It is great to have a home business with all the cool “stuff” to do. If you’re anything like me, you love going to places like Staples and buying things to make your life easier, and easily spending hours there. The problem is however, I find that many people who have an online marketing business get so caught up in the “fun” part of their business that they spend a whole lot of time working ON their business…and not IN their business.
Work IN Your Business vs ON Your Business
Are You Working ON Your Business?
By that I mean all the things you do on the outside of your business. Things like clearing out your inbox, perhaps making flyers, organising and clearing your desk, getting through all those emails, spending too much time on Facebook etc. These are all great things to do and are also essential (well, some of them !) if you can do this things very quickly and efficiently. The trouble is when you are spending too much time ON your business you are not spending enough time on the actual things that are going to produce that income for you.
Before you know it hours have passed during the day and although you feel you have been very busy and may have been very productive you have still not been working IN your business. I am sure like me you have a daily plan and write down all that you want to achieve for that day but if you have any priority projects left TO DO at the end of the day then you have not been working IN your business. You have probably been doing other things like:
1. Maybe spending too much time on that capture page where you could possible have re-purposed another one that is not working so well for you.
2. Maybe spending TOO much time on the phone talking to friends about your business when in the end they are just not interested. You should be able to pick up on that in the first 5 minutes of that call.
3. And the old favourite FACEBOOK – are you spending too much time there and other social media sites. I know it can get a bit addictive, especially PINTEREST ……..
Are You Working IN Your Business?
By working in your business I mean getting down to the nitty gritty !! Advertising whether free, ppc or solo ads – recruiting, sending out those follow up emails, creating new and valuable content, speaking to people that are really interested in your business and connecting with people, getting them to know, like and trust you. These are all the things you HAVE to do that is going to grow your business and make a huge difference to the income that you make.
Nurture and nourish your business and take care of it. Stick to a schedule as much as possible. I know it is not always possible as things do ‘crop’ up that can’t be avoided, like hospital appointments, school events etc. As long as you focus on those Income Producing Activities that you have on your list and make them your priorities, then once done yes go and play on Facebook etc. Once you get into a strict routine it will just come naturally and will get easier every day.
When you turn on that computer and think “what do first?” Look at your list and say to yourself ”is this going to make a difference to my income and make me money?” If not leave it to the end or the next day. You have to tell yourself what you should be doing to meet your goals……
If you ask yourself those questions every day you will find that you can focus better on the things you need to do to work efficiently IN your business. By doing this when the day is over and you look on your checklist you will see how much you have accomplished by working IN your business and you should have marked off all of the top priority projects – which are going to get you closer to your dreams …..
Some suggestions for you to do:
1. Make sure you follow up with your prospects. Set a date and time to call them.
2. Connect with 3-5 new people every day.
3. Attend webinars and meetings.
4. Attend live events whenever possible.
5. If there are any events locally to you book a stand and introduce your business that way.
6. Help your team members to become leaders.
7. Always provide valuable information and show you are a leader in your business that way people are going to know, like and trust you.
8. Your business needs your full attention at all times.
To sum it up make sure you are working IN your business as a priority and then any spare time you have you can work ON your business !!!
Take Breaks and Get Sleep
Lastly, take regular breaks, make time to eat and get enough sleep …….. This post is slightly longer than I intended but just wanted to get these points across !!
If you enjoyed reading this post I would appreciate your feedback so please share, tweet, google+ and comment. Thank you
Comments
Thank you Terri, appreciate that. You also have a great week ahead.
Merle I enjoyed reading your post and you shared some valid points today. What I always tell people when I am mentoring them is "Work on you more than you work on your business." This is what will make your business a success because it is true that each person is different.
Whether a person has skills, education or training everyone needs to work on being the best person possible before attempting to build a business. This way a person will attract people to them, connect and build those long lasting relationships because it is the key to a successful business online and offline. I have shared your post on Facebook, tweeted and pinned on Pinterest. Have a fantastic day and week ahead.