Dirty Secrets of Small Business

When Is The Best Time To Find And Pursue New Opportunities?

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How many times have you uttered the phrase, “I don’t have time!”?  If you’re like most of us, it’s likely been hundreds or even thousands of time…just this year!  Way too many small business owners utter that same phrase when we talk with them about exploring new opportunities.

Are you one of them?  Then tune in for today’s show where we help give you some ideas for how to find and make the time to pursue some of these opportunities.  Thomas Edison summed it up well, “Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.”  As a small business owner we know you aren’t afraid of work, so let’s be sure you don’t miss too many good opportunities.

So here are some tips for how to know when it’s time to jump in to help:

  • Stay Open: your mindset is key with anything in life.  Being open means you have to listen when people bring you ideas or you make time to investigate things you think are worth looking into.  But if you tell yourself you don’t have the time or interest in anything new then chances are pretty good that you’ll miss it.
  • Vision: so where do you want to be in 5-10 years?  Too many people are frustrated where they are today yet so many of those folks have no idea where they’d like to go.  It doesn’t matter if we are talking about business, personal relationships, or anything else in life, if you don’t know where you want to go chances are pretty good you’re going to be frustrated and won’t be able to spot many opportunities.  There’s a reason our 1st of 7 Keys to Success is Vision, we need to know where we are going.  If you know where you want to go you’re able to take small steps every day/week/month to get there.
  • Talk About It: one of the best ways to figure out if something is an opportunity or not is to talk to someone about it.  This does a couple of things: i) it helps you process the idea by talking it through, and ii) you’ll see if it energizes and excites you.  Most things can quickly be thrown into the opportunity or distraction pile based on a few short discussions with some trusted people.  Being this sounding board is a big role we play for our small business owner clients.
  • Sooner Than You Think: one of our most successful coaching clients once said that when he got comfortable then that’s when he’d get nervous and get himself uncomfortable.  He knew otherwise he’d get passed by the competition or would stop growing and improving.  One of the harsh realities of business ownership is that markets change.  And change isn’t always a bad thing, especially when you can spot opportunities.  Are your customers changing their purchasing behavior?  Is there some new competitor who keeps showing up?  Talk with anyone who has been in business for a decade or more and you can be certain the path they have taken hasn’t been one that was planned out in detail on day one.

    • So have you been missing some opportunities?  Still not sure?  Take a listen to our show from today and test out some of these approaches listed above to find out.

    People, Companies and Resources We Mentioned in the Show
    • MVP’s 7 Keys to Success (https://maximumvp.com/7-keys-to-success/)
    • Metallica (https://www.metallica.com)
    • JPMorgan Chase (https://www.jpmorganchase.com)
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      Dirty Secrets of Small BusinessBy Adam Sonnhalter
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