How to Grow Your Business AND Still Have a Happy Lifestyle
& Relationships, Using a Strategic Business Plan & Great Systems
Are You Feeling Stuck or Frustrated?
The fact that you're here reading this tells me that you're not entirely happy or satisfied with your present situation and that you'd like to make some changes - am I right?
Please bear in mind that when someone asks you directly, "Are you happy, or are you satisfied?", and you think "Maybe I'm not, entirely?" it's not always easy to want to admit to that.
We can often become 'used to' accepting mediocrity, or at least saying that "things are not too bad!", when on the inside, we can feel quite differently.
So perhaps, here are a few better questions, and more important questions, for you to consider:
Q. Do you feel like you're living in alignment with your true values?
Q Have you even stopped to ask yourself what your values are?
Q Are you fulfilling your potential?
Q Are you following your heart and the dreams of what you once imagined when younger?
Q Do you have the kind of work/life balance that you want or deserve?
Q Does your business or work allow you enough time to be with the people you love, doing the things you want to do, when you want to do them?
If you answered 'No' to any of the above, then it's fair to say that there is room to make some improvements or changes to what you're doing or the way you're doing it.
But, here's the thing - it's usually EASIER to stay put, as things are, than it is to do something about it.
As the great motivational and philosophical speaker, the late Jim Rohn said:
"The things that are easy to do are also easy NOT to do."
Jim Rohn
I have good news for you: Many of my clients felt that way before we began working together, but they found that when you have an experienced guide to help you find the way forwards and hold you accountable to push through the obstacles or find ways around them, then you too can define clearly what you truly want, and create and implement a strategic plan to get there.
How to Grow Your Business to the Next Level and What Does That Even Mean?
It’s quite a normal pattern to grow your business to a certain point and then you seem to reach a plateau. This can happen for a number of reasons, and despite your best efforts, you may find yourself stuck and simply not know why. Alternatively, you may have a good idea of which obstacles are hindering your business growth, but not know what to do about it or who to ask.
Don't worry, you're not alone in this.
This feeling of being stuck at a certain level has been the case for many of my clients, but they’ve found that having an experienced sounding board like me, with a fresh pair of eyes on their team, has enabled us to find solutions together to get things moving again to the next stage of their business growth.
When we talk about levels it's conceptual of course, because every business is different and has its own unique set of circumstances. Having set up over twenty businesses myself - some hugely successful, others I'd put down to being part of my learning curves at the time, I've found that there are usually certain stages that all businesses go through, and I talk about this in more detail on my business coaching page. If you're not sure where you're at, it may be of some help to download my FREE 'Biz Quiz' and see what comes up for you.
In most cases the dissatisfaction comes from not having enough of one of these three components, which we'll explore more in a moment;
- MONEY
- TIME
- ENERGY
Can you relate to one or more of those?
The impact on one or all of these can change as you go through these stages:
Research → Start Up → Survive → Struggle vs Under Control → Grow My Business / Scale It → Exit
Having a mentor or coach who has been through all of these stages many times can help you navigate these different stages and deal with the different pressures, emotions and resources needed, to navigate them in a smoother fashion and with more clarity and success.
Why It's Important to Have a Strategic Plan and What Does That Mean?
If you want to build a house, imagine if you were to do it like this:
- You just go the nearest hardware store and buy some bricks and cement and a few window and door frames.
- You come back to your block and start throwing bricks together in a random fashion, occasionally fitting in the odd door frame or window frame, depending on which way the wind is blowing
- You have no idea what it's costing or what you might eventually want to sell the hotch potch of a house for, once you've had enough of it and want to move.
- You're strapped for cash and time, so you cut corners on the foundations and figure you'll come back to strengthen them later.
- I forgot to mention that the local authorities might turn up at some point and tell you that you can't do it like that because you didn't follow their rules.
- The bank manager wants to know why you went overdrawn building your house and you have no idea.
- The tax man says that you now owe him a lot of money and you don't have it.
- You hired some random people to help you, but they had a bad attitude and you didn't give them any training, so they messed up a lot of things, which cost you money.
- You were so busy, working so many hours, building the house, that your partner left you.
- You neglected your health during this project and became sick.
- You were so stressed that you were mean to your dog and he left too.
- Then the roof fell in and you realised you hadn't insured it.
- You try to sell it because you're sick and miserable, but potential buyers say it needs a lot of work, so it's not worth the money you're asking.
It's like some kind of ridiculously depressing Country and Western song, isn't it? Yet so many people try to build a business just like that.
As a result of my experiences with my own businesses over the last thirty plus years, and with the many businesses where I've worked with clients to help improve them, I've developed a system to help streamline the whole process, whilst keeping your health, relationships, recreational pursuits and sanity in balance - for simplicity, I've called it 'The Inman System', and it's been working for a lot of clients.
Why Do You Want to Grow Your Business or even Streamline It and What Will That Mean for You?
Just how clear are you about why you are actually in business in the first place and what you would like your business to do for you?
Knowing what you want and why is a vital part of growing a successful business.
Having that clear vision is what will sustain you during those moments where you suffer setbacks. It's what will inspire you to find the motivation to keep going, even when you feel like you've had enough.
Not having a clear vision and plan is what causes the vast majority of small businesses to fail in the first couple of years, and even if you do have one, it's important to review it and update it on a regular basis.
Why Engage a Coach and What to Do Next
The main advantage of engaging a 'Business Coach / Consultant /Mentor', a 'Mindset Coach' or a 'Life Coach' like me (I wear all of those hats!) is to help you get better results than you can get on your own, by drawing on my experience to help challenge your thinking, so that you can get the best possible results for all your hard work.
This coaching and mentoring can be done one-on-one or in group sessions. I like to work holistically on improving every aspect of your business, but I’ll also work with you on specific projects if you’d rather. I even offer ‘done-for-you’ solutions.
I can be your personal sounding board, whereby I’ll always give you honest feedback – I’ll encourage you but I’ll also hold you accountable to follow through with what you know you need to do. I can help you play a bigger game and enjoy the benefits of working smarter, rather than just harder.
As I’ve already done successfully with many other clients, I can work with you to package, position, systemise and structure your business so that you can be a leader in your industry.
- If you’re a ‘one-person band’, I can help you become more effective.
- If you have a team, I can help you train and develop them, or perhaps define the roles and people you need to help effect those changes; help you recruit and build a bigger and better team; and help you become a better leader to direct and manage them.
- Whether you're fairly new to business ( a startup or fledgling operator) or a more mature business owner, I can help you grow your business successfully, as long as you are willing and ready to take action!
Don't just take my word for it that I can help you though - read a few testimonials.
Now, let's start with a cup of coffee and a chat...
One of the biggest things I notice as I work with my clients, is the growth in their confidence and self-belief, their reduction in stress, their development of a determined mindset, at the same time as we work on the fundamentals of how to grow your business, whilst keeping your work/life balance the way you want it to be.
It all begins with a chat, usually over a cup of tea or coffee. Simply contact me and we'll arrange a time to see if it would be a good match for us to work together. There's no obligation on either side and I'll only work with clients who are serious about committing to making improvements by taking action. In return, I'll always be honest with you and I'll do my best to help you get the results you want and deserve.
If you're still not quite ready, feel free to follow my social media by clicking on one of the buttons at the top of the page, or subscribe to my blog, or come along to either one of my mastermind group sessions, or a webinar or workshop.
I look forward to seeing you fulfill your potential 🙂
To arrange a chat, you can contact me here.
