Staying consistent with many different aspects of your small business can really pay off in the long run. I got the idea for this blog when I was fishing a few weeks ago on a particularly good morning. On the morning of July 28, 2014 I was coming off of a week of vacation so I was at my desk early catching up. About 8 am I looked outside to see a blizzard of bugs (good for fly fishing) and went outside to take a look. There were so many bugs I had no choice but to grab my rod and go fish. I had one of the best mornings of fishing of the summer. I continued to fish just about every morning for the two weeks following that and never had the same banner morning. However, I learned a lesson that can benefit your small business; staying consistent can really pay off.
Finding Rhythm
I found that staying consistent with my fishing schedule really paid off. I learned what times of the day were best and that other times of the day were a complete waste. I learned a lot about what the fish wanted and when.
Consistency can be really good for your small business as well. Maintaining regular weekly meetings creates awareness and keeps your business on track. Setting up time dedicated to working on your business each week is extremely important. Examples include working on marketing, financial analysis, and even bigger picture tasks like exit planning. Consistency puts you and your business into a rhythm. Just be sure to make sure to evaluate your rhythm often to ensure it is a healthy one and not one dragging your business down.
Right Place Right Time
When I walked out my door that morning to fish it was clear I was in the right place at the right time. I had one of the craziest hours of fishing of the summer and went home happy by 10 am and got back to work. I am lucky to live in an environment that allows for this consistency but it clearly pays off.
Integrating consistency into your small business practices creates opportunities. Sometimes you get a new prospect or land a new customer when you least expect it. The key to continually creating opportunities in your business is consistent actions that have worked for you. I have had good success generating leads through business blogging and networking, so I stay active and consistent with these activities. Just because a blog or particular networking event does not directly generate business for me one day doesn't mean it won't produce in the future.
Consistency = Healthy
Establishing consistent business tasks creates a very healthy environment. If you understand what tasks you need to pay attention to in your small business and you practice them consistently you will succeed. However, be careful, small business owners can quickly lose focus on what is really important. If you have time slated to work on your budget or marketing plan, but let things distract you like emails and phone calls then you are never going to get anything done. Create a consistent schedule that allows adequate time to be put towards all the necessary and important business tasks that make your business a success. Consistent business tasks create a healthy work environment and keep your business on track.
Ongoing Learning
When I was fishing a lot over the past few weeks I learned a ton. I learned that the bugs generally got going around 8:30 am. I also experimented around with the late morning and evening fishing, but came to the conclusion that the morning was best. I learned a lot about what patterns worked well at certain times and where the fish generally were.
If you stay consistent with your business actions you are going to learn a lot. You may learn which marketing methods are working and which are underperforming. Your financial reporting can tell you many things about the performance of your business and where your problems as well as your opportunities lie. Maintaining consistency in your business tasks will really help you learn a lot about where you should be spending your time. You will begin to understand that certain tasks add a lot of value to your business, while other tasks may be better for you to assign to an employee or outside service provider.
Staying consistent with your actions as a small business owner can really be beneficial. Determining how your time is best spent is the hardest part.
What consistent tasks add the most value to your small business?
Photo Credit © Dollar Photo Club / aaabbc
