Entrepreneur Productivity - The Entrepreneur’s Wall

Recently, I spoke with a business owner who mentioned a sales rep he had met with recently. He commented that in the few years he had known him, this sales rep had been involved with three different companies. Then this business owner paused and said, “I think I have the same tendency, myself. It’s that idea that the grass is always greener on the other side, I guess.”

This tendency to macro-switchtask, to change career attention on a grand scale is something very common in all entrepreneurial types. I have experienced it myself on multiple occasions. There is always some other opportunity to be involved in, something more attractive, more lucrative, and less mundane.

Ask any marathon runner and he or she can tell you about “the wall;” the point in the race where internal energy reserves are used up. Hitting this wall can be very discouraging to the runner, and they are tempted to give up on the race. However, if the athlete presses forward and “climbs over” this wall, they find themselves with a new burst of energy and the ability to successfully finish the race.

Entrepreneurs experience a wall, as well: the “entrepreneur’s wall.” This wall is the inevitable moment when the business isn’t so attractive anymore. In the beginning, the entrepreneur woke up every day thrilled to be involved in the business. Suddenly, however, it becomes drudgery. The reasons for hitting the wall are numerous, from economic downturns, to a slump in sales, to relationships with employees, to just plain boredom. However, if the entrepreneur can push forward and climb over the wall, he or she usually experiences a new level of success and renewed enthusiasm.

Just as marathon runners can condition themselves so that runner’s wall is not as much of a shock to the system, so too can entrepreneurs put a few specific tools into place that make it easier for them to climb over their personal walls. Allow me to offer three specific tools:

1. Company Vision - A Company Vision is a document that takes a picture of what the company will be in five years or more. It creates a concrete direction for you to head with the company. It is the constitution of the “United States of You, Inc.” Having a writte
Company Vision that is hanging in a frame on your wall is a very powerful tool for you to refer back to. It is especially powerful in times when you are questioning your desire to continue forward. When business owners refer back to their Company Vision they remember their desire to achieve that ultimate destination.

2. Vacations - Business owners often neglect budgeting time for regular vacations. This puts them in a situation where they find no opportunity for break and no opportunity to recharge their batteries. Create a schedule that forces you to take a regular vacation. My personal schedule requires me to take a vacation whenever there is a fifth Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday in the month. By setting a regular schedule for vacation, the entrepreneur has something to look forward to. Upon returning, the entrepreneur finds that the problems giving him or her so much difficulty before taking vacation do not seem quite as large anymore.

3. A Business Coach - As a business coach I often help my clients get back on course when they feel discouraged or when they lose perspective. The old saying about ‘not being able to see the forest through the trees’ is very true in business. When you reach the entrepreneur’s wall, you need someone outside of you who can see things from a distant perspective, who can see the whole picture and ask the right questions. A business coach is an essential component for an entrepreneur in creating personal accountability. This accountability not only provides valuable insight into the business, but also helps the entrepreneur to move forward when he or she meets the entrepreneur’s wall. One of the key reasons I’ve found it easier to climb over my personal entrepreneur’s walls is because I have made myself accountable. Even though I am a business coach, I have my own business coach that I have hired to work with me. Time after time, he has demonstrated that he is worth his weight in gold. He helps me keep my focus and to press forward to greater success.