Shift Focus to Drive Strategic Growth

Is your business stuck on autopilot? Discover how to break free from the daily grind and start thinking like a CEO. In today's episode of the Morning Mindset Podcast, I'm Craig Skelton, and we'll explore how shifting your focus from merely running your business to strategically growing it can transform your entrepreneurial journey. Learn why it's essential to carve out time for big-picture thinking, planning for future growth, and optimizing your processes to avoid burnout and stagnation.

We'll discuss the undeniable benefits of working on your business, such as achieving strategic growth and improved efficiency. You'll find out how to create systems that not only save you time but also reduce stress, leaving you more space for creativity and innovation. Tune in for actionable tips on how to align your daily operations with your long-term vision, stay motivated, and keep your business moving forward. This episode is your guide to maintaining your sanity while scaling new heights.

Watch the episode on YouTube youtube.com/@themorning-mindset

Looking for one to one mentoring, visit my website to see how it works craigskelton.co.uk

Transcript

Speaker 0: 0:00

Welcome to the Morning Mindset Podcast with me, craig Skelton. Kick off your morning with positivity, actionable insights and the motivation you need to conquer the day. Whether you're looking to develop a positive mindset, a habit of persistence or simply starting your day on the right foot, this podcast is your daily dose of inspirational and practical advice. On today's episode, it's about the importance of spending time working on your business, not just in it. We often get caught up in the day-to-day tasks handling clients, managing the overall business and ticking off the to-dos but if you're not careful, these small tasks will just consume all your time, leaving no space to focus on the bigger picture. So today we're getting into why working on your business is essential for growth, success and sanity too, and how to make it happen. So first things first. First of all, what do we actually mean by working on your business, not just in it? So working in your business is about the tasks that keep the wheels turning. This will include everything from responding to emails, handling your client inquiries, managing day-to-day overall operations. It's essential work, no doubt, absolutely is. It's also work that can keep you trapped in a reactive mode, always responding, always managing. Whereas working on your business is about stepping back. It's about thinking strategically and looking at the bigger picture. It's time spent evaluating where your business is heading, planning planning for future growth, assessing your business processes, developing your brand, creating systems that will make your business more efficient. It's about asking yourself questions like what can I improve? What's the long term vision? What's my long term goal? How can I scale this? It's a difference between being the technician and being the CEO and, let's be honest, when you're self-employed or running a small business, it's easy to get stuck in a technician mode. But if you don't take a step back and give yourself the mental space to work on the business, it will stagnate or, worse, it could even fail.

Speaker 0: 2:07

What are the benefits of working on your business? The first one is strategic growth. One of the most obvious benefits of working on your business is that it allows strategic growth. When you're constantly immersed in the day-to-day tasks, you don't have time to plan for expansions or improvement. But when you take a step back and look at your business at a higher level, you can identify areas for growth, innovation and expansion, and this is where the real progress happens. When you call time to evaluate your goals, your strategies, you start spotting opportunities to focus on scaling your business, tapping into new markets that you might not have thought of, or creating more efficient processes. And without this time, you might miss opportunities simply because you're too busy with the day-to-day grind. And the second thing is improved efficiency. When you take time to work on your business, you can also focus on systems and processes that improve efficiency. This might mean automating certain tasks or delegating more effectively, if they can, or find tools or software that will streamline your business.

Speaker 0: 3:13

Improved efficiency doesn't just mean less work. It means working better. You'll have more time to focus on the high impact activities, the ones that actually drive your business forward. It'll also mean a bottlenecks and less stress. Who wouldn't want less stress?

Speaker 0: 3:28

Taking time to work on your business gives you clarity. It's easy to lose sight of your long-term goals when you're in the trenches day to day. By setting aside time to evaluate and re-evaluate where you're headed, you can adjust the course when necessary. Are you still aligned with your original vision? Is there something that needs to change? Clarity drives motivation. When you have a clear understanding of your direction and purpose, it's easier to stay motivated, even when the daily tasks pile up. You'll know that you're working towards something greater than just ticking off a to-do list and then the next thing it it will increase innovation.

Speaker 0: 4:05

Time spent working on your business allows space for creativity and innovation. When you're not caught up in the small details, your brain has room to think about new ideas, new services, new ways to solve problems. You give yourself permission to dream bigger and to envision the next evolution of your business. When was the last time you felt excited about a new idea? It doesn't come usually from answering emails. It comes from thinking ahead, strategizing and innovating. And the next thing is it will help a healthier work-life balance. Ironically, taking time to work on your business can actually improve your work-life balance. By focusing on the bigger picture and creating more effective systems, you'll free up more time, time that you can spend on your personal life or just something that you enjoy doing. Working on your business means that you're setting up the infrastructure for it to run smoothly without needing your constant presence. And that's the dream, surely to build something that doesn't consume every waking minute of your life.

Speaker 0: 5:06

So let's look at the flip side of this, the consequence of neglecting this essential work. The first thing is stagnation. The most obvious risk is stagnation If you don't set aside time to think about the future of your business. It's not going to grow. You'll be stuck in the cycle of maintaining this core while I don't know which might work for, but eventually you'll hit a ceiling. Growth doesn't happen by accident. It requires intentional effort, and this could lead to burnout.

Speaker 0: 5:34

If you're always working in your business and never step back, burnout is inevitable. You can only hustle for so long. Without systems and strategies in place, you'll find you're doing everything manually, which leads to exhaustion and eventually, resentment for the business that you once loved. And the next thing is missed opportunities. When you're too focused on today, you miss opportunities for tomorrow. You might have a new trend or a new client base or a chance to pivot in a more profitable direction. Without that dedicated time to think strategically, you have the foresight needed to capitalize on these opportunities. And then the next thing is lack of direction. Without time to reflect on your business's direction, you might find yourself feeling you'd be working hard, but without a clear understanding of why are you doing it or where is it taking you, and that lack of direction will eventually lead to a lack of motivation.

Speaker 0: 6:25

Now that I've explored why working on your business is so crucial, let's talk about how to make it happen. The first thing is book it in the diary. You will not neglect a meeting with a client, so don't neglect your time to work on your business schedule, whether it's an hour each morning or a dedicated day each week, or doing something away from the business every single quarter. This time is non-negotiable. The second thing is delegate. If you find yourself constantly caught up with tasks that someone else could handle, delegate them, either somebody in your business or a third party, for you know this time is essential if you want to take a step back to work on the bigger picture.

Speaker 0: 7:02

And then the next thing to do is create a vision. If you're not sure where to start, begin with a vision. Where do you want your business to be in a year's time, five years time, ten years time? Use that vision to guide your strategic thinking and planning. So that's it. That's today's episode. Just remember what working in your business keeps it going absolutely. But working on your business keeps it going absolutely. But working on your business is where it grows. Get that time in your diary. Create systems and always keep your eyes on the bigger picture. Stay motivated, stay focused, stay positive and run your own race.