Smart Women Entrepreneurs, Solids, and Fluids

A few weeks ago, our family took a trip to the California Science Center for their “family lab day.” It was a fun and educational experience. There was one experiment that had to do with the difference between solids and fluids, and it got me thinking about Smart Women entrepreneurs and their businesses. Does your business need to be solid or fluid? Actually, both.

When you first make the decision to become a business owner, you as an entrepreneur are very “fluid.” After all, you’re probably a solo-entrepreneur trying to do everything yourself! There aren’t any rules about how to do anything. The goal is to get some clients and earn an income—right? After some time passes, you begin to realize that this “fluid” aspect of your business is not working. You are “surviving” and you want to be “thriving.”

It’s time to take a look at where you are in your business now and make a plan for where you want to be in the future. In other words, it’s time for a “solid” foundation to be put in place. Your business needs to have a clear plan of action on what you want to accomplish moving forward and how you will accomplish the plan. You will want to gain clarity around how to best market your products and services, gain visibility and produce profit so that your business can “thrive.”

Here are a few quick examples of “solid” and “fluid” in your business:

Solid – I was working with a smart woman just a few weeks ago who has a great concept for her business. The business is growing but at a much slower pace than she’d like. When I asked her what her action plan was for 2010, she didn’t really have a clear idea. Her reply was something like, “make money.” This was not a “solid” answer. We spent some focused time exploring her vision for the business this year. We then created a plan around her products and services, her marketing strategy and I also shared some time management solutions to make sure she’s getting the “right” things done to stay on course.

Fluid – You need to be open to new ideas and ready to course-correct when necessary. Just yesterday, I was working with a smart woman who’s experiencing a lot of frustration around her marketing efforts with little return in terms of new clients. As we explored her business, she soon realized that she had overlooked 2 other streams of income that could generate profits right now in her business with much less effort while she continues to grow this new area of interest.

Working with a coach or mentor can be especially helpful. It provides a grounding process for the woman entrepreneur. It’s essential that you take the time periodically to sit down and review the “solid” and “fluid” aspect of your business. Is your action plan “solid” for the long-term? Does it have a clear plan of action to gain new clients and produce profit? Do you need to make some changes in your plan? Is it time to course-correct? Many times, we put a plan into action only to find out that we missed a very important piece of information. This is when your thinking needs to become “fluid” or flexible with new ideas.

I walked away from the science center that day with more than I expected. Giving yourself permission to get out of your daily routine can open a whole new way of thinking about your life and your business. I invite you to take a look at the “solid” and “fluid” parts of your business. It will make a big difference in how it unfolds this year.

Anything is possible. Everything is waiting for you.

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