Did you start a business for an easy life or to see what you could actually achieve?

You. Yourself. Raw & unplugged.

 I know the answer to this but let’s go through the motions...

 I keep getting phishing emails from irrelevant, so-called experts & NED’s talking about doubling my profits overnight. Nice to know that they do their homework, which is why I choose to call these idiots out (if you ask me I’ll tell you their names – I’ve got a list!)

The other messages I hate are those saying “Are you a true business owner or does your business own you?” like the one I received on Friday from @thefdcentre.

It goes on...

“You became an entrepreneur because you wanted freedom” = bollox

“Have you constructed the foundations of your business in a way that affords you the LIFE you really want”? There speaks a jobsworth muggle who will never own a Ferrari but still wants to advise people who can and will!

It’s never about working to chillax and take the easy path; the people who have the courage to start a business do so with a bucket-load of optimism and ambition but sometimes this isn’t realised and too often they begin to say it was a life choice to remain small. People don’t start a business for freedom and quality of life, in fact not growing often means they have reached / realised their glass ceiling!

Hard read this one for some folks but hang in there... 

I’m not going to promise (as @TheFDCentre do) to “increase your cash, profit and valuation and build a financial cornerstone which enables you to own your business rather than run it”

Yes, they did mix metaphors across two paragraphs, but I won’t go into that - they are not smart folks, so I’ll cut them some slack. 

Rather than torture people who don’t know better (the advisors I’ve mentioned), I’m going to give the people I do care about some simple things that really work, are easy to implement and are fun to do. These will make a difference as you navigate a world of change. 

1.    Have a plan audacious enough to inspire working hard but keep your goals small enough so that you can tick them off week by week, month by month & celebrate your wins

2.    Try to do 5 days work in 4 days allowing yourself time to work on the business rather than in it on the 5th day. Give yourself time to think and solve problems or realise opportunities as they arise 

3.    Surround yourself with great people, gains not drains who make work fun and rewarding. You spend a lot of time with your work family, don’t compromise on the first 20/30 hires otherwise work will become hard work

4.    Don’t allow yourself to settle. It helps to have someone in your corner pushing you, a wife, husband, parent, mentor someone who will give you a kick up the arse as required

5.    Go to bed early and get up early, 5 am is a great time to get things done and sets you up for success

You have to invest considerable time and make significant sacrifices to run a great business. There are no short cuts!

Also - join a network like the RDLC. The RDLC is not a back-slapping drinking society like so many other networks are. It is a melting pot of opinions and ideas, it’s a forum for peers to challenge their thinking and take input and test theories - it’s highbrow and stimulating but not for everyone, obviously. It’s definitely for the more ambitious and committed business leader, not one who pops to the office once a week and wonders why the company isn’t growing!

Here’s to a great H2 2020

Find out more about the RDLC: https://rdlcpirates.com