Perfect Rows

When you first open a brand new box of 64 count crayons, the first thing you notice is how each crayon is placed.  All the variations of each color are strategically positioned next to a similar color – its intentional.  Why?  So when my daughter wants a red crayon, she doesn’t have to sift through a jumble of other colors trying to find it.  Instead, her eye goes directly to the red section where she can pick just the right color for drawing.

A small business owner has to be just as intentional – in everything.  One of the biggest traps that small business owners fall into is lack of structure.  One minute you’re making cold calls, then your cell phone rings. In the middle of that phone call, someone knocks on the door. Now your attention is there.  Do you see the madness?  At the end of the day, did you accomplish all you set out to do when you walked in the door that morning? I would guess not. 

I once worked with a very energetic fellow who preached what he called a structured week.  By that, he meant, assigning a task to each moment of your workday and being intentional about keeping that time restricted to that activity only.  For example, cold calling (don’t you love getting hung up on??)  … every Thursday evening from 6-8pm and  Saturday morning (yes, Saturday) 9-11am.  Need to do a mailing?  Ok, every Friday morning, 9-11am – outbound marketing.  No phone calls taken or made/no emails checked.  And for you constant email checkers, let’s limit that to 7-8:30am and 4- 5:30pm every day.  Wait – I hear ya.  When do you meet with clients?  In between these times.  Build in client times and restrict these blocks for client meetings and/or establishing new centers of influence.  I challenge you to find the structure that meets your needs, implement it, and maintain it.  Feeling a little  boxed in by this way of thinking?  Well, I’ll share this. I’ve seen a business owner color code his structured calendar and post it next to his computer to hold himself accountable.  His business has thrived. 

Whew… So, what am I saying? A lot if you look above.  But seriously. Just as the crayon makers know that a perfectly structured box of new crayons will make for a more pleasant experience for users like my daughter,  you, small business owner, must know that a perfectly structured week, EVERY week, will make for a more efficient business and better position YOU as a credible source in your chosen field.  You can do this!

Support Local Businesses:  Organization Impact.  Kayla Barrett, President/Owner.  www.organizationimpact.com