Did you start your year full of fresh ideas, new opportunities, and big goals? How are you tracking towards achieving them? We all know how hard it can be to keep that enthusiasm and motivation going as the weeks and months roll by! Just like New Year Resolutions, the big goals we set for ourselves and our business don’t just magically happen. They take commitment, planning and action.
When it comes to achieving business goals, the challenge for many solo operators is that we only really answer to ourselves. You might set your big goals, write up your action list and set a to-do list for the week but (excluding client work) what are the consequences of things not getting done? No-one is tapping you on the shoulder to ask why you haven’t posted on social media that week. Or replied to that new client enquiry. Or published a new blog article. Or booked in that meeting with the accountant.
It is really easy for things to fall off the radar when they aren’t tied to a client deliverable and deadline. And so, we can struggle to make progress on our big goals and move our business forward.
What I often see is that many business owners tackle this challenge by downloading the latest productivity app, task tracker, or project management tool. They try to use technology to force them into developing new habits that will magically get all their business development and admin work done.
But the truth is that, in most cases, technology alone is just not enough to change our patterns of working. And so, sooner or later, those apps and tools sit unopened for weeks or months. And those business development and admin tasks are still sitting on the to-do list. Or even worse, our big goals fall off the list completely!
So, what is a better solution?
You need another human to keep you accountable.
Because technology does not evoke emotion – we don’t feel guilty for ignoring a notification or deleting the time we blocked out for admin. But knowing there is another person out there keeping tabs and having expectations of us can really spur us into action.
This is where an OBM can play a huge role in supporting your business growth – and your wellbeing. An OBM can take over the execution of lots of those little tasks in your business, so you aren’t lying in bed at night worrying about all the things still on your to-do list. You can relax knowing someone else has got them covered. But even more, working with an OBM also gives you an accountability partner. Someone who understands the goals you are trying to achieve in your business and gives you a gentle (sometimes not so gentle!) nudge to boost your motivation.
I have seen first hand know how powerful accountability can be in creating movement on your business goals and growth. I was working with a client who booked out time every week to work on her business, but every week that time got shifted or filled with other things. And she was just making no progress. So, I started checking in on her every day to make sure she had done at least one thing to move her business forward. And soon it became a regular habit for her to start and end her day with one small business development task. Knowing that someone was going to be checking in and asking her what she had done was a big motivator pushing her to get. stuff. done.
The best thing about investing in an OBM is that you can start seeing results really quickly, even if you start off outsourcing only a small set of tasks. I’m talking about seeing real change in your business and your stress levels in less than a week! A burden shared is a burden halved, right?
What big goals have you set for your business this year? If you are looking for someone to keep you accountable AND help you take action to move forward, then get in touch and let’s have a chat about how I can help.
