It is never a dog’s life when you own a trade business. It can feel like you’re barking mad a lot of the time! For many trade business owners, the gnawing sense that stuff has to get done never ever goes away.
It is totally exhausting – sleepless nights, mental list taking, thoughts about the things you’ve forgotten to do, plus all the things you’ve got to do! What generally happens when the mind is running wild with competing tasks? Most of us multitask.
And life continues to play out like a dog’s breakfast.
In this article, we consider the idea that doing just one small thing – just one – can change your trade business forever.
What’s the bigger picture?
If you’ve been chasing your tail for a while now, you’re probably getting further away from where you want your life and trade business to be. When the nitty-gritty is pulling you in a zillion directions, the likelihood is, you’re not getting any closer to making a profit or living the life you set out to achieve by starting your own business.
The problem is, you don’t have a clear focus. There is no plan in place.
This is not rocket science. However, sometimes, each of us needs a little reminder that having a plan provides the exact steps and actions we need to fetch the results.
What’s the bigger picture for you? Start by chunking it down into digestible pieces. For example, at Lifestyle Tradie, we work with our members on 120-day plans. The purpose of these plans is to create priorities and ultimately, progress.
In the best-selling book, The One Thing, author Gary Keller notes:
“ … Extraordinary results are directly determined by how narrow you can make the focus.”
Is multitasking taking a toll on your trade business?
What small shift can you make today?
Once you recognise multitasking is not the best way to kick goals, the next question is, what can you actually do to make a difference? If there is a mishmash of priorities on your plate, work out the top three to-dos on any given day.
If time is still the enemy, choose just one thing to tick off the list. Just one.
Here are some ‘things’ you can do to help move the needle today:
- Calculate money you have outstanding
- Get up-to-date with your quoting
- Activate a debt collection plan
- Ask a happy customer for a testimonial
- Research job management systems (if you don’t have one)
- Review your customer experience – and so on.
What Lifestyle Tradie’s Ange and Andy have to say
For Ange, a Russian proverb published in The One Thing resonates with her about the importance of having a clear and narrow focus:
“If you chase two rabbits, you will not catch either”.
For example, Ange believes simply making your bed in the morning is one thing that can set you up for a positive day. It reinforces the fact the little things matter.
There is one small thing Andy reckons many trade business owners can make which will have a significant impact on quote conversions – making a follow-up phone call to the customer after presenting a quote.
There is no right or wrong answer. You need to figure out your one thing, which will sharpen your focus and reduce your reliance on multitasking.
Finally, while your trade business may be ready for a significant transformation, for now, making some small changes will get the ball rolling for bigger things to come.
What’s next?
- Join our Kick-Ass Tradies Facebook Group, for access to trade business specific conversations, tips and resources, plus a like-minded community of tradies.
- Book a 15-minute Game Plan Call with Andy, owner of Dr. DRiP plumbing and co-founder of Lifestyle Tradie, to clarify your priorities and get clear action steps.
