For the past several weeks of the quarantine, I have been STUCK! I haven’t been able to “get it together”! Last night when I was thinking about this stagnation, I decided to do something about it. I know that there are things that I can do for my small business that can propel me forward when Covid-19 is a thing of the past so I began to make a list. Then I categorized those things and began to put a strategy in place and specific action steps in order to get me and my business “unstuck”! Here are my 5 Steps to Getting Unstuck in My Business and I thought I would share them with you in case you need some ideas for getting unstuck in your business too.
1. Personal Development
This is the day and age of e-learning, online learning, Facebook Lives, etc. and NOW is the perfect time to take advantage of some of the FREE offerings that can benefit you and your business. My suggestion is to start by making a list of all the areas of your business that you could benefit from knowing more or doing more. You can do a search to find training that can help you grow in that area.
Recently, I would have attended the “Independent Book Publishing Association – IBPA sunny L.A. But I can still continue my education on publishing – online. I already started my list of FREE online courses and webinars on publishing and will commit to completing at least one per week (if not more).
During this time of change, we can continue to grow.
2. Spring Cleaning
Yes, we often think of Spring as a time to spruce up our house. Well, this is a perfect time to spruce up your business. Here are some suggestions of what may need some Spring Cleaning in your business:
Your technology: When was the last time that you cleaned your electronic files? I did a small amount of cleaning on “National Clean Your Computer Day” but didn’t nearly scratch the surface of what needed to be done. My suggestion is to add intentional time to your calendar – whether it is an hour a day or an hour a week to do some electronic file cleaning. This can include organizing your desktop, sorting/deleting old files or pictures, cleaning your Spam folder, etc.
Your office and hard copy files: Whether you have a dedicated office space or a spot on the table, you probably have files and paperwork that need to be organized. When your office is organized, you just feel better about working and getting things done. By the way, if you don’t have a dedicated office space, see if you can carve out a space that is just for you and your business – in these times of “working from home”, you will be more committed to working if you have a place specifically for work.
3. Create New Content
This is a perfect time to be creative. Schedule a “staff meeting” with yourself, get a white board (or a clean piece of paper) and begin to brainstorm what you can do to be ready for your clients when we are ready to get “back to normal”. Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to follow-up with your clients or find new clients with a new portfolio of offerings? Be ready for the potential business that can come your way.
4. Organize Finances/Expense Tracking
UGH! Unless you are an accountant, you probably don’t enjoy finances. Well, this is the perfect time to get your finances in order. One of the things that I found out after starting my own business was that I was truly lacking in this department. I did get Intuit Quickbooks to help with expense tracking and that has helped me TREMENDOUSLY! But, I still keep electronic (and some paper files) that need to be organized. I plan to use this time getting my paper files converted to electronic files and going through my Quickbooks files to ensure that my categories are correct and ready to use for future business transactions.
5. Give Back
This may be the most important action we can take during this time where so many are being impacted. Find a “cause” and give back to the community. It doesn’t always have to be financial, it can be with your time or talents. Remember some of those FREE webinars and training that we mentioned before? Maybe you have some talent that you can share with others. You can provide relevant content through social media, your website or through your email groups. This is also a great way to keep your Brand alive and well, too. I believe that this step will be the most beneficial to your overall health and well-being while you are quarantined.
So, I am not just writing this advice for you guys, I’m writing it for myself. Today is the first day to make a difference in our lives and our businesses. I pray that this advice will help you get unstuck and better prepare you to make that difference. Let’s get started!
Denola Burton is the Founder and CEO of Enhanced DNA: Develop Nurture Achieve, LLC.
Through Enhanced DNA, Denola develops and nurtures individuals and organizations to achieve their Leadership, Communication and Performance goals and objectives. Denola is also an author and publisher and created the Enhanced DNA Publishing Division of her company where they assist new and newer authors in publishing their books according to the Independent Book Publishing Association (IBPA) standards. Denola retired from Eli Lilly and Company after 27 years where the majority of her career was focused on Employee Relations/Human Resources. You can connect with Denola on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIN and Twitter at Enhanced DNA Develop Nurture Achieve or on her website at www.DevelopNurtureAchieve.com or www.EnhancedDNAPublishing.com