than you could have achieved on your own.
• Improve Performance: When you look for best practices outside your own business, a wonderful thing happens. You raise the bar of performance and set new standards of excellence to propel your company forward

There are a number of organizations out there who sponsor peer groups, executive forums, master mind groups, etc. There are three I know of in this area and I think they are all good, but they vary in focus, price, content and personalization. Catering to businesses doing $5 million to $25 million in revenue is Growth Strategies out of Plympton, MA and Executive Forum, a franchise organization headquartered in La Jolla, CA.

From personal experience I know the challenges smaller businesses, sales under $5 million, have are as numerous and complex as many larger organizations. Therefore, Bold Vision is sponsoring peer advisory groups for small business owners called Ocular Forum. If you’re interested in more information visit our website at www.BoldVisionConsulting.com.

Larger organizations have their boards of directors and larger budgets. Small business owners should have the same advantage and now do through peer advisory groups.

Until next time, do BOLD Business. Remember, it all starts with a Vision.

Continuing on the theme of the last Making It Happen entry, let me ask you a question. "Do you want to build a successful business? Most business owners and entrepreneurs will say "Yes, are you crazy? Of course I want to have a successful business." Now let me ask you, are you committed to building a successful business?" There is a critical difference between wanting and being committed to making it happen.

So you want to have a successful business, you say. As nice as it would be, wanting doesn’t necessarily lead to "having". Furthermore, wanting without having begets more wanting. It’s a vicious circle that consumes precious time and energy.

Now try this on for size. Repeat after me, "I commit to having a successful business." You’re thinking, "This is silly." But give it a try. Do it. You know, commitment is a higher level of wanting. The definition of the word commit is "to devote oneself unreservedly"; reservedly being the operative word here. This means you will give 100%; no holding back, no excuses, no ‘ifs’ ‘ands’ or ‘buts’ and no "Yeah, I would have but they…". Failure is not an option.

Running your own business is tough; that’s not new news. However, no matter how great or how unique you think your service or product is, there are a hundred — a thousand or more business owners out there who feel the exact same way. You have to work your ‘you know what’ off to be heard above that other noise. You have to be committed to the success of your business.

Unfortunately most people aren’t truly committed to doing what it takes to reach the level of success they say they want. As crazy as it sounds, the truth is most people don’t want success. "Bunk!", you say. Yes, it’s true.

Why? Because people have a lot of negative stuff in their heads about being successful. Here are a few things people carry around with them about making it big in business or other endeavor:

• "It’s too much work."


• "If I’m successful at this, it will be hard to keep it going."


• "It’s too much responsibility."


• "I won’t be able to ________ like I want."


• "It will take so long to get this going."


• "My friends and family think I’m crazy. Who do I think I am trying to start a business?"


• "I’ll have to hire an accountant..lawyer ...assistant …sheesh, what a hassle!"

All of us have tapes that run in our head about almost everything — success, financial wealth, love, politics, …everything. Staying with this analogy, these tapes are recordings of our beliefs and what we believe shapes our life.

 
So, what’s an entrepreneur to do? I’ll have a continuation on this theme in the next Making It Happen BLOG article, but in the meantime you can visit my website for more information and small business resources. Until then, here’s an assignment for you. Get up and go to a mirror; — your dresser mirror, your bathroom mirror, your reflection in the window might do if the lighting is right. Look at that person and say "I am committed to building a successful business." Now go tell your spouse, your best friend, the person at the check out counter; make it public. Put yourself on the hook for success. Now take action and do something about it.

If you don’t know what you want or what success means to you then that’s where you need to start. Check out Barbara Babkirk’s BLOG in here in MaineToday.com. Rhoda Mitchell at New Leaves or another qualified life and career counselor can help.

If you have a business, know where you want to take it and just need some clarity and a kick in the butt, give me a call. I’m offering a complementary conference session to MaineToday.com readers. Just mention the Making It Happen BLOG on when you call or email.

And remember…. Make a Commitment to Be Bold … It all starts with a Bold Vision!