Yesterday, I had news that a friend of mine who I went to college with passed away. He had lost his job last year when the economy tanked and was having no success being hired in a competitive market where a 51 year old with plenty of knowledge and experience was what a company was looking for. Interview after interview he discovered that the positions were being filled with candidates that were not even born when he started in the business. So, what does an individual do or a business do when it appears that no one is hiring or buying your product? Reinvent yourself, reinvent your business!
Most people and businesses get stuck holding on too tightly to what they believe is their “goal”, when the real “end point” for what they desire is to make money and feel a sense of accomplishment and enjoy doing it. They might have an old business plan or marketing strategy to get the results they need based on what the world was like 5 years ago. The market and attitudes have changed so much in 5 years and that old plan is not working at all. Some businesses are trying to adapt that initial plan by making a few minor changes, but they still have not gotten the results they were expecting. If you attend a business networking event and talk with owners they will tell you that times are tough and they are not doing the numbers they once did. Well, this is a new time and your chance for a new you! You can continue to do the same things over and over again and if you are still not getting the results you want, will you do it again? The sad thing is many people do just that and they wonder why they have lost their passion for their business and their life.
Look at the LONG list of activities your business does each week. How much of that list excites you? Do you spend over 50% of your time handling projects that zap your energy and leave you feeling less than interested in your business? Get rid of that list! If the activity is an essential part of the business like bookkeeping and you really struggle with looking at the numbers, then hire a professional bookkeeper or an accountant to take that off your list. If you are overwhelmed with emails all day long and it is eating up your productive work time consider getting an assistant or maybe look for a virtual assistant who you can hire part-time to organize your emails. If your business holds weekly meetings as a way to review the past week’s performance and it results in people feeling less than inspired, stop the meetings or at least change the focus of them to new ideas that will motivate and drive business! The key to success in anything is that the element of “passion” is present. If you have lost your passion for what you are doing and the services or products you are providing no longer get you fired-up, how do you expect to get consumers interested in them?
Ask for input from those around you [your staff, your friends, your clients] and make a list of everything that you do TODAY that is the best in your field and that you are proud to offer as a product or service. If there is nothing on that list it is time to “reinvent yourself” so that you find something that you feel deeply passionate about and can be the best at so that when you are presenting that product or service you know that it is connecting with today’s market and providing an essential element to the economics of your area.
Part of transforming yourself or your business successfully is being aware of the things that are holding you back and having the courage to let go and transform!
All my best to your success!
~Charlene
