The #1 Reason Small Business Owners Don't Grow (or do as well as they could)...
F.T.I. (Failure To Implement)
The Four Golden Keys to Implementation
Key #1: Inspiration
Have you noticed that the most successful small business owners are excited about the future? Have you noticed they are focused on the possibilities rather than just the problems? They see something others don’t see. They have hope for the future because they know they can grow the business. They know they can improve their lives.
I call that inspiration. Inspiration is different from motivation. Motivation comes from external forces. You’ve got to make payroll, so you’re motivated to close a sale. Or you get to go to Hawaii, so you are motivated to make that happen. Motivation is created by external forces that may be positive or negative. A reward or a penalty.
But inspiration is something that is kindled on the inside. Inspiration happens when you actually see a compelling vision for the future that creates desire to reach that dream. Your dreams fuel your life. No dream, no fuel. No fuel, the vehicle doesn’t move.
I am convinced that one of the biggest limiting factors is lack of vision. The lack of a dream equals the lack of desire. When your imagination captures a compelling vision for your life and you connect the success of your business vehicle to it, you now have something to work with.
If there is no dream, why would you want to do the hard work in this book? You wouldn’t. And you won’t. So you must develop a compelling, inspirational vision for your life. This will create the desire (the fuel) to move your vehicle forward.
Business owners suffer from many distractions, a lack of focus, and a lack of discipline. Many aren’t organized or motivated. If that’s you, it’s because you aren’t inspired. If someone called you offering an all-expense-paid trip to Hawaii for two, but you had to leave tomorrow, you would get pretty dog- gone focused and disciplined all of a sudden. You see, that picture of Hawaii created desire. So keep searching for your dream. What would you dream about if you could not fail? What would your perfect day look like?
Finally, stay positive by putting inspirational information into your mind every day. Avoid talk radio, television, or conversations that don’t inspire you. Don’t ignore your family, just try to avoid getting into negative or useless conversation.
When your feet hit the floor each morning, focus on the possibilities rather than the problems. Focus on your goals. Focus on your vision. Every day. Refuse to be negative.
Key #2: Organization
Many years ago, I began a daily habit that serves me well to this day. I started carving out an hour in the mornings to work on my projects. I call this time my “Time Capsule.” This is a capsule of time that I take every day (except Sunday) to focus on my top projects and take action. During this time, I don’t take phone calls and I don’t get involved in anything but working on my projects. The only person who can contact me during this time is my wife. If you have a key staff member who needs to be able to contact you because you are still working “in” the business, let that person know how to contact you, but to only contact you during that time if it is truly an emergency.
The best time for your Time Capsule is early in the morning before anyone else is awake. Especially if you have young children. Once you get involved in the duties of the day, it’s difficult to get back to your quiet time. Make a pact with yourself and impose a rule that you can’t do anything else until you’ve done your Time Capsule. You may groan at having to get up an hour earlier, but I would ask you if your dream is compelling enough. Do you have a dream? What do you get if you take massive action? What will the outcome be if you actually implement the things you need to implement? What is the cost of not doing it?
Impose a sense of urgency upon yourself (like the trip to Hawaii) and pretend you are going on vacation tomorrow. Do that every day. Speaking of vacation, I love the beach and one of the things that helps me is to have a trip to the beach planned each quarter. I know that if I work really hard for three months, I have a nice reward at the end of it. Put your vacation in your plan and use that as a source of inspiration.
Focus on the biggest return-on-investment (ROI) projects. Once you’ve taken the Born To Win Business Assessment to see where you are now, pick four projects to build your systems. Pick the four strategies that you know will move your business forward in the next 90 days. Pick those that you know will help you reach your sales goals.
When you get overwhelmed, busy, and distracted, refocus by going back to the Phenomenal Four Projects. Work on those every day during your Time Capsule. Take action on your projects every day.
Key #3: Training
Zig Ziglar said, “You were born to win, but to be the winner you were born to be, you must plan to win and prepare to win before you can expect to win. But if you plan to win and prepare to win, you can expect to win.” Training is preparing. Training is learning and practicing these strategies until they are second nature. Continue to practice until you develop the skill.
Learning these strategies is a good start, but you’ve got to get in the ring and spar. You’ve got to train as hard as you fight. So often small business owners use the strategies incorrectly or they cut corners. You must discipline yourself to learn and flesh out the systems in the real world.
The most important key to implementation. I’ve saved the best for last. Above all, the last key is the most important.
No business owner is phenomenally successful without...
Key #4: Support
Every business owner needs support, encouragement, and accountability.
Support means that you have a group of people around you to help you fulfill your vision, mission, and purpose. This will include your staff, but also should include your peers, and you need a coach.
Encouragement means that you have a group of people around you who remind you that you can do it. Zig Ziglar said, “Encouragement is the fuel people run on.” I am so grateful for those around me who show me that I can do more than I can ask, think, or imagine.
Accountability means that you have a group of people who are there to ask you the tough questions. Have you done what you need to do this week to reach your goals? Are you staying focused on your goals? Are you working your plan? Are you developing your systems? Accountability is huge. I am so grateful for those people who are tough enough to ask the tough questions. I don’t always like it, but no pain, no gain.
I am so grateful for the mentors, coaches, and consultants I have been blessed with in my life and business. We need people who have our best interest at heart, not just someone who has knowledge. You can be inspired, organized, and have the best strategies, and still not implement. The reason? You work for yourself. You aren’t accountable to anyone. You may not be getting the support and encouragement you need from those closest to you.
If you’re like me, I’ve worn my wife’s ears off with business stuff for over 28 years. One day I had a big dream that came to my mind. It was a doozy! I was standing in the kitchen unloading the dishwasher (I unload, she loads— that’s our deal). As this dream came to me, I began to share it with my wife. It was so big and so exciting that as I shared it with my wife, I had my eyes closed and both my hands in the air. I said, “Honey, I see us doing...” as I drew the picture of the dream in my mind. She had her hands on her hips, tapping her foot, and when I finished she said, “I’ve got a dream too, of you unloading that dishwasher right there!”
Don’t get me wrong, my wife has been my biggest supporter. It was a friend of her family from whom I got my original idea. She gave me my first Rolodex (remember those?). She referred her friends to me. She was very suc- cessful in sales and helped me make payroll many times. She went out and worked with me. She endured my foolish escapades and massive debt build up. But as she says, “I always knew you had potential, it just took a long time to train you!”
In many cases, the business owner has drawn the spouse into the busi- ness, and the working relationship isn’t very positive. The challenges of the business are brought home to the dinner table. This creates many pressures.
Other business owners are helpful, but don’t have the skill to lead us where we need to go. They can share helpful strategies and resources, but they don’t get paid to keep us accountable.
You need a coach. Professional athletes have a coach. In fact, they have more than one. They have coaches for specific areas.
3 Ways to Avoid F.T.I. Now!
1. Get My Home Study Course and implement the same systems I used to transform my businesses into a predictable, profitable, turnkey operation.
2. Attend one of our live events.
3. Learn about The Howard Partridge Inner Circle Community and avoid the #1 reason small businesses don't grow or do as well as they could: F.T.I. (Failure To Implement).
Sincerely, Howard Partridge
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