Three Things Every Day

Being an entrepreneur is not easy! It is one thing to talk about it as the way forward for the country when you are a corporate executive or government official.

But for individuals in the free market, for enterprising people in organisations, and for social entrepreneurs in needy communities, it is quite another to make it happen.

Speak to any accountant or bookkeeper for entrepreneurs and they will tell you that ninety percent of their clients, including themselves, regularly struggle to make ends meet.

Speak to anyone trying to foster entrepreneurial spirit in their organisation and they will confirm that if they feel like they are getting somewhere ten percent of the time, it is a lot.

Speak to people trying to empower their community, people following their hearts and going out on a limb to help others, and they will share how difficult doing a good thing for a living can be.

The facts are that, first, being enterprising is extremely challenging, and second, people usually keep quiet about that reality. Also, the system says one thing but supports another, so for the individual trying to get somewhere, the resolve required is immense.

The challenge for personal, organisational and social entrepreneurs is to drum up new business, new energy and trade, where there is none. The even greater challenge is to sustain this enthusiastically and rigorously when the odds seem endlessly stacked against them.

My experience as an entrepreneur and consulting specialist in developing entrepreneurial spirit in organisations is that it helps tremendously to organise yourself to do the following three things every day:

1. Promote and Sell

Spend some time writing, networking, and marketing your personal brand and ideas. Initiate new and nurture existing relationships, set up meetings, and at them, negotiate deals, and commit to delivery. Find out what people need, then design and sell them a solution.

2. Deliver and Charge

Do the work that you have promoted and sold, and deliver results. Invoice clients confidently and collect money immediately. This is where the rubber hits the road in your business. Give people what they need, collect money for your work, and pay those bills!

3. Create and Enjoy

Keep your dreams in good view and stay open to growth. Let your heart speak without attachment to outcomes or recognition. Make sure freedom and fun don’t fall off the radar.

Towards the end of each day, check that you have covered all three areas. Look for things you can do to make your day complete and your business that much stronger the next morning, when you will get going again after a well-deserved rest.

Obviously you will not always get to do all three things every day, but striving for a consistent balance between them will build your business and keep it solid.

Now that I have done some marketing, I am going to get on with taking the rest of my own advice. Have a good day!