The Next Step. Just like water rushing through the river, without the right path we will wash over our banks.
Where ever you are in your business today, there is always that next step. Some of us are better at getting there then others, but the fact remains, if we are not moving forward then we are falling further behind. The journey of 1,000 miles can start with the first step, but not knowing where you’re headed is just as dangerous as not putting one foot in front of the other.
I bet you’re out there right now, first of the week, planning on what that “next thing to do” is, right? You have a deadline at the end of the week for a client or your boss and you need to get it done. Then there are a few things that are not “due” right away, but you know that they will take a lot of time to complete.
You also have your personal calendar that is weighing on you. One of your kids has baseball or softball starting, the other has a science project that is due and it seems that 3 of their very best friends are having birthdays every.single.weekend. and you’re the taxi.
Not to mention the stuff you have to do around the house. The great thing about winter is that it covers up what you left out in the fall. All that snow covered up your dirt lawn and that spot where the pool was a few summers ago. No one likes the snow, but if there is a benefit of a fresh snow is that it feels like a fresh start.
Then the snow starts to get brown from all the sand and salt. In the spring it starts to melt and reveals all of the things you put off until spring. As much as you’re looking forward to the warm weather, the dread of doing all of the ‘chores’ and puttering around the house is overwhelming. In reality, this is true in your business as well.
I know, for a log time that was me. Dreading the stuff I knew I needed to do because it all just felt so overwhelming. I knew I needed a plan and I thought I knew what it was that I needed to do, but I didn’t know what I wanted that path to look like and so I have had a lot of false starts. Taking many first steps down paths that didn’t lead anywhere. Almost like I was in a maze, but couldn’t see over the hedges and didn’t know where I was headed.
The principal reason was because I was getting so bogged down with the needs of our clients and keeping them happy that I wasn’t keeping focused on our business and what I needed to do to keep me happy. I was working on other peoples business and making them very successful, just not getting the same results for The Aebli Group.
With out question, this has been one of the hardest lessons for me to learn.
Then it hit me one day like a ton of bricks. IMPLEMENTATION.
I still needed to keep our clients happy, but I knew I needed to do more to keep my business going and profitable. I took a long look in the mirror and asked what I was doing for them, that I wasn’t doing for US. I wasn’t implementing our strategy. I didn’t even have a strategy. We were picking up clients through word of mouth and referrals, but didn’t have a system in place to grow our own base.
Dan Kennedy said, “Implementation is the difference between a good idea and a good bank account.”
How do you get there?
The first thing you need is a roadmap to where it is your path is headed. Where do you want to be? Where do you need to go? What is important to you? What are you willing to do to answer these questions and get there?
Those are tough questions to answer but vital to understand so that you can follow the right steps to get to the next level - what ever level that is for you. For some that is jus starting out and taking the leap to get into business. For established businesses and entrepreneurs, that is becoming your industry leader, going into new markets, or taking your business to unchartered heights.
Our methods have been Proven Profitable & I hope you find similar happiness!