Setting your small business up for success in 2020 … and beyond.
As a business mentor, one of the things I often see is colleagues and those in business coming up with endless excuses for not being where they ought to be. Rather than looking at what is possible, rather than asking questions, rather than recognising that they are the source for creating their life and their business, people tend to stop creating based on their reasons and justifications of why they cannot.
A few years ago, I was $187,0000 in debt with very little to show for it. Today, I own properties across the world including part of a castle in Italy, land in Costa Rica, Australia, and am also the business development manager for training organisation Access Consciousness® operating in 173 countries, all the while mentoring other leaders around the world to create and look past what is tangible. I didn’t change my financial reality all at once. I got there one choice at a time and you can, too.
If you would like to change your financial reality in 2020 the first step is to stop making excuses for what you have not yet created. The second is to stop doubting you. The trick is to stop assuming you know what’s “right” for your business and replace doubt with a sense of discovery.
Business is one of the areas in life where I never assume that I have the answers. I am always willing to have things show up differently and change whatever isn’t working. That to me is the adventure and joy that business can be.
“Take action. You are the most important ingredient in the success of your business.”
The problem often comes down to the limitations people place on themselves. What if you could push away that doubt and stop sabotaging your own success? What could you create then?
Not sure how to get out of your own way? Here are six key tips that will set you up for business success.
- Acknowledge your capacities and how great you can be. Stop listening to others who knock you down. And understand that you don’t have to know everything now – ask questions and believe in your ability to learn. Surround yourself with experts in what you want, and learn from them.
- Give yourself permission to know what you want. Be okay with wanting more. If you find yourself not wanting more, realise that’s a choice you’ve made. If you’re willing to be aware of that choice, you can change it.
- Be audacious in what you ask for. Make your demands bigger, and don’t dilute your desire just because someone says “no”. No is just no. It’s not a judgement and it has no power over you, unless you allow it.
- Ask questions. You have to get out of your old judgements, and questions are the key to this. Ask yourself things like, “What else is possible? How do I make this happen?”
- Take action. You can’t sit on the couch watching The Biggest Loser and drinking beer and expect to have $1 million in your bank account tomorrow. To get the things you want in life, you have to be willing to take action.
- Be patient and enjoy the moment. Some things you create require you to work hard, so look at it as an adventure and just allow it unfold in its time. Don’t make everything a life or death situation. Enjoy the ride and take time to “taste life” along the way.
Business can be filled with joy and adventure. To live the adventure of business requires you to stop making excuses and stop doubting you. You are the source for creating your life and your business. Acknowledge that and take action. If doubt starts to creep in, take a moment to notice where you are limiting yourself. What lies are you buying into that stop you from going after what you want? I’m a woman; I’m a man; I’m too old; I’ve got a family now; I don’t have the right qualifications. You can always decide on something that will stop you from pursuing more. Notice it and ask, “What else is possible here? If I was not buying into this lie, what could I choose now?”
Also, avoid the common myth that joy follows business. In my experience, when you choose joy, success in business follows. It is always going to be hard making money doing something you don’t like. If you can identify your own limiting points of view and learn to have fun with what you do, the money always follows.
As the new year begins, have a look at what you desire to create with your business. Ask for it. Acknowledge that your choice will create it. Take action. You are the most important ingredient in the success of your business. Use these tools to go beyond your current limitations and into the success that is possible. What would it take for 2020 to be your best year yet?
Simone Milasas, founder of Joy of Business and BDM at Access Consciousness®
This story first appeared in issue 27 of the Inside Small Business quarterly magazine.
