Fuel Your Business Growth With this Controversial, yet Bold Approach
In a 6-hour period, I ended up hearing almost the exact same internal challenge from 2 new clients. And, well, when the universe provides you with signs, you listen. I’m guessing they aren’t the only ones facing this challenge.
I thought you might appreciate being part of this conversation and hearing my recommendations for fueling your own business growth. For both short and long-term sustainable success.
As a service-based business owner, prioritizing yourself in various aspects is essential for both your personal well-being and the success of your business. Here’s why:
1) Health: Business
Your health is your most valuable asset. Running a business can be demanding and stressful, and neglecting your health can lead to burnout and other health issues. Prioritizing your physical and mental well-being ensures that you have the energy, focus, stamina and resilience. These are needed to tackle challenges and make sound decisions.
This might mean setting aside time for regular exercise, practicing mindfulness or meditation to reduce stress. As well as, ensuring you get enough sleep each night and applying an 80/20 nutrition plan daily.
2) Priorities: Business
Setting clear priorities is crucial for effective time management. When you prioritize yourself, you can identify the tasks and activities that truly matter. This allows you to allocate your time and resources to high-impact activities that drive your business forward, rather than getting bogged down in less important tasks.
This might mean focusing on high-impact tasks like client acquisition, strategic partnerships, and team development. Because of this, don’t be afraid of delegating administrative tasks that can be handled by others.
3) Boundaries:
Embracing “no” or “not right now” as perfectly acceptable responses. Establishing healthy boundaries is essential for maintaining a work-life rhythm. Without proper boundaries, you might find yourself working around the clock, which can lead to burnout and strained personal relationships. When, setting boundaries on your work hours and availability, you create space for rest, relaxation, and spending time with loved ones.
This can involve designating specific work hours. Seriously, please…put that phone down. Establish set times of day to read and respond to emails, texts, voice messages, etc. Unless the service you provide is literally a matter of life/death, you do NOT need to be available 24/7. Remember, we teach people how to treat us.
4) Voice:
Your voice and perspective as a business owner are valuable. Prioritizing yourself means recognizing your unique insights and ideas. By amplifying your voice, you can differentiate your business and offer innovative solutions that resonate with your target audience.
This might involve sharing your expertise through thought leadership articles (like this newsletter you’re reading right now), participating in webinars, panels, masterminds, roundtable discussions and engaging in other meaningful discussions on social media.
5) Desires:
Understanding and pursuing your desires and passions can bring a sense of fulfillment to your business journey. When you align your business with your interests and aspirations, your enthusiasm shines through in your services, making them more compelling to customers.
This can mean incorporating your personal passions into your offerings. For instance, if you’re passionate about sustainability, you could integrate eco-friendly practices into your business operations. It can also mean you talk about your hobbies, children, volunteer movements on social media and other platforms as we know like-attracts-like.
Or perhaps your desires outside of business are the exact treasure to use as fuel to take the action your business goals require of you. Many times our financial business goals are directly tied to experiencing more of our personal desires.
6) Resilience:
As the leader of your business, your attitude and emotional state can influence the entire team. Prioritizing your emotional well-being and personal growth enhances your resilience in the face of challenges and adversity. It also sets a positive example for your employees, encouraging them to prioritize their well-being too.
Empowering yourself with resilience can involve practicing self-care routines, seeking mentorship or coaching, and continuously learning to adapt to changing market conditions. As I often say, “you must be willing to work more intentionally on yourself than you do anything else: or you risk being the greatest limitation and liability in your business!”
7) Creativity and Innovation: business
Taking time for yourself allows you to recharge and gain fresh perspectives. This boost in creativity and innovation can lead to new ideas, improved processes, and a competitive edge in your industry.
This might involve regular brainstorming sessions, attending creative workshops, and exploring new technologies that can enhance your business offerings or ways to create more camaraderie and cohesiveness within your team.
8) Decision-Making:
A balanced and focused mind is better equipped to make strategic decisions, and to make them quicker. Prioritizing yourself enables you to approach decision-making with clarity and objectivity, resulting in better outcomes for your business and avoiding analysis paralysis which often halts decision making.
This involves practicing mindfulness, achieved through things mentioned above such as sleep,nutrition, movement, meditation, journaling, to clear your mind.
9) Authenticity:
Being authentic and true to yourself in your business endeavors builds trust and credibility with your customers. When you prioritize your authentic self, you create a genuine connection that resonates with your target audience.
This may mean sharing personal anecdotes and experiences that connect with your audience, showcasing the human side of your business. It often means you are not just speaking from your logical mind, you are speaking and sharing from life experience and lessons learned, often thought of as speaking from your heart.
In conclusion, prioritizing yourself as a service-based business owner isn’t selfish; it’s a strategic move that enhances your effectiveness, well-being, and overall success. Taking care of yourself empowers you to lead with purpose, navigate challenges, and build a thriving business that aligns with your values and aspirations.
The bottom-line, prioritizing yourself is actually the most selfless thing you can do, both personally and professionally, as it is the only way to potentially bring 100% of the best of you to each person and project you are involved with.
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For the last 10 years I’ve been using my optimization framework to help clients streamline and simplify their way to high 6 and 7+ figures, while simultaneously creating an extra 8-10 hours a week of additional free time to spend doing things they love outside of the office (and this is done within the first 30 days of working together)!
If you are ready to create this in your business and life as well, I’m guessing it’s worth exploring with a 30 min call to see if we may be a good fit? Grab a day/time that will work for you and let’s start talking to determine if we’re a good fit.