I can hardly lift my arms, it hurts to breathe, and I wince every time I have to bend over. No, I wasn’t in an accident, and I’m not battling disease – I just worked out for the first time in three months a couple of days ago, and it’s still painful.
This pain is a good pain. Getting in shape takes intentional actions and hard work. The same can be said for growing a business.
As an entrepreneurial writer, I work with entrepreneurs to create content for their business and to help boost their personal brand. I can write eight hours straight and come up with hundreds of article ideas in a day with no problems or strain whatsoever. But, when working on the other aspects of my business, it can be painful, just like that first trip to the gym after several months on the couch.
Growing is painful, regardless of the type of growing. Ever seen a one-year-old who is teething?
So why when it comes to our business do we shy away from this painful growth even when it means we will be in a better place because of it? I avoid sales and the financials of my business like the plague even though I know those are the two areas that would result in the most growth for my business. What can we do to stop avoiding building our business muscles?
Become a business bodybuilder
The world’s greatest bodybuilders, just like many of the world’s greatest entrepreneurs, embrace pain and face their fears. They work tirelessly on multiple facets of their body and business to create a well-rounded and high-functioning machine. You can’t just work out your abs each day and expect to be in amazing shape, and you can’t only focus on one aspect of your business (like writing articles for me) and expect to have a thriving business.
A challenge
I’m going to challenge you, and myself, to work on your two weakest business muscles. Take one hour this week to create a short plan of how you can improve each of those muscles over the next six months, and then evaluate these action plans at the start of each month. Here is what I plan to do to address my weakest two business muscles:
- Accounting
Goal: To automatize my bookkeeping and be able to look forward and estimate my business’ growth. To do this, I plan to get setup with Xero accounting software via TREPX Accounting. After getting assistance with setting up my books, I will spend 1-2 hours a week ensuring that all of my entries are correct and spend time learning what the numbers mean for my business.
- Sales
Goal: I want to increase the number of warm leads in my business and actively pursue new sales, which I have been avoiding. I want to add one new client every other month. To do this, I will start an email list and engage connections I have not stayed in touch with.
It’s not the greatest plan, but a slight shift in being intentional about growing your business can have huge results, so get moving!
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