Have you heard the expression “going nowhere fast”? I’ve felt the pain of that so many times, both as a corporate executive and as an entrepreneur. Let me tell ya, I’ve been around the block and back, and I’ve tried it every which way and loose, and after spending 20 years as a business leader and starting three businesses of my own, this is one thing of which I am sure:

The single most important driver of success is FOCUS.

Remember when Amazon sold only books? When Tesla sold only a single model car? When Google did only search? And when Apple sold just one computer? Those guys got it right. And as a result of their focus and willingness to say no to hundreds of other great things in favor of ONE thing, they exploded and are now able to do lots of things!

Many business experts will tell you that hard work and “sweat equity” are the answer to growing a successful business. This isn’t true. The leaders and entrepreneurs who are most successful are the ones who are working smarter, not harder. They are achieving more by doing less. They are focused, patient and committed. They execute well-designed plans effectively, give their work time to bear fruit, and they become a living, breathing fortress against distractions.

Here’s a secret about me: I didn’t start out as a super-effective, productive, successful businesswoman and entrepreneur. In the beginning I was a hot mess – sure, I was full of drive, ambition, goals, and dreams, but it seemed like whatever I tried I was either causing combustion fires from all my wheel-spinning, or my spinning wheels would burrow me into a deep hole.

I did finally find a better way. I took the scenic route for sure, but after many years, a lot of mistakes, and a ton of money, time and energy, things changed. The most uncanny part of my personal turnaround story is that it happened at the MOST busy time of my life – I was a single mom to a toddler, while also a full time corporate executive, while also owning and running a consulting business, while also on a multi-spot national speaking circuit. It was at this time that I made some life-changing decisions. I starting doing “work” differently, and then reaped more success than ever before. And despite essentially having three full time jobs (corporate exec, business owner and mom) plus my speaking gigs, I found myself having more free time to enjoy life. How? I got ruthless about how I spent my time, who I spent it with, and what I said “yes” to. But mostly what I did was STOP. Once I stopped spinning my wheels and began to move at a normal pace, in one direction, I got somewhere. It was farther than I’d ever gotten before, and it’s only gotten better since then.

Having both success AND more free time is possible. Trust me, if I can do it, you can too!

Here’s how you can achieve better results AND gain back the freedom to enjoy what you’re working so hard for.

 

FIRST, STAY FOCUSED!!!

 

Lack of focus is what causes the most setbacks and failures in every business.

 

In fact, both Warren Buffett and Bill Gates attribute their successes to this one word: Focus. This is also the area that (when lacking) causes the most confusion and frustration among your employees and clients.

(Whispering voice:) It’s also the area that most people are in denial about, thinking they’re focused when they really aren’t.

Here’s an example of denial:

I recently had lunch with one of my best friends who I love very much, and she told me about her ten, TEN, goals she has for 2019. She was dead serious, and they were all HUGE goals: write her book, start a new ministry in her church, grow her healthcare consulting side business into something full time, relocate. This was just the beginning. Add to that she’s already working way more than full time in cardiac operations, she’s a single mother of two grown children she’s helping to launch, in addition to supporting her special-needs, adult brother who is also living with her. When I lobbed the light suggestion that she just pick ONE of these goals to focus on and do first, she explained to me how all ten goals are really part of the same goal and went on to justify to me (and herself) that it really can and should all be done this year.  The driving force behind her intensity? She feels like she’s already so behind. 

How often I have felt the same way. And don’t deny it, you have too. We want it all, don’t want to wait, don’t want to fall behind on the vision we have for our careers. The truth (opposite of denial) is that when we have more than one goal at a time, we accomplish NONE. We spin our wheels, and divvy out our effort across too many things. Before we know it, a year has passed, and things are still looking about the same.

Here’s how to get things moving:

1. Commit to ONLY ONE initiative at a time.

Not ten. Not five. Not three. You can’t start your year (or your business) with goals like launch a new service, AND revamp the website, AND expand the sales team, AND enter a new geographical market, AND implement a new CRM. However, if you start off with the ONE of those that is the single most important to the business, and you prioritize it, commit to it, and see it through, not only will you accomplish more than one super-important thing within the year, the results of what you do accomplish will be spectacular because the initiative had your undivided attention.

2. Execute ONLY ONE growth initiative at a time.

This could be a marketing tactic, sales promotion, a lead generation effort, an email campaign, a new product or service offering, a new revenue-generating function, a new site launch, or any other plan for new growth. If you’re doing more than one growth strategy at a time, you won’t be able to identify with certainty what attributed to the results. In order to use data to make better business decisions, you must be able to measure the results of your initiatives. Measuring results becomes increasingly difficult when you have more than one growth initiative happening at a time, not to mention it divides your bet (and your return). 

3. Say NO!

You must be clear on what you will NOT do. This includes what you will NOT sell, manufacture, create, or deliver. It includes to whom you will NOT sell. What you will NOT spend your time doing. Pareto’s Law states that just 20% of our efforts produce 80% of the results. What would happen if you spent just 40% of your time on activities that produced results? Using this proven theory, your results would double, and you’d soar past what you calculated was possible. There will always be a brighter, shinier toy than yours. You will never run out of great ideas and opportunities. You must be willing to say no, or you’ll burn out with nothing to show for it.   

4. Protect your progress.

Here’s how you inevitably sabotage your success. You’re chugging along, seeing a little progress on your goals and you justify sneaking one or two little initiatives on top of “the one.” When this happens, progress stalls. And your employees will be demoralized and frustrated. Since each initiative must be managed and resourced as its own, having more than one goal divides your efforts. This dilutes what’s most important and ultimately stunts your progress.

Another form of sabotage happens when you abandon or deprioritize “the one thing” you committed to for another, more important thing. This is a terrible decision that will set you back in more ways than just progress and profitability (loss of trust, credibility, decreasing morale, etc.) If it was important enough to start, plan and commit, continue to honor it as such and see it through.

Even if you have a team of 12, you and your team should have just ONE goal at a time.

5. Market to a niche.

Just like you can’t be all things to all people, you can’t advertise to all people (unless you have a billion dollars). Casting a wide net in advertising is like buying one share of a thousand different stocks. You may make a few bucks, but nowhere near what you could have made had you been selective with a few, well-placed bets. There are many ways to market, but first you must identify who your market is. Your niche could be based on location, gender, age, profession, industry, hobby, what else they’re in the market for, where they went to college, their current need or pain, etc. Spend marketing dollars only in your niche. If you don’t know your niche, you’re not ready to spend. And remember tip #2 when you get ready to spend! 

6. Specialize.

Being the best at one thing is better than being good at many things. Have you noticed the marketplace is getting more specialized? Surely I don’t need to remind you that half our Fortune 500 has disappeared forever over the past decade, and at the current rate, another 75% is expected to be replaced in the next eight years. Why, you ask? As I discussed at length in another article, companies are not transforming with the times. But beyond that, there are many nimble startups who are doing their one thing better than anyone else, including the giants – especially the giants – because they are not specialized. And these nimble new businesses are able to take clients away from the giants. And hence, what you’re seeing in the Fortune 500. Have you also noticed employers aren’t hiring generalists anymore? They are looking for specialized knowledge and skills. Specialists are winning jobs, and specialized companies are winning market share.  

7. Draft a plan and refer to it often.

One of my favorite authors, Laurie Beth Jones, says, “the unproductive activities we do in business stem from unclear intentions.” I cannot emphasis how true this is based on the businesses I’ve helped over the years. It is important to spend some time planning your strategy and defining your focus area. Don’t do this in a vacuum; get wise input from a variety of sources. Research, benchmark, and gather data to support your single area of focus, then draft a strategy to achieve it. Write it down in a clear and simple way so you can easily communicate it with others and refer to it often. This (ONE page) plan will help keep intentions clear and at the forefront, keep you accountable, and keep you from veering off course when those other opportunities (aka, distractions) arise.

8. Hire an objective advisor.

“Plans fail for lack of council, but with many advisors they succeed.” ~Proverbs 15:22

That’s one of my favorite verses. Following the advice of this proverb has led me to great success in both business and in life, and it’s the crux of why people need the services I offer through my business, JennyGlor.com. Humans were not created to be alone, and we won’t achieve our goals alone. Leaders, entrepreneurs, and solopreneurs need an objective sounding board, but true objectivity doesn’t exist in their inner circle or in their business. Some of us may think we already have this with our best friend, spouse, COO, colleague, hairdresser or even the BOD. Those are great advisors and certainly I encourage you to consult with them, but they can’t match the true objectivity and deep experience of the right consultant. Investing in someone who is objective, experienced and has the courage to tell you the truth is a wise decision.

The Fine Print (a Caveat to #1 and #2)

In the case of large companies, they will always have (and should have) more than one area of focus, and more than one product or service because they need to generate a lot more streams of revenue. Once they get to that size it makes sense to hedge bets. And since they have an abundance of resources, they can handle more than one thing at a time. But if you are not a giant, this is not your space so don’t try to compete in it. They will outspend you and you will lose, even though your offering is better. Never mind the fact that it will be impossible for you to scale. Remember, these giants did NOT start out with multiple initiatives and offerings.

If you are just starting your new venture, or you are still in your early stages of revenue and profitability, don’t make the mistake of doing more or offering more. Also, be honest with yourself before categorizing your business as “large” enough to justify doing too much.

Let’s Review:

Say it with me: “When I lose focus, I press “pause” on my growth and progress.”

When this happens, you don’t move forward. You waste time, and confuse your employees, clients, market, fans and followers.

Say it with me: “When I change focus, I press “rewind” on my growth and progress.”

When this happens, you start over.  You move backwards, and confuse your employees, clients, market, fans and followers.

Say it with me: “I trust myself. I trust my plan. It is as important now as it was when I committed and I will stay committed. I will not add anything else. In fact, I will start removing things from my calendar, my lists, my goals and my life today. I will not do this alone. I will stay focused.”

So, what you are you going to take off your list today? (You’re welcome for that, by the way.)

If this seems overwhelming or you don’t know where to start, I’m here to help. I will help you achieve more than you ever have before. Let’s do this, together.