Ecstatic highs and frustrating lows are an integral part of our lives as entrepreneurs. Unfortunately, these awesome rises and scary crashes can cause us to lose perspective.
So today I’m sharing with you a really powerful framework for understanding what it means to have a business that’s systematically successful.
1. Systematically Success Business Owners Know It’ll All Work Out
You’ve made the leap and started your own business.
The fairytale you were imagining while lying wide-awake at night and talking yourself into making the decision might not have come true yet. That instant success you were dreaming off hasn’t quite happened.
Maybe you’re dealing with prospects who haven’t taken you up on offers, failed launches, or schedules messed up by a sick child.
What makes it even worse are all those cheerful social media updates from business owners who brag about their wins and seem to have everything under control.
Annoying, isn’t it?
In a weak moment those get to me, too. Believe me, I have plenty of those moments :).
But then I remind myself that comparing my inner insecurities with the outer picture of someone’s success is like comparing apples and oranges.
Besides, nobody has it easy.
The fact of the matter is that it’s challenging in the beginning because you need to validate your idea by having a steady stream of clients.
As your business starts picking up, you face the pressure of learning how to manage the growth.
Once you have an established business, the stakes are so much higher.
Having a systematically successful business requires being resilient enough to handle these challenges.
If you don’t give up, it’s all going to work out!
2. Systematically Successful Business Owners Know It Takes Time to Develop an Amazing Brand
I bet that if you are in business for yourself, you are not after passive income.
You aren’t the type of person who’d be happy to sit on the beach sipping margaritas doing nothing day in and day out. That’s not you!
Yes, you’re looking for a steady stream of money to support your passion-fueled business and to rid yourself of anxieties about how to market and sell your creations. Having the freedom to make bolder decisions excites you as does the idea of taking internet-free vacations where you can totally enjoy yourself without worrying that the stream won’t run dry while you’re away.
But you know that what will get you there are not gimmicks or get-rich-quick schemes.
You are after a sustainable business that makes a difference in people’s lives while it generates plenty of money for you.
That type of business you can’t create over night.
Systematically successful businesses need time. Time to. . .
- Grow a loyal following and become a culture, a belief, an identity.
- Work out all the kinks in our processes so we always deliver an unforgettable experience to our clients.
- Mature and step out of the “doer” role and into a leader and business visionary function.
There is nothing passive about building a business like this.
So, is it really worth it to spend time fantasizing about passive income?
3. Systematically Success Businesses Have Rock Solid Systems
Face it, if you don’t have systems, you don’t have a business. . . just a hobby.
With a hobby you show up whenever you like it. For the most part, you are responsible only to yourself. It is totally up to you how you approach your hobby!
Business is different. When you’re in business, you’re making a promise to your customers that you’re going to provide them with the best possible experience. You’re committing to excellence to both your customers and yourself. You’re guaranteeing timelines. And, whether you want to accept it or not, with a business, you’re committing to order.
All that can be achieved only through systems.
Do you have to be a systems person to create systems in your business? NO.
All you need to do is record what and how you do things and save the descriptions in a place where your (future) team members can easily find and access them.
Here are two super easy ways to get started systematizing your business. If you like checklists, you can create them to simplify your blogging, project management, and social media activities. Creating screencasts to narrate the process of properly formatting images and enter new clients into your client management systems can be a great when you’re ready to delegate to a virtual assistant.
Is it going to feel impossible to find time to do start systematizing? Yes.
Is this process going to save you weeks and allow you to finally go on that well-deserved vacation? Hell yes.
15 minutes a week. That’s all you need. Now, go book your systems time.
Need more guidance on where and how to begin? Want your assistant to systemize your business FOR YOU? Check out Systematic Success.
4. Systematically Successful Entrepreneurs Don’t Do Everything Themselves
The idea that you’ve got to be doing everything yourself because no one can do it better than you is an excuse not to own up to being the CEO of your company. No matter how small it is.
Delegation, above everything, is about leadership. It’s being able to motivate and direct people on your team. It’s also making the time and mental space to work on the strategy of your business in general.
So, outline your systems (see #3 above), find people who can follow directions, pay attention to detail, share your vision for your business, and let them handle things that aren’t in your “zone of genius.”
Maybe in the beginning, your budget will not allow to have that person for as many hours as you need. Start small. See what else you might offer them that would give them as much value as a monetary exchange.
What if you are terrible at systems? There are plenty of creative, awesome entrepreneurs who just can’t fathom following systems. So, what if that’s you?
Then, it’s even more urgent for you to get comfortable with delegation. If you want to create a sustainable business, you’ll have to open your business doors to someone who is willing to stick by you, create systems, and help you stay organized and on top of things.
What you are working towards is creating an environment, people and all, that will not allow you fail. . . .no matter how many unexpected curveballs life throws at you.
5. Systematically Success Entrepreneurs Are Responsible
For their actions. For their team. For their clients. For their followers.
No, I don’t mean they criticize themselves for every mishap that happens. Being responsible has nothing to do with guilt and blame.
It is about getting objective about what happened and what role you played in the problem.
Here’s how you can handle a variety of these challenges.
- You missed a deadline. The client didn’t give you hard time, but you feel horrible. What could you do next time to avoid this situation? Give the project additional buffer time? Create a schedule that gives you a bit of a leeway in case technology doesn’t cooperate? Or maybe shoot the client an e-mail when you see that the delay is unavoidable to make sure that they have time to notify everyone else who’d be affected by the missed deadline?
- Your assistant missed the deadline. Maybe your e-mail specifying the deadline got lost in the avalanche of your assistant’s e-mails and it’s time to create a different communications hub so that everybody is clear on the deadlines. Or perhaps you need to create a shared vacation calendar so that next time you start working on a project you agree on the deadlines around your and your assistant’s holidays.
- Your client is driving you nuts with their calls and e-mails wanting to know where you stand with the project. It’s easy to label that client a difficult one and suppress your impatience every time you see his name in your inbox. But maybe you could take time to go over the milestones of the project with him so that he doesn’t feel in the dark. Or perhaps you can create a shared Google doc where you make notes of the progress and the client can check whenever they need an update?
