Eleven Things Truly Successful Entrepreneurs Focus On:

I grew up in a family of entrepreneurs and had the opportunity to start working with some real great people in the hospitality industry right out of college. I have been fortunate to work with some real go-getters that instilled some qualities in me at a young age that I feel have shaped me into the business person that you see today. My Experiences with Swartz and Reeder Advisors have only further cemented some of my core beliefs about doing business in 2017.

I have noticed that success never happens on accident, but is more the result of daily habits and taking advantage of opportunities by being mentally prepared and ready to do so at a moment’s notice. You’ll never be a successful entrepreneur, if you don’t have daily habits pushing you to stay on pace. You have to ask yourself everyday whether you are working in the business or on the business. You should be working on your business 24-7 every day of the year. You are your business, so don’t forget to invest time and patience into yourself every day. Don’t be too hard on yourself, if you foul up or suffer a setback, but hold yourself accountable and get back up every time you get knocked down.

Here is a list of some daily habits that will get you on pace to win the race to success:

1.   Get the mornings going right: Ideally, I like to work out in the morning, but I don’t always have time to fit it in. However, there is always time for breakfast even if it’s just a smoothie or yogurt. Getting quality fuel into your system in the morning gives you the energy you need to maintain a high level of performance throughout the day.
2. Prioritize the day- This is easier to do, if you schedule things in your calendar at every opportunity.  I check my calendar morning, noon and night. Sometimes as a busy person there is a need to determine what needs to be done and what needs to be rescheduled. The reality is there isn’t always enough time in the day to everything that needs to be done and do it well. I feel it’s better to give everything that needs to be done the proper time and attention to do it correctly than it is to rush through too many tasks. Make sure to check your calendar, before you commit to something you may not be able to realistically do with 100% effort. Make sure to plan snacks, exercise and breaks, because you won’t perform right, if you are neglecting your needs. Follow the schedule.
3. Set goals- Make short and longer term goals every week. Determining realistic short term goals that point toward success in your long term goals is very important.  Discuss all your goals with your team and explain to them your plans. Have some trust with your team and ask them to hold you accountable on your end. As an entrepreneur, it’s easy to surround yourself with yes people, but don’t fall into that trap. Ask people to speak their mind, listen to their feedback, respond accordingly and move forward together as a team. Asking your team to hold you accountable not only builds their confidence and morale, but it also helps to keep you focused on your goals. If you’re not reaching your goals or making things on happen on your end, then own it and fix it.
4. Don’t Over Promise and Under Deliver- It’s easy to say that something can be done without knowing for sure. It’s equally easy to say one thing and do another, but it’s never a great formula for business success. Salespeople make mistakes. Engineers make mistakes. CEOs make mistakes. We all do, because we are human, but in business over promising and under delivering never feels like a mistake to the person buying your product, or service. Nothing will destroy your business quicker than over promising and under delivering, but it may happen from time to time. If your firm does something that can be construed as over promising and under delivering, then you should move heaven and earth to correct the situation.
5. Schedule Social Media Time- Social media marketing is a very important aspect of most businesses in 2017. Social media can generate revenue for almost any type of business if it is utilized correctly. However, social media should not be the main focus of most businesses. It pays to schedule your social media time. Have set amounts of time to reply to the different social media platforms. I check social media two to three times a day depending on my schedule that particular day. If you treat your social media time as a scheduled event, then you won’t spend more time than you need to accomplish your goals.
6. Tackle the mountain early- Do the hard stuff that no one wants to do first thing in the morning and give it your one hundred percent effort. Try to accomplish the hardest and most critical task of the day, before you finished your first cup of coffee. Nothing motivates like getting the hardest task off the board and it’s always a great idea to tackle the harder chores, when you are best prepared to do your best job.
7. Remember how you make your money- For example; I know that I am not making money if On Pace Franchising isn’t helping people establish profitable businesses through franchising. I know that my franchise consultants need to be doing research daily on as many franchises as possible, when they are not directly working with prospective franchisees. I don’t expect my franchise brokers to do the marketing and accounting for the business. It doesn’t matter what type of business you have, because you’re always best served having your money maker work on perfecting what makes the money. Have someone else do the day to day task and the tasks that don’t have 100% to do with delivering a quality product or service. We live in a multi-task society, but multi-tasking almost always leads to less than superior results. Concentrate on a single task at a time and delegate what needs to be delegated, so you can focus on the task at hand.
8. Journal and day dream- It’s actually good for you to get up and walk around or simply roll your head back in your chair and day dream for a few minutes. Rolling your head back and spending a little time visualizing different things like accomplishing goals or enjoying a family vacation. Visualizing the accomplishment of your goals will relax your mind and walk you through many different scenarios that may actually play out. It will help take the emotion out of the situation and help you focus on actually accomplishing your goal, when the time comes.
9. Don’t procrastinate or waste too much time- if it’s worth doing, then it’s worth doing as soon as possible. Don’t put off anything, because the competition isn’t stopping for you, or anyone else. It pays to avoid time consuming things that aren’t helping you reach both your short and long term goals. It doesn’t matter what type of business you are in, because someone is going to try and sell you something. Learn to say no and learn to limit your time, when you say yes to schedule a meeting with someone about their product or service offering. I learned it’s best to ask for an email or information that gives you a little info going into the meeting. This allows me to research and do my due diligence. (it’s the franchise consultant in me) Doing a little research prior to any meetings lets me decide how much time to spend on the meeting. The research will also give me ideas about my interest level and questions that I may have going into the meeting. There is nothing worse than wasting time having a meeting that doesn’t accomplish anything, because I didn’t allow myself the right opportunity to digest the information right there on the spot.
10. Practice listening to hear rather than react- It’s important to listen to those around you for many different reasons. People tend to listen more effectively to their leader, when they feel like their leader listens to them. It’s important for any leader to establish clear communication. It is better answering extra questions, or asking more questions to make sure everyone is on the same page than it is to rush the conversation or cut people off. Problems in communications lead to problems down the road that can usually be avoided.
11. Say thanks and mean it- Every day is a blessing and an opportunity, so be thankful every day. Be thankful for those helping you even if you pay them a fair wage. Be thankful for everyone that you meet even the difficult people, because they’re helping you grow too. Everyone helps you become who you are, so be thankful for their help.