Chooseday – Here’s what I’ve learnt

 

Thinking of starting your own business or have a business that you want to rejuvenate?

I can’t tell you the number of people who have told me they would love to start their own business if only they had the time or money to do so. But it’s not the time or the money that’s holding them back.

Here is what I’ve learnt over the last seven years of having my own business in Australia, and what I had learnt from other organisations and people in South Africa before that.

Here it is: It’s critical to have the right person in the right position. In any business.

If you are starting out or are a solopreneur: then it’s critical that you know yourself so you know what type of people you need to help you fill your own gaps. If you have a team, you need to have the right people on the bus, in the right seats. (According to Jim Collins in Good to Great).

What kind of personality do you have? Are you great at starting things but lack the consistency to continue routine tasks that need doing? Or are you a solid consistent person that is great at building established businesses?

One of the first things I do when someone starts working with me, is to run them (and their team) through a behavioral profiling tool called Extended DISC. This helps you understand what your unique style is. When we combine this with your goals, your dreams, your past successes (and challenges!), it gives you a really great perspective on who you are as a person.

Some people discover themselves for the first time. Others realize what they may have known (but forgot) about themselves. Just last week I was told “I now realize I was trying to play small, I’m much better with a larger project. I need to use my talents”.

Tools alone don’t help you with your business, it’s how they get applied. Having a really good conversation with someone who asks you “awkward” questions, the ones that really make you think, is vitally important.

Life deals us challenges, highs and lows. If you have been through lots of change, it can boost your confidence and it can lower it. You may feel great and optimistic during the day, and wonder if you’re ever going to get it right late at night.

So even more important than having the right person in the right position, let’s turn it to you. Are you in the right business, the right job or the right position for you?

Have an awesome Chooseday!

With love and gratitude,

Jill