Your Greatest Enemy in Business (Or is it an Asset?)

Your Greatest Enemy in Business (Or is it an Asset?)

Whether you're a small business owner, an entrepreneur, or a professional, if you're anything like I am, your greatest asset is also your greatest enemy:

Time.

One thing i've learned across the last 10 years, 2 businesses, and $50 million of revenue:

The more things I say "NO" to, the more opportunities I'll have to say yes. (click to tweet)

It's never easy to say "NO" to meetings, opportunities, or ideas. As business owners, professionals and entrepreneurs (and humans!), we typically love two things: new ideas, and control. I don't know about you, but when I say "NO" to something, I typically experience a serious case of FOMO (fear of missing out) and/or a serious case of what I'll call FOSLEEP (fear of something little executed extremely poorly).

So instead, I used to say "YES" to everything, to vet every new idea and possibility, and to control every last detail of everything in my business. let's face it, it's hard to say no (especially to the boss or to the investors!) 

The only problem with that was, I lost precious time. Time with my family. Time for myself. Time to work ON my business, instead of IN my business. I lost lots of precious time that I will never get back.

Have you lost time to things that didn't end up mattering?

Now, I say "NO" to as much as I can, and I accept and live with that FOMO and FOSLEEP.

Guess what? Everything is still ok. I outsource as much as I can to capable software and vendors, entrust my team to execute on all those little things, and have office hours once a week to meet with everyone who insists upon meeting with me but who is off focus for me.

Best of all, now I have time for family, time for myself, and time to continue to work on my business instead of in my business. And time is my greatest asset again, instead of my enemy.

At Likeable Local, we work to give time back to small business owners who have better things to do with their time than social media by automating it for them. There are dozens of software companies and vendors you can use to save time for various aspects of your business, your job, and your life.

Remember, while time is precious, and often hard to control, it's also the great equalizer:

Time is the one thing that you have an equal amount of as Richard Branson, Arianna Huffington and Barack Obama.
  (click to tweet)

So, really, it's your choice: Will time be your greatest enemy or your greatest asset?

Would you like to give yourself the gift of time back?

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Dave Kerpen is the founder and CEO of Likeable Local and the NY Times bestselling author of The Art of People. Looking to save time and automate social media for your business so you can have more time for yourself this summer? Learn more about Likeable Local here. 

 

 

Ron Holt

Founder at Pink Zebra Moving

8 年

Great article Dave. Maybe you should share this with Gary Vaynerchuk. I've always believed that you should go all-in with your business but there's also a time and place for work/life balance. I'm a workaholic and love what I do. But I love my two little kids even more. Thanks for sharing!

回复

Thanks for sharing! Say we do not learn throughout life and in our professional career. Make choices and know what we want and what makes us happy is key ! It is not easy but all managed. The time is precious and is the same for all the days. We have to work the time the best way possible and always with a positive goal and not get them tomorrow will be another day.

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Gary Kissel

Global LinkedIn Strategist, Author & Speaker...Grow Your Business on LinkedIn's Dynamic Platform

8 年

Learning to say "No" is an underutilized skill. It is as necessary as having a laser focus on your goals.

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Anita Miller

Customer Service

8 年

Thank you for sharing your valuable time and article.

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Gianpaolo Pavone

Manager Property Investiments DUBAI ? Founder ?????????????? ?????????????? ? ? 29+ anni di esperienza ? 11+ libri scritti ? 170.000+ persone formate ? 1 ??ACADEMY creata ? 2.400+ Feedback positivi avuti ?

8 年

Look ..always higher! With courage. "I SAW MORE 'FAR FROM OTHER ..because 'I WAS ON THE SHOULDERS OF GIANTS! " (Isaac Newton) And 'This is the way of saying that every man and entrepreneur should impress upon their minds ..to face every challenge of life and Entrepreneurial. We know ..I am ..the difficult challenges. But dare one ..not if you can give by itself in a "particular" period like this. Looks ahead ..sii crowds ..desecrating ..iconoclast ..but always with a sense of respect, education and professional ethics! The ..this crisis knows ..there are ..there were ..and there will be ..! But are cyclical ..before or later pass! I do not have a magic wand, I would not presume to give recipes or substitutes sterile hopes, but I believe deeply that looking ahead, always, ..with eyes "disenchanted" the can is fair ..for everyone! And remember that WE kneel ..just of GOD on! Thanks for your attention and best wishes to you all ..from the wonderful Italy . Gianpaolo PAVONE ( Italian Writer & Corporate communications expert ) Read also THE COURAGE (Gianpaolo Pavone) here: https://urlin.it/13fdc3 .

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