Five Things You Must Do This Year

By George Hedley

We are almost one month into 2012, and things are already moving too fast. Hopefully, you took a few moments and wrote out your goals for the next 12 months. Written targets and goals will insure you get what you want, by keeping you focused. Less than 20 percent of all business owners actually write out their goals. And guess what? These top 20 percent are in the top 20 percent of the most successful business owners in their marketplaces. A simple way to start is to write out these five goals:

1. Don’t be an island

Get involved with a group of like-minded business owners to seek advice, share challenges, get invigorated, and get accountable with on a regular basis. Personally, I made a decision to join a structured weekly group of men who discuss their personal and professional lives facilitated by a top business/life coach in our area. Bottom-line – do it!

2. Take time to plan your plays

Bill gates said that the best thing he did while building Microsoft was to take his management team away on a regular basis to plan for the future. At these regular retreats, they discussed their strategy, options, new opportunities, what’s working, what’s not, and what they need to do to achieve their goals. When you don’t plan your future, you get what the market gives you instead of paving your own path.

3. Innovate or die

Your business won’t work, if you're doing what you did when the economy was growing. In a flat economy, you have to change your business and evolve into a new kind of profit-making machine. What new customers, markets, systems, technology, people, production methods, contract type, services and products should you add or delete from your business to grow fast? Sit down and rate every part of your business as: keep doing, stop doing, start doing, or change how we do it.

4. Revamp your calendar

Your calendar says it all. If you want to save money, your calendar is full of job meetings, ordering materials, scheduling crews, and doing take-offs. If you are focused on making money, it’s full of time with loyal customers, new customer targets, networking, mingling with potential customers, and building relationships. At least 33 percent of your time needs to be with customers having fun and enjoying each other. Make it your goal to revamp your calendar and pro-actively grow your business.

5. Put yourself first

When I coach business owners, we always look at the income statements to see how they are doing. I almost always notice that business owner pay themselves way too little for the time, risk, and work they perform. In addition, their investments are often slim or none. When you put other people, employees, and customers ahead of yourself, you can’t do the best you are capable of. Customers want to do business with successful people, not poor struggling people. Make a commitment to pay yourself what you are worth and start an investment program starting now. Then spend the rest on overhead and expenses.

George Hedley is the best-selling author of "Get Your Business to Work!" available at his online bookstore. As an entrepreneur, popular speaker and business coach, he helps business owners build profitable companies. Email George to request your free copy of "Business Tools To Boost Your Bottom-Line!" or sign up for his free monthly e-newsletter. To hire George, attend his "Profit-Builder Circle" boot camp or be a part of an ongoing "Construction Business Owner BIZ-GROUP." Call 800 851-8553 or visit HARDHAT Presentations.