What does smart growth really mean?

What does smart growth really mean?

Let’s talk about something that’s near and dear to my heart: smart growth. Now, I know it might not sound like the sexiest topic, but trust me, it’s a game-changer. 

In this crazy modern world, we often find ourselves stuck in the busy trap, juggling a million things and feeling like we’re building a plane while flying it. 

Sound familiar?

Fear not! Today, I want to empower you to refocus, reclaim your time freedom, and stop juggling all those balls. 

It’s time to experience peak performance, both for yourself and your team, and leverage the power of smart growth in your business.

So, what exactly does smart growth mean?

Well, imagine a little triangle in front of you. At its foundation lies having a solid business strategy and plan. This is where it all begins. 

You can have the best plan in the world, but without action and a bigger vision and purpose driving it, it’s all for naught. 

Now, let’s get real for a moment. 

Chaos often creeps in when systems and structures fail to keep up with rapid business growth. 

As business owners, we become everything to everyone, losing sight of the big picture. But I promise, you can overcome this chaos.

First and foremost, you need to step back and reconnect with your vision and make sure this is a part of your business strategy. 

It’s not just about your business vision, you also need to get clear on your personal vision. 

Ask yourself… 

  • What impact do I want to make in the world? 
  • What legacy do I want to leave? 

Reconnecting to your passion is crucial to weathering the storms and staying motivated.

Once you have that vision locked in, it’s time to dive into the nitty-gritty of planning out your strategy. Break it down into manageable chunks—90-day periods work great. 

Set clear goals and define the actions that will bring you closer to those goals. Create a roadmap for success, and remember to regularly review and adjust your plan as needed.

TOP TIP: Don’t forget the power of the weekly “five to thrive.” This is where you identify the top five actions that will propel your business forward each week. It keeps you focused, accountable, and on track.

Smart growth is about more than just planning though. It’s also about connecting the dots between sales and profit. Remember that triangle in front of you? 

All three elements fit into the triangle – the plan as well as a focus on sales, and profit. All three must work together harmoniously for long term, sustainable success.

Even if it feels impossible, now is the time to embrace smart growth and bid farewell to chaos. 

Take a step back, reconnect with your vision, and create a strategic plan that will guide you toward your goals. Incorporate a separate focus on sales (including targets and how you’ll achieve it) and profit (including targets and how you’ll achieve it). Ps. if you want a hand with this, our ‘Create a 6 Month Business Plan in 60 minutes workshop might be just what you need.

Break it down into manageable chunks, and take action every step of the way.

Remember, your business is meant to thrive, not just survive. And with smart growth as your secret weapon, you’ll be unstoppable. 

It’s time to reclaim your time, your sanity, and your success. If you’re feeling inspired and ready to take action, let’s make it happen! 

Download our Smart Growth Checklist here and unlock the power of smart growth in your business. It’s time to transform chaos into clarity and take your success to new heights.

With an instinctive curiosity for human behaviour, over 20 years of experience in sales and leadership, Nicky and Ness are obsessed with helping women in business break the cycles that hold them back from creating profitable businesses they love, without sacrificing time or life. 

Each having run their own successful coaching businesses for 7 years, they came together to start Business Together working with female led, service-based businesses with teams.

Their clients have often experienced rapid growth not being able to keep up with the systems, structures, and team growth. As a result the business owner gets stuck in the busy trap, they’re juggling all the balls in business and find themselves in a place of business chaos. 

If this sounds like you, book a complimentary chat with Nicky and Ness to see if they can help you find time freedom again, get peak performance within the team and have a focus on smart growth in the business.

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The key to being productive when you’re super busy is not to do more

The key to being productive when you’re super busy is not to do more

I know the feeling of being caught up in the chaos, where your to-do list seems never-ending and your business feels like a whirlwind of activity. 

It’s easy to get overwhelmed and lose sight of what truly matters. 

But here’s a secret: the key to being productive when you’re super busy is not to do more.

In fact, doing more will only leave you feeling even more chaotic. 

Instead, it’s time to shift your focus to who you’re ‘being.’ 

Who you’re being refers to the qualities, mindset, and energy that you embody in your actions and interactions. 

It encompasses your attitude, beliefs, values, and how you show up in the world. 

It’s about the essence of your being and the way you carry yourself in your personal and professional life. 

By focusing on who you’re being, you can align your actions with your goals, cultivate a positive mindset, and bring your authentic self to every situation.

 

The Perfect Mix of Doing and Being:

Let’s see where you sit on the scheme of things. 

Which of these four areas do you relate to the most?

  1. Stuck: You feel paralysed and overwhelmed by the sheer amount of things to do. You’re unsure of where to start, and the busyness around you is suffocating.
  2. Ineffective: You’re applying various strategies like focusing on work-life balance, mindfulness, and setting boundaries, but you still find yourself not being effective in the business. Your to-do list keeps piling up, and you struggle to take action.
  3. Whirlwind: You’re constantly in motion, taking massive action, but you can’t shake off the feeling that you’re not making any progress. Your days are filled with rush and hustle, leaving no room for downtime or quiet reflection.
  4. Momentum: You have found your flow, striking a balance between action and being. You have downtime, you handle challenges with ease, and your daily tasks are purposeful, bringing you closer to your goals.

 

Unveiling the Clues to Unlocking Peak Performance: 

To transition from being stuck, ineffective, or trapped in a whirlwind to achieving momentum, you need to examine three critical areas:

  • Energy:

Taking care of yourself is essential. Are you getting enough sleep? Hydrating properly? Moving your body regularly? Prioritising active recovery? Remember, to be at your best, you need to nurture your physical well-being.

  • Emotions and Mindset:

Your emotions and mindset play a crucial role in your productivity. Injecting joy and fun into your work mix can enhance your performance and that of your team. Identify the patterns and beliefs that might be holding you back, and turn them around to propel you forward.

  • Prioritisation and Outcomes:

Tools like having a 90-day business strategy and weekly five-to-thrive can help you prioritise effectively. By focusing on meaningful outcomes and taking action with purpose, you can stay on course toward your goals.

 

Harnessing the Power of Being and Doing: 

When you bring together the elements of who you’re being and what you’re doing, magic happens. 

You unlock the potential for peak performance and empower your team to excel. 

Being mindful of who you are being and combining it with purposeful action creates a harmonious environment where success thrives.

Nicky is a Coach and Mentor for Women in Business with 2 decades experience in sales and leadership. She’s been working in the professional coaching space while running her own business over the last 7 years.  

Nicky's obsessed with helping women break the cycles in business that hold them back from creating profitable businesses they love, without having to sacrifice time or life.  

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3 ways to make sure your business doesn’t suck the life out of you

3 ways to make sure your business doesn’t suck the life out of you

As women in business, we have big dreams and ambitions – whether it’s to scale the business, inspire our people or simply achieve better work-life balance. 

But, according to a 2021 Women’s Agenda Report, 39% of women are worried that burnout will hinder their progress, not just due to the post-pandemic environment but I would also suggest the long-standing hustle culture we’re accustomed to.  

Additionally, 47% of these women lack confidence in their abilities, which may prevent them from achieving their ambitions in the next two years.   

These concerns can be significant obstacles that hold women business owners back from reaching their full potential. 

It’s no wonder that so many of us feel like we’re stuck in the busy trap, constantly juggling our responsibilities and struggling to find time for ourselves.  

This self-doubt can lead us to take on too much, always feeling like we have something to prove and afraid to say no for fear of being judged. 

But the truth is, there is a way out of this cycle. By taking a balanced approach and getting clear on what we want our ideal business and ideal day to look like, we can start to make real changes and live up to our full potential. 

To do this, we need to focus on three key things:

  1. Focus on business growth on your own terms: Don’t fall into the trap of trying to keep up with others. Stay true to yourself and your values, and grow your business in a way that aligns with your goals and vision.
  2. Managing your money in the business and having a plan to build wealth outside of it: financial stability is key to achieving the life you want. Make sure you’re not just focused on the day-to-day operations of your business, but also planning for your long-term financial goals.
  3. Prioritise life every day, every week, and every month: As women, we often put ourselves last, especially when it comes to our busy lives as business owners. But self-care, joy, and personal fulfilment are essential for maintaining a healthy work-life balance. So, make sure you’re not only focusing on your responsibilities (in and out of the business) but also incorporating activities that bring you joy and happiness.

There’s a great saying by Brazilian lyricist and novelist Paulo Coelho, “If it costs you your peace, it’s too expensive.” 

Don’t let your business drain the life out of you. It’s time to take control, find the confidence to take the steps towards change, and prioritise what’s truly important. 

If you need help achieving these goals, do our (free) mini Business Health Check here. You can start to create a roadmap to success that aligns with your vision and empowers you to reach your full potential in just a few minutes.

Nicky is a Coach and Mentor for Women in Business with 2 decades experience in sales and leadership. She’s been working in the professional coaching space while running her own business over the last 7 years.  

Nicky's obsessed with helping women break the cycles in business that hold them back from creating profitable businesses they love, without having to sacrifice time or life.  

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Beyond Babushka Dolls: How Shared Goals Can Propel Your Business to Success

Beyond Babushka Dolls: How Shared Goals Can Propel Your Business to Success

It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that you’re the only one who can come up with the best business plan and make things happen.

But the truth is, leveraging smart growth in your business means involving everyone in the team.

Research shows that when the whole team takes accountability to achieve high-performance results, it leads to increased productivity, engagement, and profitability.

In fact, a study by the Institute for Corporate Productivity found that companies that promote collaborative working are five times as likely to be high-performing compared to those that don’t. 

So, how can you get your team accountable to the high-performance results and expectations in the business?

One effective way is to have team members, especially salespeople, create and present their plan to the team with quarterly updates. This not only holds them accountable but also keeps everyone informed and motivated.

Your team members’ individual planning and goals feed into the overarching strategy and goals of the business.

In other words, everyone in the team needs to be aligned to the bigger picture and also be striving for their own goals.

When each team member takes ownership of their responsibilities and is accountable for achieving their goals, it creates a ripple effect throughout the entire business.

Just like the Babushka dolls, each layer adds to the bigger picture, and when all the layers work together in harmony, it creates a strong and united team.

On the other hand, if you try to do everything yourself, you may end up feeling overwhelmed and stressed out. Not only will your business growth suffer, you’re missing out on a massive engagement opportunity with your team.

If you’re feeling stuck in the busy trap and feeling like your business is chaotic, it’s time to leverage smart growth in your business and involve everyone in the process.

Book a clarity call with me today, and let’s discuss how we can work together to achieve peak performance through collaborative working.

 

Nicky is a Coach and Mentor for Women in Business with 2 decades experience in sales and leadership. She’s been working in the professional coaching space while running her own business over the last 7 years.  

Nicky's obsessed with helping women break the cycles in business that hold them back from creating profitable businesses they love, without having to sacrifice time or life.  

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How to Stop Worrying About Missed Opportunities in Your Business

How to Stop Worrying About Missed Opportunities in Your Business

Picture this: you’re a business owner with a never-ending to-do list. 

You’re constantly juggling client enquiries, trying to ensure that your customer experience is top-notch, and worrying if you’re charging the right amount for your services. 

It’s overwhelming, to say the least. 

Think about it: every time you receive a client enquiry, you’re probably starting from scratch. You have to think about how to respond, what information to provide, and how to move the process forward. 

It’s time-consuming and inefficient. 

But what if you didn’t have to ‘think’ at each step?

What if you could be 100% confident that every single team member delivers a consistent, high quality experience to prospects and potential clients, no matter how busy they are?

How?

Look at the convert and nurture piece of your sales process (to check out more about what a good overall sales process looks like check out this article.).

80% of sales require 5 follow up calls after the meeting yet 44% of people give up after 1 follow up call. How many follow up calls do you and your team make? 

If it’s less than 4, you’re leaving money on the table!

91% of customers say they’d give a referral, yet only 11% of sales people ask.

If you don’t ask for referrals, you’re leaving money on the table!

If you have a solid sales process in place, including a focus on convert and nurture – you’re not relying on your (or your teams) memory to lock in these sales. 

Take some time to evaluate the convert and nurture aspects to your sales processes and identify areas where you can create replicable systems. 

Doing this will free up space for you to concentrate on higher quality problems and decisions without the niggling feeling that you’re leaving money on the table. 

Trust me, you won’t regret it. 

As always, if you need a hand with this, send us a message and let’s chat! 

Nicky is a Coach and Mentor for Women in Business with 2 decades experience in sales and leadership. She’s been working in the professional coaching space while running her own business over the last 7 years.  

Nicky's obsessed with helping women break the cycles in business that hold them back from creating profitable businesses they love, without having to sacrifice time or life.  

Supercharge Your Business!

Join us to receive expert podcast episodes and tips on how to achieve the work-life balance you've been craving while still watching your business grow.

Profit is not an event

Profit is not an event

If you’re not earning the profit you want to, it could be because of one of these reasons…

  • Your sales figures aren’t high enough
  • You don’t put any attention towards knowing your profit
  • You’re bleeding expenses

When it comes to creating a profitable business (not just one that pays everyone else and not you!) then being purposeful is essential.

And it’s not just about earning more income.

Because there’s no point in earning more if there’s no profit as a result.

So how do you know that your business is profitable?

Traditionally, we’re taught to figure out our profit we simply take our income and subtract our expenses.

The problem I have with this thinking is that it’s easy to spend to match our income.

And there’s never any money left over.

I prefer to consider the formula differently:

EXPENSES + PROFIT = INCOME

This makes us more purposeful when it comes to setting our income targets.

And if your business is leaking money, then it’s time to get intentional.

The way you do this is by high-quality questions about your expenses.

Go through your Profit and Loss statement for the last 6 months line by line and ask yourself:

  • Was this spending planned?
  • If not, for what purpose am I investing my money into this expense?
  • How is this expense going to deliver value to me and/or provide a return on investment?

Making it a habit to regularly review your expenses, your pricing and your profit targets will help you to earn the profit you deserve.

Because in the wise words of Mike Michalowicz (the guy who wrote Profit First):

“Profit is not an event. It’s a habit.”

Ness is a Coach and Mentor for women in business. With extensive experience in executive leadership, she started her own professional coaching business 7 years ago and since has worked with women to help them create business and financial success on their terms. 

Ness is obsessed with helping women break the cycles in business that hold them back from creating profitable businesses they love, without having to sacrifice time or life.  

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Join us to receive expert podcast episodes and tips on how to achieve the work-life balance you've been craving while still watching your business grow.