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Work On, Not In Your Business
Are you busy? Everyone's busy! Ask anyone they'll tell you how busy they are. But how many people are accomplishing real results? In your small business, it's easy to get buried in the myriad activities that demand your attention each day. Consequently, a valuable rule of thumb to follow: Work only on income-producing tasks from 9-5. To accomplish this objective, it's important for entrepreneurs to recognize the difference between activity and action. Merriam-Webster's dictionary defines activity as: 1. The quality or state of being active. 2. Energetic movement. 3. Natural or normal function. 4. A pursuit in which a person is active. 5. A state of motion. Working in your business is that state of constant activity where you feel as if you're spinning your wheels, but not making any progress toward your objective. You can easily get hypnotized with shuffling and sorting papers, surfing the Net, replying to each e-mail as it pops up in your Outlook and other non-income generating tasks. On the other hand, the word action is defined as: 1. The bringing about of an alteration. 2. A manner or method of performing an act of will. 3. Behavior producing a result or outcome. Working on your business is that state of action that produces results. So, what are your goals for your business in the next 30 or 90 days? Take the steps to accomplish your goals now! Network. Speak at events. Write articles. Make telephone calls. And, follow up! If you are inclined toward busy activity, hire a virtual assistant for the mundane tasks, a professional organizer for organizing your files and office, a book-keeper for your receipts, bills and taxes. Don't forget, a business coach will help you implement efficient systems and processes to streamline your business. Whatever you do, get busy on generating action. © Lena Claxton 2005 Lena Claxton, M.Ed., is a business coach and marketing consultant who works with solo entrepreneurs to help them reach their highest potential. Download her free e-book "Small Business Boosts" at http://www.ontrakmarketing.com
MORE RESOURCES: Terry Murden: A give-and-take Budget, with business picking up the bill (The ... 20 Mar 2010 at 7:43pm ACCORDING to Lloyds Banking Group, Friday's surprise trading statement was issued ahead of an update that chief executive Eric Daniels is due to deliver to shareholders th Apps are a Goldmine for Developers (PC World via Yahoo! News) 18 Mar 2010 at 11:24am A new study from Chetan Sharma Consulting claims that the market for apps will skyrocket to $17.5 billion by 2012. The independent study, commissioned by the world's second-largest app store GetJar, predicts that the number of app downloads will explode from around 7 million in 2009 to over 50 million by 2012. South Africa : Street Knowledge is Power for a Hands-On Marketer (AllAfrica.com) 19 Mar 2010 at 6:50am Johannesburg ? KGAUGELO Maphai is a young Johannesburg entrepreneur who believes his township roots are a business asset far more useful than any black economic empowerment deal. Engineers revolutionizing Third World housing and infrastructure featured at ... 19 Mar 2010 at 11:18am The recent earthquake in Haiti graphically demonstrated to the world how the impact of a natural disaster is magnified by poorly constructed housing and unplanned infrastructure. Apps are a Goldmine for Developers (PC World) 18 Mar 2010 at 1:02pm A new study predicts a huge market for apps, and illustrates what a significant business opportunity app development represents. Handel's star rising in Georgia governor's race (Appen Newspapers) 18 Mar 2010 at 11:17am March 18, 2010 ROSWELL ? Former Secretary of State Karen Handel continues to rise in the polls while front runner John Oxendine continues to lose ground, and the redoubtable Undecided leads GOP candidates with 32 percent. Vital Voices Honors Extraordinary Women Innovators From Around the World at 2... 18 Mar 2010 at 3:43pm In recognition of International Women's Day and the fifteenth anniversary of Vital Voices founder and then First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton's historic declaration at the UN Conference on Women in Beijing that "women's rights are human rights," Vital Voices gathered over 1,000 supporters to honor and celebrate innovative women leaders who are working worldwide to strengthen democracy, increase ... CIOs who tweet ? a useful list for IT professionals (Computer Weekly) 17 Mar 2010 at 3:14am Are IT bosses doing enough to understand and use social technology? Some still brush it off as irrelevant, but others are embracing it - here is our list of UK CIOs who tweet. Do You Have "A Number"? (Inc Magazine) 16 Mar 2010 at 12:52pm Every business owner, it seems, has "a number"--a dollar figure at which they will have considered their entrepreneurial endeavors a success. But whenever we examine that number more closely, it quickly withers in the light of scrutiny. There are so many essential questions to ask when thinking about one's exit strategy, yet all too often, common sense is lost in the emotional swirl of "the ... FCC's eagerly awaited Broadband Plan unveiled today -- here's why it matters ... 16 Mar 2010 at 8:28am FCC's eagerly awaited Broadband Plan unveiled today -- here's why it matters By Steve Borsch | Tuesday, March 16, 2010 Broadband experts and entrepreneurs are adamant that nothing is more important to Internet innovation than ubiquitous and fast broadband (except for startup funding, of course). But moving from a plan to congressional action is another matter entirely. |
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