There are lots of ways to grow your business, work with clients and offer your products. Often it's challenging to know what to accept and what to decline. It's even more challenging when there is money offered to you and you desperately need it.
Knowing your criteria for saying yes or no to something is critical.
A big part of my criteria for choosing something is the amount of time it involves, and the specific hours and day an event is happening.
For instance, if a marketing strategy involves more than a few hours of my time before my team can implement, it's going to be a no for me. I work about 25 hours a week on average and during that time I'm teaching classes, coaching clients, writing copy and answering emails. If it can be done in one to three hours, it's creative and sounds juicy to me it gets a yes.
If a prospective client can only coach with me on a weekend, after 4pm Pacific or on a Friday, it's a ... big … fat … no. Family time is critical for me and that's why traveling is also kept to a minimum for work.
A couple of weeks ago I had planned to fly to Southern California for a day of masterminding with colleagues in the coaching world. I was really looking forward to it, even though it was a tight squeeze with travel plans I had with my family as soon I returned home. The timing of the event changed and it was going to push my family getaway back a day.
My mate was supportive of whatever I decided to do. If it's good for my business, he says go for it. My mom said I couldn't miss the mastermind because it sounded like a really important opportunity for learning new business strategies and building relationships for joint venture partners to support my future projects.
But I wasn't feeling gung-ho about saying yes, given that the timing was pushing into the trip to the coast and riding on a steam train through the redwood forest. After a couple of days of sitting on the fence, I said no. I felt relief. I knew I'd made the right choice.
The event was a HELL YES but the timing was a HELL NO. It was a hard decision but I knew that if I were looking at the situation through my "abundance" eyes, I trusted that this wasn't my only opportunity for networking with high-level experts in my field. I also have strategies coming out of my ears with the marketing genius on my team, so I wouldn't be missing out on the only strategies in the world that would improve my profitably.
I knew that feeling bad about putting my business before family in this instance didn't feel right. And guilt is a very bad emotion to feel when you're working on your business. It repels profits.
There are also decisions that are tough because they require you to invest money to grow your business. It's especially rough when the amount of money is way beyond your comfort level. Your instant reaction is, "There is no way I can afford that." And then you dismiss the very thing, that moments before, you thought was your ideal solution.
A decision to invest money in a new website, team member, coach/mentor or advertising is a big one. But saying yes confidently and powerfully can catapult your profits up into a whole new tax bracket. If you make the choice with confidence, you will find a way to come up with the money, while the mind shift required to make that decision is the game changer.
Every time I've invested in my company, I've never regretted it. It's always caused me to increase my profits.
Had I not made myself step outside of my financial comfort zone, I wouldn't have:
• A website that does my marketing for me
• An all-star team
• Created CDs, journals, home study systems, and an iPhone app
• Been in high level masterminds
• Seamless systems for automation
• Technology that makes my life easy
• A 25-hour work week
And I certainly wouldn't have the car, home, boat and vacations as a result.
When you're unclear about which choice would serve you best, and you've run through all the positives and negatives, bring in the big guns. Tap into your Inner Business Expert. You have one. You have to get quiet and ask the question to the part of you that has access to infinite wisdom: "What choice would serve my highest good based on my desires?"
Trust the answer and you'll always make the perfect choice for profitability.
Jeanna Gabellini, is a Master Business Coach who assists high achieving entrepreneurs, corporate leaders & their teams to leverage fun, systems and intentionality for high-octane results. An entrepreneur for 20 years she has a treasure trove of kick-butt tools to give you peace & profits. Get your complimentary Business Building Audio CD “Transforming from Chaotic Entrepreneur to Conscious Leader” for the entrepreneur who wants to be a SUPERpreneur:
Biz Building CD.