New Business Development – Page 32

Ending Bad Partnerships

The newsletter service I’m with
(MailCh*mp)
is telling me
an error is on my side.
It isn’t.

But I can’t be bothered
to figure out
how to fix it for them.

Because I’m closing
my Romance Novel Business
in two years
and I won’t be working
with this partner
after that point.

I can work around
this error
for 23 more newsletters.

One of the upsides
of closing a business
is it forces us
to end bad partnerships.

We all have some of those.
Maybe it is a delivery service
that is always late.
Or a supplier
who gets one thing wrong
in every order.
Or a customer
who returns everything
he buys.

These partnership cost us money,
time, happiness.

Don’t wait
for your business to close
to end bad partnerships.

End them now.

Creating New Problems

I saw an ad promoting
a substance to rid lawn owners
of unsightly worm castings.

Worm castings are likely
one of the most valuable substances
by weight
on this planet.
It is the king of fertilizers.

If you find unsightly worm castings
on your lawn,
treat it like the gold it is.

Carefully move the worm castings
if you don’t like them where they are.
Or sell them.
A gardener would happily
buy your worm castings.

So why would someone position
worm castings
as a problem?

They want to sell
the earthworm killing/detracting substance.
They also want to sell
fertilizer.

Because the lawn owner
will soon need it
once she has rid the lawn
of all its natural fertilizers.

When someone points out a problem
you didn’t know you had,
ask yourself IF it is truly a problem
and how that person/entity
benefits from ‘solving’ it.

Write It Down

Last night,
as I was waiting for sleep,
I had a brilliant idea
for today’s blog post.

I was too lazy to get out
of my warm bed.
I didn’t have a notebook or pen
beside the bed
(that is strange for me).

I didn’t write the idea
down.

You can guess
what happened.

I woke up
with the knowledge
I had that great idea
but no memory
as to what that great idea was.

Write it down.

You’re a busy business builder.

You likely won’t remember it
if you don’t write it down.

News Means New

A buddy was surprised
when I told him
bird flu was still killing
thousands of birds
and other animals.

He was investigating
starting a free range
chicken farm.

He told me he hadn’t seen
anything
on the news
recently about bird flu.
He assumed it was over.

He didn’t see anything
on the news
because
media got bored of that ongoing story
and moved on.

News, in today’s world,
means new.

If it is
disastrous flooding
in Europe
or wildfires in Australia
or COVID deaths
…well…everywhere,
the news isn’t covering it
because all that
is now considered ‘normal.’

(And also because
covering it doesn’t sell
their advertisers’ products
or promote their owners’ agendas.)

Don’t assume
if it isn’t
on the news,
it isn’t happening.

Do your own research.

Focus On One

The holiday season
can be hectic.
It can overwhelm
many business builders.

When I’m overwhelmed,
I focus
on one thing.

I focus on one task,
one customer,
one project.

When that one thing is tackled,
I celebrate that win.

I then tackle
the next task,
the next customer,
the next project.

Until I feel capable
of tackling multiple issues
at once.

Getting sh*t done,
even if it is one small thing,
calms me.
That win
rebuilds my confidence.

Which allows me to
tackle other sh*t.

Focus on one.

Have An End Date To Working Hard

When I graduated,
I warned my Mom and siblings
and friends
I planned to work
REALLY hard for about 20 years.

Then I planned
to semi-retire
(i.e. for business builders,
this usually means
building businesses
that might not pay back…ever).

Whenever they worried
I was burning myself out
(I did burn out…a bit),
I would remind them,
“I have X years left.”
And they would relax,
satisfied,
knowing I had an end date.

When I hit 20 years of working,
I had also hit my financial goals
and I stopped working
(that hard)
for a bit.

Right now, during the holiday rush,
you’re likely working
REALLY hard.
Your loved ones might be worried
about you.
They are likely missing your company.

Give them an end date.
Tell them on January 5th,
for example,
your work schedule will slow down.
Do that countdown with them.

Then SLOW DOWN on that date.
Deliver on your promise.

We can tolerate many challenges
in the short run.

Give your loved ones a date
when they can expect to spend time
with you again.

Pause To Enjoy The Busy Season

This time of year,
between US Thanksgiving
and New Years,
is often when retail businesses
and some other businesses
make most of their sales.

If we’re a business builder
involved in these types
of businesses,
we’re likely extremely busy
right now.

And, hopefully, our stores
are busy also.

Try to take a couple minutes
every day
to stand back and revel
in the increased traffic.

Savor the boost in sales.

Enjoy the flood of customers
looking for gifts
and other holiday items.

Note the excitement,
the activity,
the controlled chaos.

It will help
maintain your passion
for your business
during the slower times
of the year.

It Is Never Too Late To Act

I read an article yesterday
that claimed some scientists
believe it is too late
to act
on climate change.

I don’t know one scientist
who is sitting on her a$$,
doing nothing,
because tipping points
and other climate change issues
are certain to happen.

They’re mitigating the harm
that will be done.
They’re preparing
for these tipping points.
They’re giving animals and insects
and other lifeforms
great lives
today.

They’re taking MORE action
than many people who think
climate change can be stopped.

As a business example,
I know I’ll likely be
closing my Romance Novel business
in two years.

Am I doing nothing
because this will happen?

No.
I’m creating magic
for my loyal readers
(customers).
I’m enjoying the f*ck
out of these last 2 years
in the business.
I’m ensuring the closure
will be as painless and easy
for everyone as possible.

That is a lot of
f*cking work.

It is never too late
to act.

There are ALWAYS actions
to take.

Staying Informed In A Time Of Horrors

A loved one is extremely sensitive
to images of people suffering.

Images of people suffering
are blasted all over social media
right now.
They dominate news coverage.

This loved one wants to avoid
all that
yet he still wants to
be informed
about the things happening
in the world.

So I give him that update.
I spend time on social media
promoting my books
(selling products)
and I see it
(whether I want to or not).

He asks me
what is going on
(when that works for him).
I give him the highlights.
He then returns to working
on his project.

Figure out a way
of staying informed
that works for you
emotionally.

YOU are in control
of how you consume the news.

Take A Break

I am on a VERY tight deadline
and have been working
VERY long hours.

But every couple of hours,
I’ll take 5 or 10 minutes
and I’ll walk around the backyard
or I’ll watch a short video
or I’ll close my eyes for a bit
and dream
or do something fun
just for me.

Because we can’t work
full out
for long periods
of time.

We’ll burn out
and then we won’t be completing
ANY projects.

We NEED breaks.
We NEED fun.
We NEED a reminder
of why we’re working so hard.

Take a break.
You’ll work better
for it.