I believe there are 3 key outcomes in business that everyone is hoping to achieve. These elements are what my Thriving Blueprint course is based around.
1. Confidence
Confidence in the business is knowing in your heart and your mind that you are moving forward, that you are succeeding, that you do not have that sick feeling in your stomach, knowing that it is not going the way you want it to go.
When we go into business, we have hopes and dreams.
We believe in ourselves, and in what we are trying to achieve. We know we have something to offer to the world but when the bank balance starts to diminish and the bills start to rack up, then the confidence starts to take a slide downhill.
Decisions become harder and we avoid them. But that is only making the situation worse.
We go into business having a special skill or unique talent, but we do not have all the skills necessary to build a great business. My special skill is accounting, as you will see in the course, but my worst skill is marketing. So, if your worst skill is accounting and cashflow then this program will help in that department and bring back some confidence because that is what I am here for.
Another way of looking at confidence is about how the business is going, to most it is a bit overwhelming. when we are struggling, we are stressed, not sleeping, it is not going as well as hoped or dreamed, but we know there is a better way. Just do not know how to do it.
Chances are you pursued your dream of owning your own business because you were confident in what you are creating. After all, people do not generally spend thousands of dollars and years building something they do not believe in.
The problem is, as time passes and things do not turn out as you envisage, it can be easy to lose confidence in where your business is heading and whether it can go the distance.
Getting organized and putting a solid realistic plan for growth in place will help you regain confidence in your business and its future. Not only will you be able to see at a glance what’s going on, but you can easily track your progress and when necessary, readjust your journey.
2. Control
Control of the business is more about knowing information, knowing what truly is going on and you making the choices. Not the lack of knowledge or information, making the choice.
Sometimes we go through a bit of a drought and don’t have rain for ages.
It is a bit like those plants that you put in the ground hoping they will take care of themselves, but the rain hasn’t come. So, they are wilting away and not thriving. You need to make the choice and do something about it and take control and plan how it is going to be. If those plants were in a nursery the business would have a watering system to be more efficient with the time, allocation of water and usage of staff.
That is what planning is about.
That is what control of your business is about. Make the choice to be more efficient. Make the choice to move forward and not be the same as what it has always been.
I am going to talk about camping in our camper trailer because that is who I am. When we go camping, we have a camper trailer that is very well setup, all the comforts that we want. And yes, we have quite a few comforts. And that is what it is about for us.
What is a holiday you choose to have?
Is that time to sit around and talk and do nothing and just take in the peace? Sitting around the campfire, watching the spit roast turn, having a glass of wine, and chilling out?
We are not about how fast we do it, but it is taking control of what it is that is important to us.
You need to know what is important to you about what choices you make in your business, how much control or planning to make the most of it to get what you dream of and do what gives you enjoyment.
I have a quote on one of my screen savers, “Easy choice, Hard life. Hard choice, Easy life.” by Jerzy Gregorek. I would like to add to that, in that, if you make no choice, as in no decision or avoid, it is the same as taking the easy choice. So, we will have a hard life or time. So, make that hard choice and things will be a lot easier in the long run.
Don’t do what you have always done before because you will get the same results, make the hard choices, and change for the better.
3. Cash
And I put that last because first you must have confidence and control in business before cash will even happen.
A few years ago, when we were camping at Inskip Point near Rainbow Beach with some other families, they had another family come to visit who had never camped before.
On our camper trailer, we have an 80 litre water tank that had been allocated to just pure drinking water.
We were at the beach, there were taps about with non-drinkable water.
Anyway, we showed the friends how to get water for a drink by using the pump on the trailer. And they thought it was a novel concept.
Those 80 litres of drinking water should have lasted the group for about four days. We found the next day it was all gone and a big water mark in the sand beneath the tap. What had been happening with the kids and the parents, they assumed that the supply was endless like at home, and did not have to conserve anything. Did not have to make any decisions to maybe play in a different way. They had been manually pumping out water just to see if they could do it, just to wash their hands, not caring that all that water that was going to the ground and yes, that is good for the environment.
Well, it was not being the best use for the water. We had plenty of other water to play with. We had other water to wash our hands or to wash up in or swimming, to do everything else. 80 litres of drinkable water was precious. The effort to get the other water was easy. It was probably 10 meters away or 15 metres to play in the sea. But the drinkable water was a half hour drive with huge containers and waiting in line to fill up.
So, a lot more effort. And that part, was not my idea of a holiday.
Why I talk about a water supply is because it is pretty much like cash coming into the business. It takes a lot of effort to get it there, use it wisely. Look at where you are spending, where it is leaking out of your business. You need to know how much of that cash is special and it is the life blood of your business and keeps it alive. And what is necessary or is secondary and not essential, like playing in the ocean. Yes. It is fun, but not essential to keep you alive. I think you need to decide whether something is the fun you planned to have, or it is just the wastage that dribbles on the ground. And therefore, you miss out on the fun.
It has been said to me on many occasions that wastage still is claimable in the business, but I do not know. I would prefer the higher profit or higher wage for myself. Some would say back to me, “but that would mean paying high tax as well”. For me, that would be more looking at the negative side.
But on the positive side, the business has made more money. The owner has earned more, so can do more, and the bonus is they can dream more.
I am going to relay another story.
In our camper trailer, we have a certain size battery that powers the lights, powers the fridge, and yes, we have a fridge, we are very civilized from that point of view.
We also have an inner spring mattress, tables, chairs and even a kitchen sink.
But anyway, in the fridge we have the food like a spit roast for tomorrow night, the wine, beer, cheese, dip, pate and anything else that we wish to keep quite cold.
Now, the problem we have is that battery will only last a certain amount of time. Usually three days. We can put a solar panel connected to it, to recharge it.
But usually that is only charging at a slower rate than we are using because the sun is only out for a limited time. We usually like shady campsites.
So, it is really about conserving what is important to us. And that is a cold wine and a cold beer, but the choice is yours. So, the fridge is really important to me.
So, the real choice is whether you use the battery to also charge your phone or have music blaring when you are in a beautiful place that is peaceful and quiet. And it has the sounds of the wildlife, which is more precious to me.
Which is more precious to you?
My choice would be to conserve power for the things that I can enjoy the most and means I am on holidays longer, to things that I can have any other day when I am working or at home.
For me not making a choice is as bad as not really thinking about it. So then getting worst case scenario, not having cash or power in the battery for what you really want. So, step up, make the choice of what you really want and what you are dreaming of and where you are trying to head.
If those 3 motivators inspire you to want to know how you can achieve your business goals then have a look at the Thriving Blueprint Course.