Just the other day I received a private message in Facebook from a friend, “Hey, come back!” You see, I hadn’t shown up in social media (except in my client groups) for about a week. I then posted this in the Awarepreneurs Community:
“Does anyone else, like me, go in and out of being on social media? Really active, and then -whoosh- missing for days? I find my life is like that. It’s one of the reasons we hired a marketing assistant recently, so that our business’ social media presence can be more consistent than I am… haha.”
I work hard. I am, on the whole, pretty consistent in showing up in life and in my business. However, I find that my consistency is a big-picture consistency and not always a daily consistency.
What does this mean?
For me, my desk doesn’t get cleaned up every day, but every week or two it gets cleared off. My social media presence is, on the whole, pretty active, but a week can sometimes go by without me being very present publicly. My email inbox, similarly, I get through everything, but I can get behind by a week sometimes in replying.
Your business needs consistency in five areas.
Like any relationship, your business needs care and attention and love. There are many things we need to show up for consistently so that it can be healthy.
These broad categories, in particular, need regular care:
– Client delivery. Showing up for the people who are paying you. Plus, figuring out how to better deliver, including implementing systems, forms, etc. to make it easier.
– Finances. Accounting, invoicing, bill paying.
– Marketing and sales. Putting consistent care, with love, into being visible.
– Other stuff. Just stuff that needs to get done.
– Big picture. Thinking like a business owner. Dreaming into your vision. Planning your course. Identifying priority projects.
The easiest for most of us, of course, is Client Delivery. The hardest, for most of us, is Marketing and Finances.
It’s at moments like these that it’s important to pause. To breathe. To feel your heart.
A little bit longer…
Okay, two things you must know.
Consistency is required and impossible
Welcome to the human condition, where (seeming) contradictions abound! Here’s what I mean:
The business needs attention in all of those areas. However, each area doesn’t need attention every day. And some areas can stand inattention for days or even weeks.
One of the reasons we urge businesses in early stages of development to keep their offers very simple, without complicated systems of delivery, is because it’s just too much. Complicated teaching platforms or delivery infrastructure can take weeks or months to build up, and can take a certain amount of maintenance to keep running smoothly.
Don’t do that to yourself.
Similarly with marketing and other things: keep it simple.
Then, you can give certain things attention regularly, without overwhelm. Here’s a rotation that might work for you.
A sample schedule of attention to keep your business healthy.
– Client delivery. May be daily, especially once you get busy.
– Finances. Weekly.
– Marketing and sales. If you keep it simple, maybe 2-3 times each week.
– Other stuff. Probably daily, maybe 2-3 times each week, depending.
– Big picture. A weekly dip into what’s cooking, and a monthly deep dive.
With this kind of a schedule, your business can get the attention it needs, without you feeling the weight on you all the time. And if you know when you’re going to give it attention, then you don’t have to worry about it in-between. “I’ve got 90 minutes on Friday morning to give attention to the finances, so I don’t have to think about it right now.”
The one thing to outsource as soon as you can.
Bookkeeping and accounting are the two hardest, most emotionally challenging tasks. Although it’s not true for everyone, it’s true for nearly everyone. While marketing can be emotionally challenging, until you understand what marketing truly is, it’s rarely technically challenging the way account can be.
So, as soon as you can afford it, and sometimes even slightly before, hire a bookkeeper. Use an accountant for your end-of-year taxes. Having your finances clean and clear is an incredible gift to your business, one that will save you hours, days of work, and lift a tremendous weight of worry.
Running a business takes attention. The good news is that as it grows, you can afford help to make it easier on yourself, In the beginning, though, and even as you continue, you want to keep your heart open to all of these areas of your business, so your business can care for you.
How, and where, do you keep consistent attention? I’d love to hear from you.
With love,
Mark Silver, M.Div.
Heart of Business, Inc.
Every act of business can be an act of love.
Two things I’d love to share with you.
Thing One: Looking for compassionate accountability to stay consistent, with love and flexibility?
Consider joining our Community. A light structure that keeps you focused in ways that really help your business, plus profound spiritual support and an active, generous Community. We also run Virtual Retreats six times a year, to help clear your heart. The next one is February 9.
All at pay-from-the-heart pricing.
Take a look: Heart of Business Community.
Thing Two: Need help having a healthy relationship with money?
Every year we offer the gift of our Heart of Money Transformational Journey to the community of heart-centered business owners. The gift is that you set your own price for this class, so that anyone can access it.
It begins February 28 and runs about 8 weeks. It’s profound, practical and effective. Please join us.
