Your Official Solo-Business “Not-To-Do” List

by Christine Kane

Of course you’ve got a To-Do list.

But have you ever sat down and created your very own “Not To Do” list?

No?

Well, for the record, every time you set a new business goal for yourself or your income, the first action step is to get brutally clear about what must be removed from your plate.

Maybe it’s bad habits. Maybe it’s the seemingly minor stuff you do. Maybe it’s an old limiting mindset.

It doesn’t matter what it is. It matters that you begin with awareness.

If this sounds like you, here’s a place to start.  This is my own list of top 10 NOT-TO-DO’s for entrepreneurs who are ready to Uplevel…

#10 – Bookkeeping

Yes or no:

A] Do you toss your receipts in little piles, telling yourself you’ll get to them soon?

B] Are you often running around in early April swearing you’ve got to keep better track of your invoices?

C] Are you considering taking a QuickBooks course at your local technical college?

If you answered yes to ANY of these, then we gotta talk!

You need a bookkeeper.

The reason you stink at this stuff is NOT because you’re a procrastinator.  The reason you stink at this stuff is because YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO!    If you were meant to be a bookkeeper, you’d be one!

#9 – Customer service

In the beginning stages of your business, it’s good to connect with your peeps and directly respond to them.   However, if the routine emails and calls swallow up hours each week, let go and hire someone to take over.  Yes, it takes time to train someone to do this work. (It’s very important work!) But the time you CREATE in the long run is valuable.

#8 – Running errands

One of my Platinum mastermind clients is a successful realtor. She recently ran a “quick” errand to put a lock box on the door of a house. With traffic, this errand took 90 minutes.

This is a classic case of:  “By the time I show someone how to do it, I could just do this myself.”

Maybe so.

But let’s say you do this activity once a week.   That adds up to almost TEN 8-hour days of high ROI work you could be doing each year.

Will it take you 10 working days to show someone how to run your errands?

#7 – Housecleaning

The simple act of hiring a housekeeper can save marriages, heal relationships with teenagers, and make you believe in God.  Nuff said.

#6 – Being a Unique Snowflake

“Ah, Christine, but my business is different. I couldn’t possibly follow your advice.”

“Yes, but I’m very particular about exactly HOW I want my house cleaned.”

“You don’t understand, Christine. My customers are special.”

These pronouncements (and yes, I’ve heard them all) are symptoms of a disease I call Unique Snowflake Syndrome. (USS)

The truth about Unique Snowflakes is that they are scared. That’s all.

Scared of taking action. Scared of being clear. Scared they won’t find what they want. So, they find the most convenient excuse available: “I’m more different than you.”

The only cure for USS is to take action in spite of the fear and be amazed at what happens.

#5 – Assuming your prospects know what they need

Steve Jobs said, “It’s not your customer’s job to know what they need.”

So true!  And yet, when we are feeling entitled or insecure, we forget this truth. We think our prospects should just “get it” and hire us already!  (HINT: This is why you aren’t making money.)

When you truly understand marketing, you know that it is a service that educates your prospects.  Stop making excuses, and learn how to do it well.

#4 – Assuming your clients remember why they’re your clients

When you make a sale or get a client, do you get complacent?  Do you assume your clients remember why they’re working with you, or why your members even signed up?

If so, you may lose them.

As a business owner, you are a leader.  As a leader, your job is to consistently realign your clients with their desires and intentions. Keep your clients connected to their WHY in addition to their daily work and they will thank you for it with loyalty.

#3 – “Drive-By” Delegation

Here’s a 7-Act Play in one paragraph:

Hire someone. Be excited. Tell him a few things to do. Get busy the next day. Forget to show him other things to do. Get frustrated because he didn’t do what you wanted. Call friends and complain that you can’t find good help these days.

Sound familiar?

Well, then you’re what’s known as a “Drive-By” Delegator.

Try this instead:

When you hire someone, tell him EXACTLY what you want him to do. Lay it out in step-by-step format with desired results and timelines spelled out clearly.  Take time each day to continue the training.  This requires consistent clarity and focus. And it pays off.

#2 — Looking at your unsubscribes

Sigh.

How many times do I have to tell you to stop doing this?

Your unsubscribes are none of your business.  Turn off that freakin’ unsubscribe email alert NOW.

Then, hire someone to manage your list and keep an eye on your unsubscribes.

(And yes. I’m sure she will inform you the day your whole list decides they don’t like you anymore and collectively makes a mass exodus. In the meantime, the three people who unsubscribed this week can go out for cocktails together and talk about you.)

#1 — Taking the word “solo” literally

Solopreneur means that you run your own purpose-based business. It does NOT mean that you should “go it alone.”

Dude, you can’t succeed without support from someone who is already successful at what you want to do.  It’s time to reach out, hire a coach, get a mentor, or surround yourself with other successful entrepreneurs.

Now, share with me!

What is your big goal for next year?  And which one of these items is not congruent with that goal?  In other words, what do you need to stop doing?

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Christine Kane is the Mentor to People Who are Changing the World. She helps women and men Uplevel their lives, their businesses and their success. Her weekly Uplevel You eZine goes out to over 20,000 subscribers. If you are ready to take your life and your world to the next level, you can sign up for a FREE subscription at http://christinekane.com.

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