How to Rediscover Excitement and Fulfillment In Your “Boring” Business
Guest post by sayyesenterprises.com/
How to Rediscover Excitement and Fulfillment In Your “Boring” Business
There’s an African proverb about a farmer. He learned of miners who became rich by finding diamonds. This prospect was so attractive that he sold his farm to become a miner himself. To his chagrin, he later learned that the farm he sold was actually... full of diamonds.
The original farmer sold himself short because of other opportunities that seemed more attractive. His farm became so boring to him that an opportunity of which he knew little about was attractive enough to risk it all.How can you avoid becoming bored with your business?
Beware of Shiny Object Syndrome
Shiny object syndrome is the flaw of seizing every new, exciting opportunity while neglecting to develop the Five Pillars of Business.
The farmer in the Acres of Diamonds proverb had a bit of shiny object syndrome. There is a perfect balance between having the resolve it takes to run a business and having the discernment to know when evolution is positive. Even the most stable, profitable business needs to leave room for growth and change.Many of the most influential people and businesses of our time have evolved. Madonna garners crowds from ages 16 to 60+ because her music spans generations and genres. This would not have been possible if she never changed or explored new opportunities.Apple started as a computer company. Today, it sells smartphones, wearables, and tablets. Why? These new products are more relevant to modern consumers than clunky, colorful desktop computers.
People-Focused Entrepreneurs Avoid Boredom
It is human nature to assign lesser value to things that are more familiar. For example, being a day trader may seem more exciting than running your coffee shop.
Another entrepreneur may jump at the opportunity to buy your profitable business. However, it lost value in your eyes because you haven't changed anything in the past decade. Day trading is exciting and offers quicker wins. But - with a few adjustments, the same "boring" coffee shop could also become exciting again.To make sure your business does not become so routine that everything else becomes more attractive, put a greater purpose at the center of your work. “If you love who you do it for, you’ll never work a day in your life,” says SYE founder Christopher Wick.If the people you serve in your business are at the center of your motivation, you will adapt to their needs. As the marketplace changes, your business will change to fit the new needs of the people you serve. Your business remains relevant, profitable, and marketable, and you do not get bored.Purposeful changes keep your routine from becoming tedious. Commitment to serving people makes your own business shiny and new. Rather than finding something bigger and better in another opportunity, you will reinvent your business several times.
After the initial phase of breaking milestones and experiencing huge growth, it can be difficult to maintain a commitment to your business. This is where having a people-centered motivation helps. All businesses serve people, whether in a large way or a small one. You need to fall in love with fulfilling others rather than your own fulfillment.
Maintain Commitment
As a business school graduate, Christopher Wick watched his entire cohort accept lucrative job offers at exciting companies. He got job offers too, but he turned them down in favor of starting his own marketing business.
As the months passed, he struggled with a lingering doubt. Did he make the wrong choice? Finally, he was able to conquer the doubts when a friend gave him a good piece of advice.“You’ve already made your decision. You can’t keep second-guessing. You’ve got to fully commit to your business.”Often, business owners do a lot of research before starting a business. There could have been other opportunities that you were almost set on, but the could of, should of, and would of’s can zap the joy out of experiences.You could have taken a job. You could have gone back to school. You could have started a dozen other businesses, but you made your choice. Now, commit to it.There may be a time when selling your business is the right decision. Until that time comes, give your business the opportunity to succeed by giving it your full attention. When you focus on everything else that you could be doing, you neglect the business that you should be committing to.Commitment is a long-term project. Businesses take time to grow. Positive actions made today may not pay off for the next five years. You cannot commit to your business in one or two years. To give your business your best, you need time to work with it and evolve with it.
Maintain a Central Focus
As a business owner, you need to focus on doing one thing very well. That one thing does not have to be a task within your business, like marketing or accounting. Rather, it’s a greater, clear purpose in your business as a whole.The so-called art of multitasking is a dangerous myth. When you try to juggle too many plates at once, something is bound to crash. You may have various tasks you need to complete in a day, but every minute you spend at work must contribute to your central focus.“In my first business, I did nothing else except focus on one target niche for all these years, and then later I sold that business to an investor,” says Wick.Having a central focus did not cause Wick’s business to stagnate or miss opportunities. He updated services to better meet the needs of the target niche. That kept his business relevant in a market that was constantly evolving with technology.Customers saw the benefits of being Wick's focus. The business maintained client accounts for years longer than the industry standard. The business was so successful that Wick expanded his team at a time when others in the industry were closing down.Assessment is a key part of improving any skill. Rather than assuming you’re focusing, prove it by tracking every minute of your workday. It can also be helpful to track the time spent in your morning or evening routine.Maybe you struggle to focus on your business because you don’t have a morning routine that fuels you. You may feel divided because your business robs you of time to take care of interpersonal relationships. Tracking your time gives you data to discover and fix these issues.
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Sebastian Amieva
Mergers and Acquisitions Expert / Investor / Mentor
Visit my website here www.sebastianamieva.com