Have you tried over and over to keep to a daily schedule, but just can’t do it? There is a good reason for that! An entrepreneur’s life does not usually allow it.
When you have a very small business, or a microbusiness, you are often responsible for many tasks.
1. You are the Communications Officer, meaning you answer the phone and you answer all the emails.
2. You are often also the bookkeeper, so you must keep track of every dollar that comes in and goes out.
3. You also make all the decisions on the budget, so you are the Finance Manager.
4. Do not forget that you are also in charge of all technology, so that makes you the CIO – Chief Information Officer.
5. One of your biggest responsibilities is being the V.P. of Marketing. Not only do you have to decide which strategies to use, but you have to learn how to do them all AND figure out which are the best strategies for you and your business goals. And then you have to execute them – often all by yourself!
6. Oh yes – let’s not forget that you are also the Operations Manager and Customer Service Manager – in charge of fully servicing your clients.
These responsibilities do not fit nicely into a schedule. Your clients may need you at all different times. You will get urgent emails when you scheduled times to make phone calls, and you will get urgent phone calls when you scheduled time to work on email.
And you will get a ton of email that cries out for your attention all the time.
If you really like schedules, or if you just feel like having one is very helpful, I can offer some suggestions. Good and consistant planning is the key.
First, you must have a comprehensive, written action plan. This plan needs to include your goals, naturally, but also how you plan to achieve them along with specific actions. This must include quantities and timing/deadlines.
For example: Close 1 sale per week for at least $2,000 (goal)
Action step: Set 5 sales meeting appointments per week and close at least 1 sale; Call at least 40 leads per week to get at least 5 sales meeting appointments per week.
Next, set time aside weekly for planning. At the end of your workweek, Friday afternoons for most people, set aside about 20 minutes for planning and analysis. Take out your plan and your calendar and evaluate how your week was. Did you make your calls? Did you set appointments? Did you close sales? What else did you do well or not so well? What do you need to do next week?
After doing this quick analysis, write into your calendar for the next week exactly what you need to do. Around any appointments that are already set, block out some time for making your calls and make sure you have recorded all client and networking meetings.
This may be all you need, but many people have more complicated businesses and lives for this to work consistantly. If you are a wedding planner or real estate agent, for example, you very likely work nights and weekends. My biggest worry for you is that you work 7 days per week. Not only is this not healthy – you need at least one day off per week – but it actually leads to more disorganization.
Then there are parents. If you have children at home, especially if you are a single or only parent, sometimes your children will need you during your work hours! They will have doctor appointments, ballgames, exams and much more.
Besides those logistical interruptions, you have a responsibility to them to be a good, present parent. Make sure you have your priorities firmly in place as you plan your schedule. Also, have your expectations in line and resist the urge to compare your own success against others in your same industry. As long as you have your priorities in order, you will be happy with all of your success, and you will have the added bonus of being a great role model for your kids.
The life of an entrepreneur can be messy. Often, that is part of the appeal! It may never be the same two days in a row. Setting appropriate priorities, flexibility and good, consistant planning will keep you sane.
Copyright © 2010 Audrey Burton
Starting a business during a recession is sort of like vacationing during the off-season the waters may be a little rougher, the environment a little chillier; but it’s also less crowded and everyone’s willing to negotiate. Now, someone with experience starting up companies is offering advice, and a new service, for those who are ready to take the plunge.
From a very young age, we have learned to treasure and be possessive of our things. Who among you didn’t bicker and fight with siblings over, “that’s mine?” As we mature, we begin to understand that it’s acceptable to share our things, as long as it’s at arm’s length and supervised. We still hang on tightly to our treasures, especially as things gets more expensive (iPods, MacBook Pro, new corvette), and we may find we still have a leftover “that’s mine!” attitude when decide to become an entrepreneur and go into business for ourselves.
One of the biggest challenges I see when I coach an entrepreneur is how they manage their time daily. I can give them all the success strategies in the world, but they won’t work if the business owner doesn’t make the time to put them into action.
I teach my clients the power of telling their own story as they start their own businesses, with this phrase: Your Truth Will Set Them Free. This is one of the biggest neon light mistakes that I see helping professionals make.
Remember the poor little bird in P. D. Eastman’s much beloved children’s book Are You My Mother? The one who hatches from his egg while his mother is out scratching around for food and can’t figure out who he is? By the middle of the story, this confused hatchling is in the midst of a full-blown identity crisis, wandering around asking everyone, “Are you my mother?”
As an entrepreneur, you have a ‘to-do’ list a mile long. Things that need done now; things that needed done yesterday; and things that need done as soon as you can get to them. Being an entrepreneur is tough. That’s why getting help is essential. The question, though, is: what do I get help with?
Are you looking for a way that you can make money from the comfort of your own home? If you are, then you can very easily become an entrepreneur and a successful one. You just need to learn the entrepreneur definition, along with anything else that will be helpful in building your business.