We’re all faced with time off without all the perks of an actual vacation.  Where’s the fun in that?  We can’t always choose the circumstances that we find ourselves in, but we can choose how we react to them.  Today, I hope that you choose to be proactive and optimistic.  You can choose to find the silver lining in any situation.

Today, the world is going through unprecedented circumstances that are impacting our businesses. While I wish I had the magic pill that would remedy any immediate financial strain, sadly, I do not.  What I do have is 10 things you can do right now to set yourself up for success when we’re all ready to hit the ground running again. 

You see, you can use this time to sulk about the situation or you can use it to create a different kind of business.  You know the business I’m talking about… the business you thought you would have created by now but the business of doing business has gotten in the way.  Well now is the perfect time to take a step back and take a look at your business, it’s expenses, it’s operating procedures and its future.

Here are 10 things you can do today
that will set your business up for future success

1. Plan! Write your goals and develop an actual plan for achieving them. Be detailed.  Spend the time to really look at what’s going right in your business and what could use a little improving upon.  Plan to capitalize on what’s going right and plan to adjust on what needs to be adjusted.  Here is a free business plan template, more blogs about planning and a digital course.  Lots of goodness!
2. Get organized! Clean the office. Clean out your inbox. Use this time to create a fresh workspace. Who knows, it may just spark some creativity.
3. Get creative with your marketing. Now may be the time to do something radical.  Plan for it now so that you’re ready to wow your audience and show your potential customers why they need to connect with you.  Check this out!
4. Cancel Subscriptions! Now is a great time to cut back on expenses. How many $99 a year subscriptions do you pay for but rarely use?  Could you live without a couple of them?  I’d be willing to bet that you can live without all that you haven’t used in the last month. Save yourself some money and the stress over needing to make more just to give it away to something that doesn’t benefit your company.
5. Build your email marketing list. As your network if they’d like to receive free tips from your industry/profession/genius.  Remember that even though others’ budgets may be lean, it doesn’t mean that they don’t need your genius.  Be of value now and when they’re ready to buy, they’re more likely to buy from someone who they trust.
6. Write blogs! Yup, I said it.  I know, it’s not fun.  Trust me… it’s 10PM and I’m writing this one.  I could be doing a million other things or nothing at all but those other things aren’t going to help me maintain my SEO rankings or help me continue to engage my audience or help me help you.  Blog writing is often one of the things that business owners say they don’t have time for.  Well, now you do.If you’re unsure of how to structure a blog, take a look at how this one is structured.  Copy the format.  It’s ok.  I give you permission to copy it.  If you need help with content, well you’ll have to call me for that one.
7. Take an online course or webinar. Learn something new while you have the time.  Lots of coaches are offering free introductory courses right now.  Why?!  Go back and read numbers 5 and 6.  It’s strategy!  It’s also strategy that you can use to help you gain the knowledge you need to position yourself for future growth.
8. Make a list of people in your network that you can partner with to expand your reach. You’re going to need help to build your business back up to where it was before the world was quarantined.  Reach out to your network now and spend some of this downtime strategizing how you can help one another and come out of this ordeal even stronger than you were yesterday.
9. Make a list of things to delegate! This one is my favorite one! I say it all the time, you can’t build a successful business all alone.  You need people to support you and to wave their genius wand in areas of your business where you are lacking.  I love delegating because I’ve surrounded myself with people who are geniuses at the things I am not.  That means, they love the things I loath.  They want me to give them tasks.  Imagine that… someone wants to do the work that you don’t like doing.  Seriously, it’s time to delegate!
10. Exercise! Let’s face it, these are stressful times.  Don’t just veg out on the couch and watch Netflix or hide in your home office trying to do numbers 1 – 9.  Carve out some time to do yoga before the rest of the house wakes up and asks for breakfast.  Take the family out for a walk.  Get moving.  Exercise is a great stress reducer and will help you to maintain a positive balance and outlook.  You can only give the best of you if you are at your best.  Make yourself a priority.  You’re worth it.

I’ve listed several resources and links to other blog articles so that you can continue learning how to make the best of this time.  I’m working through some of these things over the next couple of weeks myself.  Check in… comment or shoot me an email and tell me how you’re doing.  I’d love to help celebrate your accomplishments as you work through this list.

Need More?

Need a little more guidance planning for the success of your business? I'll let you in on a secret - I need guidance all the time!  Really!  The absolute best thing I have ever done for my business was to decide not to do it all alone.

That's why I built the DoverDrive Experience.  I know what it's like to carry the weight of a growing business on your shoulders and feel the pressure of having to know everything at all times.  It's exhausting and impossible.

Inside the DoverDrive Experience, you're getting learning/doing content shared with you EVERY week.  That means you create a cycle of business development.

You see, the biggest mistake that business owners make is that they only work ON their business when something isn't going right or when they don't have enough business to meet financial goals.  The truth is, if you work on yourbusiness continuously, you'd have less problems and less periods of feast or famine.

Join us inside the DoverDrive Experience and let's get started GROWING your business.