Global marketing agency Wunderman Thompson reported that over 29,000 new companies were registered in the UK in September 2020; the highest number since October 2007. Experts predict this uptick will continue, worldwide. Too many founders are working in their business rather than on it! Wizz Selvey, founder of WIZZ&CO, is passionate about helping them ‘level up’, start to outsource and think bigger, based on the skills she has learned over the years. Here she has outlined 5 basic tips to help solidify your mindset and get your business moving.
Have a strategy
This may sound obvious but it’s amazing how many people don’t. If financial planning, spreadsheets and strategy diagrams freak you out then create something simple. A great idea is to write all of your ideas on post-it notes, then stick them on the wall based on each quarter of the year. Review the priorities and get rid of some that could be deemed as a distraction. Transform this into a visible document for you and your team, so you can reference it regularly. This is a starting point, but I always encourage brands to seek support for financial planning and is a new service we have developed based on the demand.
Plan your month, week and day
Back to that business plan – planning your month, week and day is so important. You can get journals to help, taking 10 minutes at the beginning and end of the day will create more focus and meaningful work. Brendon Burchard’s Planner https://www.highperformanceplanner.com/ is recommenced, and of course his book to go along with it High Performance Habits: How Extraordinary People Become That.
Schedule time for ‘visionary mode’
Entrepreneurs can be stuck in a trap of being busy all the time. It can be hard as we love what we do, but this doesn’t allow time to listen to our gut. Our intuition is our biggest strength and slowing down and taking time to think can help to accelerate our business goals.
Schedule free time
We can work when we want and how we want but how many of us actually do this? Regular breaks in the day are crucial to your energy levels, productivity and sanity. Being chained to a desk is not cool and if you use “I am too busy” or “there is too much to do” and wear it as badge of honour, it is time to face the reality that you are not ‘working smart’ or achieving your full potential. Time is a recurring theme with many of the founders I work with, a book I am enjoying at the moment that helps tackle this is On Time: Finding Your Pace in a World Addicted to Fast by Catherine Blyth.
Create boundaries
Create these boundaries with others, but it’s just as important to do so with yourself. Emails are someone else’s to do list. How do you prioritise your work based on what will move your business forward the most? Ensure you work on whatever that is in your ‘genius zone’ when you have optimum energy. Don’t allow interruptions and distractions.
