More Than WE Know

Last week, I discussed the importance of analyzing your to do list so that you are working on the most important tasks rather than the most urgent tasks. 

Many times, we find ourselves terribly busy, but not really getting much done.

This is when we are being bossed around by our to-do list - working on the Urgent stuff rather than the Important stuff. 

Sharon Marsh wrote a comment on that post that said:  

I agree that you have to take into consideration the deadline factor for many items on your list but the real focus should be on the items that will ultimately keep money coming in to your business.

If it’s not revenue-generating, then in most cases, those activities should be the ones that are deleted, delegated or moved to the bottom of the list - until the urgency deadline approaches.

I agree with many parts of Sharon’s comment, but there is one aspect of it that disturbs me enough that I wanted to respond in a post rather than in the comments.

It’s the idea that only the “revenue generating” aspects of your business are the most important.

While obviously revenue generation is important (essential!) the problem comes when we are only focusing on the revenue that can be generated today and not looking at the long-term sustainability of our revenue.

To really grow your business, you need to be spending a good percentage of your time laying the foundation for future business. This includes activities such as Networking, Marketing, Developing New Products and Developing your Employees (even if that is just you…….especially if that is just you!!)

So, if you were to divide your time into sections, it might look something like this:

• Current revenue - 30%
  • sales
  • clients
  • seminars
• Future revenue  - 50%
  • Networking
  • Marketing
  • Developing New Products
• Employee Development - 10%
  • Training and Education 
  • Exercise and Health
• Maintenance - 10%
  • Accounting
  • Administrative

Do those percentages surprise you?

Yours might vary slightly. But if you are not putting at least as much energy into expanding your business as you are into the business you have today - your success will be short-lived. 

How right or wrong do those percentages feel to you? Are you happy with the balance in your business  or do you think it should be different?

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This week, I’m sharing articles written by Women Entrepreneurs and Bloggers, who I always enjoy reading.

First up is Heather Juma, at Girls Who Network.  Heather asks the question Who’s Going to Stop You From Being a Successful Woman Entrepreneur? Hopefully after reading Heather’s article - your answer will be “No one!”

The next article is by Shama Hyder at After the Launch.  Shama was inspired by Seth Godin’s article about Gimmicks to tell Independent Service Providers How to Pull Off a Gimmick- without being gimmicky!  It’s good advice that you’ll want to read.

Anita Campbell at SmallBizTrends has rounded up 22 marketing secrets from top marketers in Top Experts Dish With their Best Kept Marketing Secrets.

My favorite is from Yvonne DiVita, from WME Books, and publisher of Inner Samurai.  Yvonne’s “secret” is to be sincerely enthusiastic about other people’s businesses: what they’re doing, how they’re doing it and why they’re doing it! That’s advice that I can definitely relate to! 

Anita is asking for her readers’ top marketing secrets, too. So stop by, read them all and share your own!  

And last, Christine O’Kelly at SelfMadeChick has written a book! She has poured all of her enthusiasm, wisdom and experience into a new 24 page ebook called “How I Built A Profitable Freelance Business for Under $50 - (And How You Can Too!)” . She’s written a great post about her motivation for writing the book, How I Ditched My Job and Never Had to Come Crawling Back.  

Christine is always a delight to read - entertaining, educational and profound - I know I’ll be buying a copy - how about you??

Well, that’s my round-up of inspiration for this week!  Let me know if you find any other great articles around the internet, and I’ll be happy to highlight them here!!

Thank you to all who entered the Discovering Your Inner Samurai book contest. Our winner was selected using the Random.org List Randomizer, and it picked… Carol McClelland!  

Carol wrote:

What a wonderful interview. As a several time author (The Seasons of Change and Your Dream Career For Dummies), I totally relate to Susan’s story about the birth of her book. Since I started writing in 1992, I’ve always tapped into my inner samurai to write and edit.

That first draft to final product! What an experience. Although it’s hard, I finally learned that the editor’s job is to make a book the best it can be…even when you don’t like what they have to say! The key to success is to listen to their comments and adjust…while listening to your inner samurai. On occasion I’ve had to hold firm on elements of my book even when the editor didn’t want them in the book had a different vision. I had to choose those moments carefully and be prepared to share my rationale as calmly and clearly as I could.

It’s an amazing process of clarifying and distilling. All the best with your book, Susan.

Congrats to Carol who wins a free copy of Discovering Your Inner Samurai: The Entrepreneurial Woman’s Journey to Business Success

For more about Carol, check out her site Green Career Central: Make a Difference and Prosper. 

Thanks to everyone who participated!

Let me know if you enjoyed this contest and would like to see more in the future!

Reminder - Susan Reid is giving a way a free copy of her book, Discovering Your Inner Samurai: The Entrepreneurial Woman’s Journey to Business Success. Today is the last day to enter to win - it’s as simple as leaving a comment  describing what motivated you to start your business on her interview.

A winner will be chosen at random and announced here tomorrow!!

In yesterday’s post I told you several reasons why your business might benefit from a blog.  While it might have sounded like a great idea, I want to remind you that no strategy fits every business. Before you start blogging, you should look at your overall marketing strategy and your goals for your business to determine whether a blog is right for you.

A blog might not be right for your business if:

• You don’t like to write and don’t have any employees who like to write
• You really don’t like computers or even slightly technical tasks
• You are already strapped for time and don’t have anyone to delegate to
• Your business doesn’t lend itself to repeat business or customer loyalty
• You sell a commodity that is interchangeable with your competitors

Hmmm… there must be other reasons a business wouldn’t benefit from a blog.  Since I’m really not the best person to list the reasons for Not Blogging, I’ll refer you to this article on Small Business Essentials and this conversation at Start Up Nation. 

Both of these were written in response to my assertion that most businesses should at least consider starting a blog before they decide it is not for them.

One thing I know for certain, don’t miss out on writing a blog for the following reaons:

• you think it is expensive
• you think it is difficult
• you think you have to be technical
• you think it is an irreversible commitment
• you think it is a big time investment
• you think you don’t have anything to say

All of those are myths that I will dispel next week.

In the meantime, tell me -what did I miss? - what are the reasons that a blog is not right for you and your business?

photo credit: Rochelle, et al