What feels like a lifetime ago, I decided to learn Yoga.
With no classes where I lived, I bought another book. But this book was different and instead of sitting on a bookshelf, I actually read it, used it.
My first yoga book was 473 pages of unfamiliar words written by B K S Iyengar
I understood very few words, couldn’t work out why so many ended in “asana”, but I was fascinated and wanted to know more.
Thankfully there were lots of pictures. Mostly of a man who’d mastered his art and contorted his body into positions I couldn’t see how they were humanly possible for me.
With every picture was an explanation of what to do and the benefits of calm focus, stretching and contorting my body.
I knew I was hooked, but where should I start?
The first pages didn’t give what I thought were the easiest postures or something I thought I could do.
With every turning page I became more confused and demotivated. I couldn’t make sense of what I was supposed to do.
Then, Eureka! I sussed it!
I had to start in the middle, with knowledge acquired from the end which meant the beginning made sense.
After hours of poring over the pages I quietened my tumultuous mind and did my first posture.
It was only possible when I realised why I wanted to do yoga.
Same process with business…
Why do you want your business?
Your own, very personal decision and reason why will determine each and every growth strategy you choose to use and how you run your business.
You hear the advice “you should use social media”. But which channel? Currently there are 105 common platforms. Which do you use? Facebook or LinkedIn? VampireFreaks or CafeMom?
And what about networking? Is the international network of BNI for you or perhaps you’d prefer a less structured approach? You can’t decide until you know what you want from networking.
You hear the words, “get referrals, they’re the lifeblood of your business”. But how? Everyday I hear business owners trying to get referrals, but with little success. Asking in the wrong way only means one thing… Losing clients quicker than you come crashing down from a wobbly headstand with a poor foundation!
By figuring out exactly what you want from your business and your reasons why, you’ll discover the best strategies to get you there.
Spend time thinking and planning.
The doing comes later!
When you’re crystal clear, you’ll know exactly what you want to achieve. Then you decide which growth and marketing strategies to use. Confidently you’ll work on your business knowing each day you’re getting close to where you want to be.
About the Author
Gail Biddulph
Please do share this article or any others from this site. The only rule is you leave all the links intact and give credit to the author and include the following bio; Gail is a motorcycling, why asking, travel loving business consultant who writes about the obvious and simple stuff that works in business. She writes from her experience of running 4 small businesses. She artfully wheedles the real reason something’s not working and fixes it… pronto! She’s written a couple of books and more are in the pipeline. She shares what she knows with other business owners who want to discover how to do less, earn more and live a life where There’s More To Life Than Work.