Are you doing too much? Do you feel like you aren’t doing enough? At the end of the day, are you trying to do “just one more thing?” Stop.
As an entrepreneur, knowing when you can say you’ve had a good day and finished all of your daily business activities is hard when you’ve done enough so you can relax.
I remember having these thoughts. Maybe you do too. . . “I should do one more thing,” “I should be doing something,” “What else can I get done today.”
“Solution? I call it my basic four daily business activities. Four daily business activities I focus on each day to move my business forward. They are. . .
- Income Producing
- Business maintenance
- Relationship building
- Self-care
We’ll go through the Basic Four and look at Four KEY NOT to do activities you may be doing that sabotage your efforts.
Four daily business activities
Income producing activities
This means doing things that get people to engage with you. That could mean a comment or question on a post. It could also mean they send you a direct message. Or, if you are like me, it means getting them on a call to see if they are a right fit for my program.
Every industry may be a little different, but it comes down to doing TWO daily business activities that will get you seen and allow potential clients to interact with you in some way.
Here are some brainstorming ideas to get you started:
- creating posts with a direct CTA (call to action)
- creating videos or doing LIVES
- inviting potential clients to a Masterclass/Webinar
Your number one thought is. . . How can I get people to interact with me and know more about me so I can solve their problem?
Now, if you have a more local business, you need to think through how to get in front of more people. That can include networking, workshops, and events.
Remember, this is only one area of activity. Only TWO things a day is enough. You are halfway there in this area if you have a Masterclass scheduled.
Business maintenance activities
It’s essential to keep up in this area because it is something that can pile up and make you feel overwhelmed. To avoid the swirl in your head that happens when you “feel behind,” you must be doing these activities daily.
What are maintenance activities?
- creating posts and scheduling them
- writing blogs or scripts for your videos
- keeping up with your contact spreadsheet
- doing your Quick Books (or whatever system you use for bookkeeping)
When you have time scheduled each day to do just TWO of these daily business activities, it does not feel like a colossal chore to plow through those things you know you’ve been setting aside until “you get to them.” No, no, no.
Planning for and taking time to lay your foundation correctly only adds to your ability to do more income-producing activities. Imagine not “getting to” your invoices. That would be a tragedy.
Relationship building activities
I think this area is the most important of them all. Why? Because when you are building relationships, you will bring in income. When you can keep track of those relationships with correct maintenance, you won’t allow anyone to “fall through the cracks” and miss out on opportunities for new clients.
Building authentic relationships has never been more important in this online space. No one wants to buy from you if you have not shown who you are and what you can do to help them. Again, it goes back to the adage: They don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.
Specifically, this is what you do. (I want you to know that this is something not many people know and certainly don’t do.) Reach out to FIVE people daily in a personal message—that simple.
What does that look like? It can mean. . .
- welcoming someone to your group on Facebook
- inviting people to your event
- asking them specific questions based on a post they engaged with
The purpose is to start a conversation in the DMs and get them out of the fray of the scroll.
In Calling Clarity, we have a template script to help you move potential clients from ‘liking’ your post to wanting to get on a call to discuss how you can help them solve their problem.
Remember, it is not about talking to everyone every day. It is about strategically looking for ‘raised hands’ that may be interested in your offer.
Self-care
I know you might be thinking. . . how does self-care help my business growth? Simple. If you are not functioning optimally, your business cannot function optimally. You do yourself no favors by keeping your nose to the grindstone and not coming up for air.
I recently did a video on how to avoid burnout. You can check it out HERE.
Let’s talk about self-care. I’m not talking about taking a spa day (which you can do) or making every weekend a long weekend, but I am talking about your daily nurturing.
Stick to the basics
What TWO activities might you do? Basics really: good food, plenty of water, and movement. This takes a little forethought and planning. Unfortunately, I have found that it will most likely not happen if you don’t plan.
For example, I like to have planned lunches so I am not distracted during the day. Secondly, I cook my protein on Sundays, so it is ready for the week.
Daily, I take breaks. I call this the 50-minute hour. I work for 50 minutes and then take a 10-minute break. This break means I get up (move my body), take deep breaths, get some water, and mentally recharge. Since I work on my house’s second floor, I go up and down the stairs frequently because I take breaks.
I also have a longer walk during the day. As a result, I have more sustained energy throughout the day and the week when I allow myself breaks during the day.
On a side note, it is crucial to me because I have MS, and I want to keep myself as healthy as possible to do the work God has called me to do with Christian women entrepreneurs. That’s you.
Where do we go from here? Well, you need to make your plan. FOUR Basic Areas and TWO activities a day in each area. Start with a brainstorm of what those activities look like for your industry. Then plug into your schedule TWO things each day. That’s it.
I have a tool for you if you want more help: The Super-8 Day.
The four key NOT DO daily business activities
Being silent while you are creating or working on a project
Things must be done in tandem. That means you must be working on building relationships, setting yourself up as the expert, and connecting with others WHILE you are creating your program, masterclass, or course.
There is always an inward and outward focus as an entrepreneur. Remember that.
Talking & scrolling through social media with no plan
To be in business means you need to be connected. Unfortunately, I have had too many clients and potential clients tell me they ‘hate’ one of the social media platforms. I tell them it is because they are using it wrong. Unquestionably, social media is called social, but when you’re an entrepreneur, that is WHO you are, and it does not need to look different or be separate from your profile.
The answer is strategy. Know why you are going into/onto a specific platform. What are your objectives, do only that, and give yourself a time limit.
Working on your website- ad nauseam.
Just because you build it DOES NOT mean they will come. It is more important that people know you, not the pretty sign you hang out in cyber-space.
You can start and grow your business with simple landing pages and get cash flow before you even think about hiring someone to build your website. That’s what I get to teach!
You may be building your website, great. But, don’t allow that project to keep you from building your reputation- the know, like, and trust factor- with those who may want to see it in the future.
Keep working just to work
I hope you have realized by now that you don’t have to look or be busy to be a successful entrepreneur and grow your business. You can be strategic. It is better for you.
Work for the sake of work will only give you a headache, lead to burnout, and make you want to give up. There will always be “one more thing” to do in your business. On the other hand, when you have planned it out and created a schedule that works for your lifestyle, then you will have the focus to grow your business the way that is right for you.
I hope this has shown you how simple it can be to create the focus you need to grow your business with the Basic Four. As a result, you can feel successful no matter what you do daily when you know you are working intentionally inside these activities.
1 Corinthians 10:31 reminds us
So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
1 Corinthians 10:31
With this as your focus, you can never go wrong. How will you get started with the Basic Four today? Let me know in the comments.
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