What Will Build Your Business the Most?

I’m often asked by solopreneurs who hear me speak what “one thing” should they do that would bring them to the financial success they want. I answer this by asking them to close their eyes, take a few deep breaths, and ask themselves a single question. Try this for yourself, and you’ll usually find what you need to do the most. The question is, “What is the thing I am avoiding most in my business?”

Solopreneurs are solely responsible for the direction and success of their businesses. While we may have teams to support us and coaches to guide us, we all must keep in touch with our own inner guidance system, too. I’ve worked with dozens of capable, bright, hard-working business owners, and every single one of them had something they were avoiding “getting around to.” These stuck places literally stop the flow of energy and keep us from opening the path to easier, quicker success. My experience is that the “thing most avoided” usually is one of these four things:

1) Procrastination, which paralyzes us from taking action. We get to be procrastinators by avoiding what we are scared of, or trying to avoid risk at all costs, or insisting that everything be “perfect” before we launch it.

2) Self-doubt, which causes us to spend more time questioning what we do than actually getting out and doing it. Self-doubt is a killer of business. It keeps self-esteem in the toilet, too. Self-doubt hampers us from acting in faith, following our heart and our soul’s purpose.

3) Fuzzy focus, which is often called “bright shiny object syndrome.” This means that we flit from project to project and idea to idea, never truly turning a laser-like focus onto one single thing that we carry to completion. Solopreneurs are curious people. We are also idea people – we love a good idea! We can talk a good idea to death over coffee, lunch, and in networking meetings. Moving from bright idea to complete focus, which brings us to a product or service launch, is harder for us sometimes. If you have fuzzy focus you are not creating near the financial success you might have.

4) Thinking small. Sometimes I want to cry when I talk to people who are self-employed and ask them what their dream income is. I hear figures that are so low it’s incredible. I once asked a client to give me a dream income level. She had two teen-agers approaching college, and she herself had a Ph.D. from a very prestigious private university along with 20 years of experience. Her answer? “I’d love to make $20,000 this year.” ARGHGH! Thinking small limits us in ways that are sometimes sad and often ridiculous. We all have opportunities only limited by our imagination and creativity – and our fears about stepping up and stepping out. My suggestion is to be outrageous in stating what you want to accomplish, then double it! Setting your sights high makes you aim high, and you’ll get further faster.

What you need to learn next that will make you and your business more effective is to find out what you are avoiding most. Find it, face it, and flourish. You’ll be glad you did!

(c) Sue Painter