Now that the summer has officially started and we are at the half year mark already, let’s take a look at the goals we’ve set at the beginning of the year. We had great plans to take our photography business to the next level, but how is the implementation going?

Here is a very typical scenario:  Our plan is in place.  We’ve clearly defined our goals.  But, the list is still sitting there, we’ve got sidetracked with the day-to-day work. How can we find time to implement our plans so that they lead us to our goals?

The reason we often don’t get going is because we are managing normal busy business issues.  It could be a key client who left, or a job that turned out to be a time-consuming nightmare.  It might be a key employee  who quit or suddenly, or makes unreasonable demands. We ourselves may not be feeling well, and with the stress at work and at home,  there is no time to work out or eat healthy.  We so busy managing what’s in front of us and we can’t even think about implementing our plans. One thing is clear. Something got to give Unless we do something differently, nothing will change.

Here are three steps to help you manage your everyday demands and not lose sight of the big picture:

Step 1
Ensure that your goals are clearly defined. Take action by adding precise details. For example, if you want to move to a larger or smaller space, identify a date by which this should be accomplished and write a detailed list of what you are looking for. Or, if you need help to manage your workload, you may want to begin to define what this person needs to bring to the table.  Take action by creating a detailed job description, and set a hiring date. Here is a bonus tip: make sure it includes many things you don’t like to do, because your time is best spent doing things you love and are good at. You outsource what you don’t like. For my part, I don’t like doing accounting and bookkeeping, so I outsource these tasks (even though I am pretty good at it) because my perfectionism gets the best of me. Whereas my bookkeeper point blank tells me that looking for $20 that we are off is not worth mine or her time. Here are tips on what to outsource: http://goo.gl/l2iWQ

Step 2
Break your tasks down into smaller steps.  Making a business successful usually depends on more than one big idea and includes a number of actions that will get you there.  Here is how I do it. Define and set the goal, identify it, fill in the details, lay it out, verbalize it and calculate backward. What is your ultimate goal? To increase your business by $100,000, you obviously have to generate extra income each month. But, how much is it. Do you need an extra $1,000 or $2,000? How many additional jobs would you have to do? To get these additional jobs you need to increase your marketing actions. By how much? Write each and every step down, so you know what one goal entails. The more specific, the better.

Step 3
Give up wanting to be perfect. Get it done. Good enough is good enough. That idea has stuck with me throughout my career and I attribute much of my success to my ability to get things done. I’ve been known to be an execution machine. There is always room to improve things later, or on the second go around. If you are in creative arts, nobody expects you to be a wizard in administration. If you work in an office environment, creativity may not be expected from you. If we knew how to do everything, we wouldn’t need to hire people or work in teams. It doesn’t matter what you are good at, but make what you excel at what you spent most of your time on. It will most likely contribute the most to your bottom line. Here is an article I wrote that you might find helpful in getting it all done.

Keep your eyes peeled on the bigger goal. Success comes to those who are prepared, willing to change, and execute consistently.

Do you have any implementation tips that you want to share. I’d love to hear your suggestions how you move your business forward.

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