Here’s a question for you: What do you want to achieve in your business?
You might dream of higher sales, more profit, or want to take more of a management role. You might want to open a second location or invest in a new venture.
But what if things don’t go to plan?
If you’re in business you know that “The best-laid schemes of mice and men go awry”, as Scottish poet Robbie Burns wrote in his poem ‘To a Mouse’. But even though things may not always work out how you hope, all the business owners we have met do have goals and aspirations for their business.
Lessons from Ash Barty
In a recent interview, Ash Barty’s mindset coach talked about his approach to coaching leading athletes. I took away three points that are as relevant in business as they are in tennis:
Let go of the things you can’t control and focus on what you can control.
Understand there’s no guarantee that you’ll achieve your goals.
Recognise that who you are is not what you do. Your worth as a person isn’t defined by winning a tennis tournament.
What’s the connection with running a business? Well, getting back to those ‘best laid plans’, there are always things we can’t control. So, just like for an athlete, it pays to focus on what we can control.
Focus on what you can control
Ash Barty turns her attention to what she can control, including training, match preparation and how she thinks about things.
You can do that too, and the following approach will help.
Plan: Write down your goals. Every time we discuss goals with a client they tell us what they are. Even if they weren’t quite clear about them at the start. The process of articulating goals seems to help crystalise them.
Budget: Set out projections for sales and expenses in the 12 months ahead. It can be a bit tricky to do, but everyone can get there with a little expert help.
Review: Establish a process to review how things are going. This really is important but is often neglected. The review process generally falls away because people don’t have the data or don’t have a trusted adviser to help them.
By the way, the review process is one which has helped Aussie high jump champion Nicola McDermott to clear 2m and get to the Tokyo Olympics.
In response to requests from our clients, we have recently introduced a Business Builder program. This is specifically designed to help you set your business goals and work towards them. To discuss, please book a time to chat with Kate.