Only one thing will get you hitting your goals – action!

This year in our business we’re starting to see results. We’re starting to move towards hitting the goals that we’ve set, the team are more motivated and energised, and we’re more upbeat about the positive outcomes we’re making for us and our clients and customers. So I’d like to share our story so far in the hope that this might give some help or inspiration to other small business owners who want to move along the same path.

Last year, we started off by re-branding the firm as Cloud 360 Accounting and I had lots ideas to implement. Unfortunately our plans never got going and my own ill health had a big part to play in all of that.

This year I promised myself that things would be different and so far they have been. One thing has made the biggest difference of all. It sounds so simple, but it is the most effective business strategy that any business of any size can deploy – taking action.

You see, we had great plans for our business, targets to aim for, new clients to bring on board, new services to roll out to clients and better systems to implement across the board. It’s always good to have more thought out plans, allocated across the team with specific due dates for each element.

But only by taking specific and appropriate action will you actually achieve what you set out to do. Despite my health issues, it was a lack of action that stopped us moving forward.

So, here are a few simple things you can do now within your business to start taking action:

Key Objective Meetings

We now have regular Key Objective Meetings as a team, looking at all our original plans, reviewing what’s been done so far, what challenges we’ve faced and how to overcome these, and drawing up an action plan for each team member for the next meeting. Regular meetings and updates play a key role in the action your business needs to take to move towards your goals. If done properly, these meetings can be 15 to 20 minutes at most.

Do something every day

No matter what your goals or objectives are, taking a small step every day on any one aspect will really help move your business forward and get you closer to hitting those targets. Running a business is like running a marathon, not a sprint. Remember, an inch of movement takes you closer to your goals than a mile of good intentions.

Chunk it

When you look at your goals and targets, chunk these into different areas of the business, then take action on each chunk on a regular basis. You might want to “chunk” things into departments such as marketing, sales, systems/product development, staffing/training…….

“Chunking” is a really useful way of changing your To Do list of goals and targets into only 4 or 5 chunks. You can then take action on each chunk on specific days or, even better, delegate chunks to your team. “Chunking” is a great way to avoid feeling overwhelmed by everything you’re trying to do and to help get action and progress on all aspects of your business.

Get your team involved

The old phrase “many hands make light work” still stands well in today’s world especially for small business owners. Getting the whole team involved in taking action will really drive the business towards its goals faster than anything else. You’ll be amazed at how much motivation improves once everyone starts to see the results of their joint efforts.

TEAM = Together Everyone Achieves More.

Celebrate your successes

Once you start taking action and you get some results, it’s much easier to keep going and follow up on your next goal. And once you do see the positive impact of taking action, don’t be afraid to shout about it and to celebrate with your team. Take a little time for a staff outing, some dinner and drinks, a game of bowls………whatever works for you and your team.

I’ll leave you with a little quote from Les Brown, one of the great motivational speakers for business…….

“You don’t have to be great to get started, but you have to get stared to be great”

So now is the time for action. If you say you’ll do it tomorrow, then tomorrow becomes today. Your time is now. Get going!