I'm living and breathing the chaos. You?
Client deliverables, networking calls, meetings, more meetings, a recent weekend away and a line of on-the-business work I've committed to get done this quarter...
So many things to choose from.
So many things to do.
And only 24 hours a day to actually get it all done.
It's time to change all of that. Starting now.
First, we're laying down some ground rules.
Then we're going to get tactical and to the point on what you're trying to accomplish.
Then, to wrap this up cleanly, we're going to be big boys and girls and exercise that very human, two-sided coin of freedom and responsibility... free will.
Because what I want for you is an amazing season, an awesome quarter, and that upward acceleration I named this firm after.
And that means not rolling into each day, week, or quarter feeling like you already need a vacation or don't know what to do next.
Some ground rules
Ideas are only as good as the actions we take.
And it's better to take action (use resources) on the good ideas than it is on the bad ideas.
That's it. Those are the only rules.
(Maybe I'll make up more as I go along. We'll see. It's a wild ride over here today!)
The fact is... lots of people want to launch a business. Lots of people want to grow that business. Lots of people want to be thought leaders, to write a book, to get more clients, to get more systemized, to scale, to exit.
But only a few will actually do it.
So pat yourself on the back for having a business. You're already ahead of the crowd.
Now let's translate your ideas into action so we put the rest of that into reach.
Specificity Is The Name Of The Game
Knowing your desired outcome is what leads the tactical process.
Because what seems like a good idea to one person may be a totally idiotic idea for someone else.
And it's all thanks to your goals.
Here's how were going to decide what to do next.
Hint: It's not what your business-next-door is doing. It's not what your Facebook or YouTube feed is telling you.
It's what fits YOU.
1. Choose a category of excellence (make it ACES) and set a sub-goal.
Here is the ACES framework for reference.
2. Brainstorm a bunch of ideas for that sub goal.
And by brainstorm, think of some crazy things.
We're all usually tuned into Sales and Marketing so try this with my favorite area instead: Experience or Client/Rev Ops.
Your Client Experience or Revenue Operations sub-goal could be something like the following:
- Redirect 30% of owner's time from on-client to on-business without loss of revenue or reputation
- Expand Average Lifetime Value of Clients by 50% (meaning every client generates 1.5x more revenue)
- Set up a recurring revenue model and convert to 20% of revenue within 1 year
- Reduce recurring revenue churn from 30% to 15%
- Shorten Accounts Receivable Aging from 3 months to 3 weeks
- Establish NPS (Net Promoter Score) surveys and get to 80% at 8 or greater.
- Improve profit margin on client projects from 15% to 40%
- Increase (or decrease!) leads from client referrals by 30%
The more specific you get about establishing the right sub-goal, the easier it is to generate tactics to achieve it.
Not to mention, your goals determine your priorities and the trade-offs you'll have to consider.
Adding another service line (e.g. adding real estate to a family law practice) might help you expand LTV but does nothing for recurring revenue.
Mapping client processes for documentation and automation/AI might improve profit margin but might hurt your NPS score, especially if executed poorly.
And anything that dramatically increases your client load as the owner means you'll either need to backfill resources or backtrack.
Tactics should fit the goal. So we start with the goal.
Britches up time
Time to narrow in. Because you know what?
Decision Making = Action Taking.
Here's some guidance.
Two complementary goals might work or one of these might be a clear front runner. But you can't do them all or at least not all at once.
And here's how I usually decide from among the many contenders for my time and attention:
Rank them!
I'm a kinesthetic learner so I do this ranking physically.
I put each item - sub-goal or in later rounds, tactics - on small sheets of paper. I rank them vertically for effectiveness. Then I shift them left to right for least accessible to most. Top right are the winners.
Let's get you What You want
Focusing on one specific deliverable that you'll actually get done in the next 4-6 weeks will usually take you farther than trying to take on a bunch of things at once.
You'll be more focused.
You'll understand exactly why that was the next domino to topple.
And getting it done faster means you get to move on to the next thing faster.
This is how you get ahead of the busyness.
So get clear on your action plan and go get to work.
Want guidance on determining your next steps or help executing those action plans? Let's talk.
