Running a business can be trying, especially for entrepreneurs. Day-to-day challenges can provide lots of obstacles, but putting these tips into place can be a real game changer! Elian Tyson walks you through 4 powerful strategies to control as much as you can and improve your business.
Helpful links:
Book a Marketing Review Strategy Session – Elian’s free gift for you: https://highimpactbusiness.com/go/marketing-strategy-session/
Elian’s Entrepreneur Community on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/groups/hibonlinemarketingsuccess
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Hometown Marketing Podcast – 4 Actions to bring you closer to your goals
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Hello & welcome. Today I’m going to list out for you 4 ways to make all your efforts bring you closer to your goals.
But first, I have a short story.
Friday, I felt frustrated. I was working with a client that just “didn’t get it.” We were mapping out a marketing plan directed at a specific target audience… All his marketing up to now has been generic to small businesses and not specific to his ideal client. From our discussion we determined that he needs to reach the decision makers with his service… in his case, they are CEOs of small businesses that have 10 to 100 employees. From that information, I tried to explain to him that all of his marketing messages should talk to that one person (LinkedIn posts, blog posts, website content… everything)… and what he’d been doing up until now hasn’t been specific enough. It hasn’t been working…
This is an example of a filter… taking everything you want to do… all the ideas… and passing them through the filter of “will it resonate with my ideal client.” In the end, the use of that filter is an example of something that WILL “bring you closer to your goals.” His goal is to help more companies with his services.
Today’s topic is this filter approach. Run everything you do through… “will it bring me closer to my goals?” Today I’m going to map out 4 different ways to help you reach your goals. These tactics will help you be more efficient and effective.
1-Think with the end in mind
I’ve already talked about this. Whether you are thinking about your religious beliefs, making your homelife smoother and easier, working with instilling values in your teenager, … or building your business. Taking a few moments to “think with the end in mind” is so vitally important. Some of your homelife routines might be on autopilot… others might not. The autopilot routines are essentially what do I have to do to get it done. That could be brushing your teeth or getting your family out of the house in the morning to go to school.
One of my weekly habits that I believe has really helped me is my weekly planning session. Each Sunday I review my previous week… what went well, what didn’t, what didn’t get accomplished. Some of the things I don’t get accomplished go on the upcoming week while others get put on hold, delegated, and sometimes deleted from my to do list.
Then I look at the upcoming week… what’s already scheduled and what I want to accomplish.
This all rolls into my monthly goals that roll into my quarterly goals that roll into my annual goals.
To back up a bit… each November or December I set my goals for the upcoming year. I look at what went well and what went no-so-well. I determine what projects I want to work on for the year, how I want to earn revenue and how much. I also set my personal goals this way.
I break down those annual goals into quarters…
…That I break down into months that break down into weeks. …That finally get broken down into days.
During each of these time periods I use the focusing question from the book The One Thing to help… =>What’s the one thing I can do such by doing it everything easier or unnecessary?
This is another example of a tool/habit to answer “will it bring me closer to my goals.”
When I make my weekly schedule and review what I plan to accomplish, I ask the question will it bring me closer to my goals? I try to remember this question every time a new activity or thing-to-do is presented to me.
(I’ll admit, sometimes I don’t ask this question… and it usually leads me down rabbit holes that don’t get me any closer to my goals. They delay me accomplishing what I want to. I need to learn to put this on a “research/read later” list.)
2-Cull through your activities/processes
So now let’s talk a bit about effective versus efficient. ->Tim Ferris in his book, the 4 hr work week: “Effectiveness is doing the things that get you closer to your goals. Efficiency is performing a given task (whether important or not) in the most economical manner possible.”
“What you do is infinitely more important than how you do it. Efficiency is still important, but it is useless unless applied to the right things.”
Are all the things you think you “should” do in your business (and in life) necessary? Are you getting results? Should you stop doing a few things perhaps?
What about your processes? For example, if you think posting to Instagram is important to your business marketing, have you taken the time to map out your processes on how you do it (either on paper or in your head)? If not, you should. Go through the process and make sure all the steps are really necessary. Maybe you don’t need to do ALL the steps?
3-Batch tasking
What is batch tasking? Batching tasks could be done in life (such as in your kitchen) and in your business. It could look like making a large portion of your meals for the week ahead of time or using the freezer meal method. In your business an example is conducting researching for multiple projects at one time.
Batch tasking is a very efficient use of your time. It allows you to “get in the zone” and get work done. When possible, I like to schedule these in blocks of 2-3 hours. During this time you are a good girl and turn off your notifications…. Such as your Phone, email, social media. Your kids are at school or are busy doing something. And you are ready to knock out your work! Batch tasking is a skill and can be strengthened the more you use it. It works wonderfully because you don’t loose time during “task switching” (also known as context switching). => Apparently, task switching, the act of changing from one thing to the other, makes you loose 25% to 100% amount of time. Said another way, it can take you 25% more time for something simple to double the amount of time for something more complex. So, stay focused and be efficient!… And let’s not get into the false belief of “multitasking.” Save that for your kids soccer game or watching your favorite tv show.
If you plan your activities for the week and can batch like tasks together, you will save that switching time. For example, if you need to make images for your blog post, your social media post, and your stories… do them all at one time. Do as many as you can knock out in your time block.
Another example… a Marketing tip – if on Instagram (whether a story, post or reel) and you like a natural image or video posted “just now” or “in the moment”, then consider a few times a month using something prepared. That could be motivational or inspiring quotes that you can use a few times per month. I’ve been known to create 12 quote images in one sitting to use one per year.
What kinds of tasks are great for batching?
A lot of your business tasks. Some examples include:
- updating your financials
- taking pictures and videos for most of the month for your social media posts
- planning out your content for the month, quarter, or year (yes, it is possible)
- writing captions
- writing blog posts
- hashtag compilation by topic… this one you could possibly do once a year and just refresh it quarterly
- keyword research
- researching joint venture opportunities
- writing out your emails in advance for your customer list
- miscellaneous admin tasks
There are lots of things you can do using the batching method. I’m just trying to give you some ideas.
4-Get your stakeholders on board
Stakeholders… what does that mean? This is anyone that has an immediate benefit in seeing you succeed. For most of this, it includes your husband and kids but can also include a parent. When my kids were younger, I needed childcare on occasion. Typically, that provider was my mother.
Share with your stakeholders what you have going on and where you might need some help. Share with your family what you have planned and what your goals are. Then, when you reach them, be sure to celebrate with them. It makes it easier for your family to cheer you on to reach a goal.
Perhaps you need a little extra childcare or getting your children to or from extracurricular activities. Let them know what you have planned and how you need help. Perhaps you need to work one night a week. Will your husband be able to handle the kids? Maybe you have dinner prepped and ready for him to pop in the microwave and serve.
Maybe you need outside childcare for a few hours. Perhaps you just need emotional support. What structure could you put into place for you to perform your best work?
Alright… today I outlined 4 different ways to Make all Your Efforts more effective so you can achieve your goals. If you have something that is working for you, I’d love to hear about it. Be sure to comment below or take a screenshot and tag me on Instagram.
Wrapping things up
I’m here to fulfill my calling for making your business a High Impact Business. Your business can thrive. You can meet your goals. You just might need to switch things up a bit.
Important Links:
The One Thing https://highimpactbusiness.com/go/the-one-thing/
4 Hour Work Week https://highimpactbusiness.com/go/4-hour-work-week/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/hibonlinemarketingsuccess
About Elian Tyson
Elian is an entrepreneur and owner of two businesses that have a presence both online and in her local market. As a marketing coach to hundreds, she has led many trainings and workshops on topics of business development/operations and small business/non-profit marketing. Elian resides in upstate South Carolina with her husband and children.
