4 Questions to Take out of your Backpack

Your kids have probably loaded up on pencils, notebooks and a few new clothes in preparation for another year. Summer vacations in Minnesota are aplenty and it always seems to be the slowest time of the year (quickly followed by the busiest). As fall arrives, this is an important time to refocus and examine past and present business and personal goals. As we shift to a more hectic time of year, set aside an hour to do a little self-reflection.

The August stock market has soured as the United States, Europe and China’s economies have decelerated in 2019. The Federal Reserve cut rates, job growth has slowed, China and the U.S. haggle over trade agreements and Brexit drags on – there is a lot of uncertainty and undoubtedly, lack of confidence in the year ahead.

Economic highs and lows are a part of running any business. Don’t miss the opportunity to gain market share if the downturn occurs. As your competition restricts, they will under-perform and provide you a chance to gain new customers. Are you ready to seize the day?  

September is upon us! This month can be critical for you setting the right tone as the end of the year nears. Below are a few questions for you to consider as you approach the last four months of the year.

1. How did the last 8 months go? Have you taken time to objectively reflect on the successes of the first half of the year both personally and professionally? If not, take a moment to note how the big deals were closed, how goals were accomplished and why you missed the mark on others.

2. Are you ready for the last 4 months? Your sales projections for September through December were probably made almost a year ago and may likely seem a little out of touch right now. It’s time to fine tune them. If the general business climate is slower, do you have sales methods to overcome it? What is your big hairy audacious goal for this year? Which goal needs to be put aside for the moment – so you have the time to ensure that you surpass your gross margin goals?

3. What else do you need? Do you have the support and resources around you to hit your numbers? Who can help? Have you reached out to them? People make the world go round and often we fail to simply ask for support and guidance.

4. Are you happy? We probably don’t ask ourselves this question often enough. Do you have the right position and work environment – or is that something you need to work on before 2020 is upon us? Do you have the best team around you? Whether you are the manager or not, you have an influence on your team and culture.

This 2/3’s turn of 2019 must be a time for questions and reflection as you charge forward. If you are behind, it’s still possible to catch up. If you are asleep at the wheel, a good year can turn south quickly. And if you are on track, examine what you accomplished and how it can be repeated or even improved upon.

Good luck accomplishing your remaining 2019 goals!

It’s time to grow faster~ Drew

drew@blueoctopusllc.com

blueoctopusllc.com

Spring Cleaning!

Happy Spring America!

Spring is only a few days away and it may be time to take on a couple extra steps to increase your efficiency and lower the stress. I am taking on a broader topic today, but think it’s a universal issue for those of us in the rat race. Come this time of year, I’m always a little frustrated with the clutter that begins to rise up at my desk, in my car, and around the house. So my list below are a few practical items I’ve dramatically improved in March and I’m challenging you to consider doing the same over the next month:

1. Email and Paper –  get rid of it:

Toss (Delete), Refer, File or Act on it. It’s simple, but why do you always have 50 items in your inbox at the END of the day? Why doesn’t that stack of paper on your desk ever dwindle? Counterintuitive to eliminating the paper, I print up my action items that take more than five minutes. When I complete them, I recycle the 8 & 1/2 x 11. My inbox was empty this morning. It works for me – what is your system?

2. Phone Calls – finish them:

Are you always a phone call or 10 behind? I also print up the people (Outlook contact) who I need to call (both personal and professional calls). I carry that piece of paper around until I’ve at least left them a message. Sometimes it fits into the time I’m driving or sometimes it lingers a few days, but it always irritates me enough to make the call. If it’s important, why haven’t you called your mom this week?

3. Goal List – check them off:

Both big and small goals need to be written down somewhere. Not necessarily with a pen these days… Where are your short and long term goals written? Are they moving forward? Centralize them into one master list (my weekly goals are always on my calendar). Again, what’s your system for moving them forward a little faster this year?

4. Recharge the brain – it needs to happen daily:

All is for naught, if you don’t smile today. Great – so your inbox is empty, you have no one to call, and you are aggressively checking off your goal list. Do your days include small victories or a hobby? Exercise, read a good book, eat your favorite meal for lunch, hang out with a friend, watch a movie… the list is endless. I’ve talked to many people who ignore this “category” for many weeks and they are stressed beyond belief at that moment. Charge thy battery daily (and if you aren’t accomplishing it, put “recharge the brain” on the daily goal list).

Make it a great day~ Drew Schmitz

@drew_schmitz

www.linkedin.com/in/andrewschmitz/