Simple Success for the Overwhelmed Business Owner

I’ve gotta admit… I have a nostalgic, passionate desire for simplicity. Simple relationships.  (HINT:  If your relationship status is constantly on “It’s Complicated”, run for the hills!) Simple rules.  Simple forms. Simple plans. Simple motivations.

But, as a business owner, our lives can get really really complicated, overwhelmed, and well… messy — and pretty quickly.   There’s always a new tool to learn, a new guru to follow, a new network to join, a new connection to meet, a new conference to attend, a new skill to learn and more.  And to top it off, we  have a propensity for literally staying INTOXICATED on INFORMATION — which is screaming at us everywhere we turn. So, how do we get back to the basics?  How do we “Keep It Simple Stupid?”  How do we skip the fluff and enjoy a double helping of real results? Here are a few of my “Simple Success” tips:

1) Beware THIS phrase:  IN ORDER TO.  Many, many (many) times, I’ll ask my clients WHY they are doing this, that or the other.  Many, many (many) times, their answer begins with “In order to do ___(fill in the blank with a REAL goal)____.  At the urging of Steve Chandler, I abandoned all of the “in order to” stuff,  skipped those steps and went directly after what I wanted.  For instance, many people tweet and facebook, etc “in order to” get their name out there to specific clients or media sources.  (This is just one example.)  Instead, go directly to whoever’s attention or business you want.  Question WHY you do everything on your to do list.  If the answer begins with “IN ORDER TO”, be very suspicious.  It is complicating your life.  How can you make it simple?

2) Know what you’re up to.  Don’t forget.  My ONLY fear regarding big success was that  it would sweep me up, leave me disoriented, lacking focus, direction and priority.  I’ve been there…. and my fear came true…. but ONLY because I lost my VISION for what I was — ultimately — up to.  So, now I keep it in front of me at all times. I have ONE overarching goal for my business (P.S.  This goal is a number, and it has a dollar sign in front of it.) one for my health (This goal is also a number.) one for my marriage (This goal is none of your business….lol…) one for my kids and one for my faith walk.   I ALWAYS know what I’m up to… and because of that, every decision I make is either taking me one step closer to one of these goals or not.  How much simpler can it get?  Every decision I make  — from where I’ll eat lunch today to what songs I listen to in the car to what clients I take on  to what event I plan next — comes down to one simple question:  Will this move me measurably closer to my goals? A great question to ask is this:  Against WHAT do you measure or contemplate your own decisions? 

3) Focus on rituals, not complicated systems.  No, this is not business blasphemy.  And YES, you do need systems.  But, the simpler the better.  (Simple stuff gets done.) What will you do every morning?  What will be your ritual before you log off at night?  What will you complete every day?  My own personal list (for business) includes the following ‘rituals’:  I check email on my iphone before I start the morning… so I’m not surprised or overwhelmed when I come into the office.  Before I leave the office, I’ve created a plan for the next day.  (This means, I can no longer be on the phone when I’m walking out of the office.  Small change.  Big results!) Every day, I personally reach out to ten people who’ve inquired about working with me.  These are just a few.  But they are simple, daily rituals that keep me moving in the right direction. And, they are non-negotiable.  A great question is this:  What is NON-negotiable in YOUR day?  

What other tips do you have for SIMPLE SUCCESS?