Discussion
Thought I'd post this up to see if you well built company directors;) could share some of your own techniques and habits that you employ to stay motivated to a well built but relatively poor business owner.....
I run a shop and also supply some local small businesses with our products, very small time but growing for each of the last 6 1/2 years it's been running. But forget about the actual business It's motivation I need as I get stuck in ruts very easily and take the easy way out a lot of the time. I'm neither suited to working for someone as I quickly become frustrated, or working for myself as I can be a lazy git.
It's all too easy to sit in the back office of my shop, like I'm doing now really, spending time on internet forums and generally doing work that I should be delegating to staff and concentrating on getting out there and growing the business. There always seems to be an excuse, or poor reason to put off getting out there and getting new business for the small wholesale side to grow it. Whenever I read business books I get really motivated but it soon wears off. I feel like I need a good and proper kicking up the backside but as I'm my own boss I let myself off far too easily.I excise a lot and have always looked after myself so it's not physical, it's more mental unfortunately.
So what do you do to make sure your always 'on it' and maintain a positive can do attitude? I need to make sure I start valuing my time more and getting the most out of every hour I'm a work. Have you any books, video's or podcasts that you can recommend perhaps?
Thanks for any input.
I run a shop and also supply some local small businesses with our products, very small time but growing for each of the last 6 1/2 years it's been running. But forget about the actual business It's motivation I need as I get stuck in ruts very easily and take the easy way out a lot of the time. I'm neither suited to working for someone as I quickly become frustrated, or working for myself as I can be a lazy git.
It's all too easy to sit in the back office of my shop, like I'm doing now really, spending time on internet forums and generally doing work that I should be delegating to staff and concentrating on getting out there and growing the business. There always seems to be an excuse, or poor reason to put off getting out there and getting new business for the small wholesale side to grow it. Whenever I read business books I get really motivated but it soon wears off. I feel like I need a good and proper kicking up the backside but as I'm my own boss I let myself off far too easily.I excise a lot and have always looked after myself so it's not physical, it's more mental unfortunately.
So what do you do to make sure your always 'on it' and maintain a positive can do attitude? I need to make sure I start valuing my time more and getting the most out of every hour I'm a work. Have you any books, video's or podcasts that you can recommend perhaps?
Thanks for any input.
This is me to a tee..I'm reading your post rather than sorting the shop,need a right kick up the arse, been at it 35 years now so the newness and excitement has worn off a tad, just seem to be coasting..
Although, having said that I would live to start something new,what, is the problem,and I fear if I can't be doing it now what's the point of doing new..
Although, having said that I would live to start something new,what, is the problem,and I fear if I can't be doing it now what's the point of doing new..
I can be like that. I'm by no means big time either - I find that goals and measurement helps, ie next month I want to do X. Perhaps for you it could be "supply 5 new stores" or such like. I like to make my goals not 'directly' monetary, but things that will result in added revenue nonetheless (YMMV!). Buy yourself a car as a reward for a few months of good work or something.
zoom star said:
This is me to a tee..I'm reading your post rather than sorting the shop,need a right kick up the arse, been at it 35 years now so the newness and excitement has worn off a tad, just seem to be coasting..
Although, having said that I would live to start something new,what, is the problem,and I fear if I can't be doing it now what's the point of doing new..
New sounds good but if the mindset isn't there I know I would be back to how I am now before long. It's weird though for me as, as far as going to the gym is concerned and eating right I have really good habits. I have stuck to the gym for 18 years now, but for some reason I cannot get the same habits going in business. Internet forums, twitter and mobile phones don't help one bit, too much distraction and too many hours lost even at home after work..Although, having said that I would live to start something new,what, is the problem,and I fear if I can't be doing it now what's the point of doing new..
simoid said:
I can be like that. I'm by no means big time either - I find that goals and measurement helps, ie next month I want to do X. Perhaps for you it could be "supply 5 new stores" or such like. I like to make my goals not 'directly' monetary, but things that will result in added revenue nonetheless (YMMV!). Buy yourself a car as a reward for a few months of good work or something.
That sounds like what I've tried to do in the past and once again dropped off. Problem is, is that once something comes up which stops my new found plans for a short while, such as the shop being busy over christmas, I struggle to get motivated again.As for buying myself a new car, well just a wizard exhaust for my Alfa would be nice so there maybe a starting point.
Diversify - http://www.telegraph.co.uk/food-and-drink/drinks/b...
Set a goal, in the nineties I ordered a M3 on a 9 month wait and started a online business that had to meet the monthly payments by the time it arrived ...... made me very focused.
Set a goal, in the nineties I ordered a M3 on a 9 month wait and started a online business that had to meet the monthly payments by the time it arrived ...... made me very focused.
Goals are really important.
I have a business coach and we set goals. When they come for a meeting I think oh s
t I haven't done that yet or I need to do that by the end of this week. It means I have to answer to someone.
Also surrounding yourself with like minded or successful people help. I would always want to do better than people around me so having people much more successful than you helps!
However I have stuff to plan for and I'm typing this
I have a business coach and we set goals. When they come for a meeting I think oh s
t I haven't done that yet or I need to do that by the end of this week. It means I have to answer to someone.Also surrounding yourself with like minded or successful people help. I would always want to do better than people around me so having people much more successful than you helps!
However I have stuff to plan for and I'm typing this
VEIGHT said:
I have a business coach ...
This is also a good idea.Find someone who would be prepared to mentor you and/or come into the business (perhaps as a Non Exec) to keep you honest.
See if you can benchmark your business against others in the industry (or locally) and use this as an incentive to try and beat the best (assuming you are in any way competitive
).We should start a thread where we can tell each other what we have achieved (with like minded people so we don't sound like we we're showing off) maybe on Whatsapp or something.
If I got a message from one of you at 8 am saying that you have been in the office since 6am and won a huge deal worth XYZ I'm sure that would give me a small virtual kick up the back side.
If I got a message from one of you at 8 am saying that you have been in the office since 6am and won a huge deal worth XYZ I'm sure that would give me a small virtual kick up the back side.
OP - I'd seriously recommend this book.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Taming-Tigers-things-never...
At the time I read it, I was employed (as opposed to owning my own business) so this was the only difference between you and I. The premise of the book is to take yourself out of your comfort zone and by doing so, you'll achieve much more. The author not only practices what he preaches, but he has people who've written case studies and they're in the book.
The book is responsible for me being much more motivated in what I do and completely changing my outlook on what I'm capable of, to the point that I try and inspire my staff to have the same outlook.
It works.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Taming-Tigers-things-never...
At the time I read it, I was employed (as opposed to owning my own business) so this was the only difference between you and I. The premise of the book is to take yourself out of your comfort zone and by doing so, you'll achieve much more. The author not only practices what he preaches, but he has people who've written case studies and they're in the book.
The book is responsible for me being much more motivated in what I do and completely changing my outlook on what I'm capable of, to the point that I try and inspire my staff to have the same outlook.
It works.
I'm currently in full-time employment, and it's ok, but I'm dying to start my own business. Anyway, here's my tuppence:
I have some bad news for you, it's a case of getting off your arse! Now hold fire, I realise that's not very constructive, but I also have some tips you may find useful. They work for me. I think studies have shown it takes around 21 solid days of repeating the same task for it to become habit. Use your frequent gyming as an example, I bet at the start there were times where you started to slack off, but you stuck at it and eventually it became habitual, now you can't stop going to the gym!
What you want to do is make productivity habitual. Now, to enable you to do that, firstly you need goals for motivation. Write them down, a couple of big over-ambitious long term goals, and a few smaller short term goals that you need to complete in order to achieve your long term goals. Now learn to manage your time most effectively to achieve those goals. Every morning, set yourself a list of tasks you want to complete in that day, with your goals in mind. Then it's just a case of doing it! Don't put them off, get going, and once you gather momentum it becomes easier to continue to be productive. Make sure you call it a day at a reasonable time, and if there's still things you want to complete but it's getting late, write them down and review them the following day. You may find that the next day you realise the things you thought were important last night were actually a bit off track... and you can steer yourself back on course.
Continue this routine for long enough and it will become habitual. I wish you luck.
I have a different problem, I'm very motivated and put lots of effort into my projects, but then I realise that it was sh*t idea to start with...
I have some bad news for you, it's a case of getting off your arse! Now hold fire, I realise that's not very constructive, but I also have some tips you may find useful. They work for me. I think studies have shown it takes around 21 solid days of repeating the same task for it to become habit. Use your frequent gyming as an example, I bet at the start there were times where you started to slack off, but you stuck at it and eventually it became habitual, now you can't stop going to the gym!
What you want to do is make productivity habitual. Now, to enable you to do that, firstly you need goals for motivation. Write them down, a couple of big over-ambitious long term goals, and a few smaller short term goals that you need to complete in order to achieve your long term goals. Now learn to manage your time most effectively to achieve those goals. Every morning, set yourself a list of tasks you want to complete in that day, with your goals in mind. Then it's just a case of doing it! Don't put them off, get going, and once you gather momentum it becomes easier to continue to be productive. Make sure you call it a day at a reasonable time, and if there's still things you want to complete but it's getting late, write them down and review them the following day. You may find that the next day you realise the things you thought were important last night were actually a bit off track... and you can steer yourself back on course.
Continue this routine for long enough and it will become habitual. I wish you luck.
I have a different problem, I'm very motivated and put lots of effort into my projects, but then I realise that it was sh*t idea to start with...
Depends. You managing to make enough money to survive, have a holiday, spend alot of time with the family, go for walks down the beach with the dog etc?
Putting more hours in for what? To get more money, so you can have holidays, see the family and have walks down the beach? Sometimes you wont do more because, you dont need to. After all we only work to live. Some of these directors really do have alot of cash, but no life.
So ask your self, will getting off your arse, getting more clients, money and being busier make your life better? Will the extra cash improve your life? If yes, then do it! If not, just more stress, staff, problems. Dont bother. Sometimes its just not worth it.
Putting more hours in for what? To get more money, so you can have holidays, see the family and have walks down the beach? Sometimes you wont do more because, you dont need to. After all we only work to live. Some of these directors really do have alot of cash, but no life.
So ask your self, will getting off your arse, getting more clients, money and being busier make your life better? Will the extra cash improve your life? If yes, then do it! If not, just more stress, staff, problems. Dont bother. Sometimes its just not worth it.
hotchy said:
Depends. You managing to make enough money to survive, have a holiday, spend alot of time with the family, go for walks down the beach with the dog etc?
Putting more hours in for what? To get more money, so you can have holidays, see the family and have walks down the beach? Sometimes you wont do more because, you dont need to. After all we only work to live. Some of these directors really do have alot of cash, but no life.
So ask your self, will getting off your arse, getting more clients, money and being busier make your life better? Will the extra cash improve your life? If yes, then do it! If not, just more stress, staff, problems. Dont bother. Sometimes its just not worth it.
This is a good point, and of course you must ensure you get your priorities right. But on the flip side, being more productive whilst you're at work does not have to mean 'putting more hours in'. It's about achieving more in the same amount of time. Being productive is far more rewarding than browsing the internet all day and feeling you have achieved nothing. We all have to work to live, so you want the time you are at work to be rewarding, if not enjoyable.Putting more hours in for what? To get more money, so you can have holidays, see the family and have walks down the beach? Sometimes you wont do more because, you dont need to. After all we only work to live. Some of these directors really do have alot of cash, but no life.
So ask your self, will getting off your arse, getting more clients, money and being busier make your life better? Will the extra cash improve your life? If yes, then do it! If not, just more stress, staff, problems. Dont bother. Sometimes its just not worth it.
This explains procastination very well, and of course its classifies as "research" if you read it in the day!
http://waitbutwhy.com/2015/03/procrastination-matr...
http://waitbutwhy.com/2015/03/procrastination-matr...
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