Director's Message: 5 Biz Success Tips

Consider reading:So you want to start your own business
Consider reading:Finding opportunity in difficult times, Part 2

In spring, everything is bursting, fresh, and new. There is a sense of expansion, birth, or rebirth. There’s a sense of renewal and reawakening. Seeds start to grow. The air seems fresher. In springtime, people start to get outside more, becoming reacquainted with their gardens. We take on spring-cleaning projects and clear out the clutter. Outdoor exercise routines resume, and the clothes peel off.

The following are “5 Biz Success Tips” to help “spring” your business (or soon-to-be business) forward.

Biz Tip #1 — Excellence

"Excellence is doing ordinary things ordinarily well." What are the things that you do extremely well? As you examine the things that you do extremely well, ask yourself:

How often do I do these things?
How can I be doing these things more frequently?
What opportunities could this open up for me?
What are you known for among your customers or clients in terms of distinction?

Write these responses down, and keep adding to your business vision.

Biz Tip #2 — Creativity

Unleash your creative side, promoting creativity in your business. Allowing ourselves to experience and tap into our creativity sometimes gets lost in the daily grind. When was the last time you allowed yourself to surrender to an activity that tapped into your creativity? Creativity is an essential skill for entrepreneurial success.

Ask yourself today:

What is one thing I have always wanted to make and put out into the world?
What would tapping into my creativity mean to me? Look like for me?
What would it take to unearth my creative side?

Also answer the following questions:

Creativity for me lives in ... (fill in the blank)
Tapping into my creativity is like ... (fill in the blank)
One thing I can do this week to connect with my creative side is ... (fill in the blank)

Biz Tip #3 — Vision

Strategy is like a business architect who is clearly plotting what steps and actions are going to be executed to achieve your objectives in a business. You are able to know exactly what is in your mind before you start it. That is also the power of visualization or meditation, seeing something completed before you get it started. Unless you visualize it in your mind and on paper, it is hard to communicate your thoughts and spell out the how-to part of strategizing.

How is your vision work coming?
What approaches do you want to give to your vision today?

Biz Tip #4 — Work-Life Balance

This theme is all about creating more work-life harmony. A study found that female entrepreneurs tend to be more stressed by work-life balance demands than men (71% to 62%), 67% found that being an entrepreneur required some sacrifices, especially among family and friends

How would you describe your current state of work-life balance right now?
What is your biggest work-life balance problem at the moment?

Biz Tip #5 — Where is your time going?

Effective time management is a common problem for many business owners. Where are you spending your time? Where is your time going? For the next week, track where all your time is going: How much you sleep, how much time you work and commute, spend with family and friends, and, of course, those things that I call "time-suckers." To track your time, you can use your calendar on your computer, your day planner, or even a hand-drawn grid of 24 hours x 7 days.

Consider tracking along the following categories: