What Should You Be Working On In Your Business?

It’s almost Labor Day—a time to recognize all the diligent effort your employees put in to help make your business strong. But it’s also a good time to reflect on what’s working in your business, and how to make it work better. Here are just a few questions to kick around as you prepare for the fall season.

What kind of motivation brings out your personal best at work?

The most important kind of motivation is self-motivation, but we can all use an outside boost. And it’s very true that the environment and people we surround ourselves with have a huge impact in our outlook and personal effectiveness. Reducing negativity and introducing positive influences can go a long way to keeping you revved up.

If you enjoy scrolling through the news, try visiting a “happy news” site instead of dwelling on your usual news feed. Today.com has an uplifting news section, and the good news network is excellent as well. Accountability is also a powerful motivator. If you aren’t yet part of a peer business advisor group or mastermind group, give that a try. You’ll hear challenges other business owners are facing, but you also get to celebrate successes and get a sounding board for your ideas.

What work habits do you need to cultivate to reach your business goals?

Do you need to work harder—or just smarter? Only you know where your areas of weakness are when it comes to being effective in your business. But here are some common issues and how to address them. See if any of them look familiar.

Cultivate focus: Stop checking email every few minutes. Also, if you are addicted to social media, sign out of all your accounts and turn off notifications so you have to make an extra effort to check in on the digital world.

Don’t be excessively available: Does everyone think you will deliver an immediate response—even for stuff that’s not an emergency? Create some breathing room by setting up an auto-response for email and text letting people know to expect a reply within 24 hours. Also, when you have something important to finish, set your phone to only allow calls from specific people.

Get out more: Networking is one of the most powerful ways to grow your business. Make time for it every week, and follow up to create deeper and more strategic partnerships with those in your network.

Quit over-committing: Practice saying “No” more often. You will be surprised how well people manage to putter along without relying on you to do everything for them.

Start paying attention to detail: Feel like things are constantly taking you by surprise in your business (and not in a good way)? Do a deep dive and start analyzing what’s falling through the cracks.

Stop sabotaging yourself: Maybe your kryptonite is negative self-talk. Maybe it’s procrastination. It only takes a few weeks to break even a long-standing habit. Make this the month that you finally start creating new patterns that support your success.

What do you need to work on in your home life to make your business better?

One thing all business owners quickly learn is that the line separating work from home life is imaginary. It’s no secret that having a rough day at work impacts your relationships. But it goes both ways. If you have conflict or poor communication at home, this is going to influence how you act in your business as well. Take stock of ways you can reduce stress and increase joy in your home life. These improvements will spill over and positively affect your employees and customers. For example, practice showing gratitude and appreciation for your spouse and children. Or, take a bold step and be more honest with your loved ones—even if it means having a difficult conversation. The more authentic and aligned you are in your personal life, the more integrity and clarity you will bring to your business.

Are you working toward selecting a new business opportunity right now? It’s a labor-intensive process, for certain. We can help every step of the way. Contact our team at FranNet DFW and we will work with you free of charge to help you make a smart choice.