5 simple steps to manage your business with confidence

“How can I manage my business with confidence?” is a question clients ask time and time again. You know I love quotes so here are 3 great ones I chose to start off this post and set the tone of what it takes:

1) “To be conscious that you are ignorant is a great step to knowledge.” – Benjamin Disraeli

2) “Knowledge is of two kinds. We know a subject ourselves, or we know where we can find information on it.” – Samuel Johnson

3) “Success in business requires training and discipline and hard work. But if you’re not frightened by these things, the opportunities are just as great today as they ever were.” -David Rockefeller

If you want to develop a successful business, it is crucial to invest in your knowledge and expertise, to have strong empowering beliefs, to be congruent and focused on what you are setting to achieve. Here are five simple steps to manage your business with confidence:

1. First and foremost, gain a better understanding of your thoughts and beliefs and the impact they have on your results. Are you passionate about your talents? Do you believe you have something of value to offer? Do you believe you deserve to be paid (well) for it? Be totally honest with yourself.

Some people have deep resistance with respect to making money, let alone making money doing what they love. If you believe being paid well for your valuable services/products is wonderful, fine. If you believe it’s evil, fine. But make sure you understand that mixed feelings will bring mixed results; limiting beliefs will bring limited results.
Running a business is challenging enough - you don’t want to be up against self-sabotage at the same time. It should feel genuinely good to earn income driven by a healthy ambition to succeed.

2. Develop your personal AND business skills (either build on your strongest attributes or work on the 2 weaknesses that hold you back the most).

3. Sort your tasks by giving them an importance score (A, B or C) and an urgency score (A, B or C). Deal with the tasks that are BOTH the most urgent AND important first (i.e. AAs). Reward yourself with something simple that makes you feel good, before tackling anything else. Then deal with the tasks that are the most important but less urgent (i.e. Abs) etc. Again, reward yourself with something simple that makes you feel good, before tackling anything else.

4. Stay on top of your craft, know it well, be an expert, learn 3 new facts a day about your field (if you’re passionate about what you do in your business, this one should be a piece of cake)

5. Surround yourself with people you respect and trust who also do all of the above; with at least one person who has one of your weaknesses as one of their strengths (if you invest wisely in your business and personal development, you are bound to meet the right people for you).

As your confidence in yourself, in your knowledge and in others grows, you will naturally become more assertive, more productive and increase performance in your business.

Oh, step 0. Step 0 is not compulsory but can really help:
0. Begin by assessing where you are now: on a scale from 1-10 (1=lowest and 10=highest), how confident are you right now and how confident do you want to be by [date]? Work on the five steps within that time frame and score yourself again on the date you set.

Now you know why I’m always “working”. Well, I’m not; I just love what I do! One more quote for the ride home? There you go:

“Work joyfully and peacefully, knowing that right thoughts and right efforts will inevitably bring about right results.” – James Allen

To your GDL Transitions!
GenieCoach