Even though I’m a HUGE Carolina Panthers fan, I have absolutely nothing but respect and admiration for Drew Brees, the quarterback of our division rival, the New Orleans Saints. I should probably have a better idea of our won-loss record against the Saints, and I think we have a pretty good winning percentage against them few years that Brees has been there, but every time we’re set to play them it makes for a nervous week leading up to the game.
Why? Because plain and simple he’s one of the best.
Sure, there are guys like Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, and Brett Favre that get a lot of the attention, but the numbers that Brees has put up the past few years have really made him unavoidable. He came within just a handful of yards last year of breaking Dan Marino’s record for most passing yards in a season, and this year he became the most accurate quarterback in NFL history.
None of that happens without a great deal of hard work and preparation and that’s one of the reasons I love everything about Drew Brees.
You see, running a business can be a lot like playing quarterback in the NFL. You’ve got to know EVERYTHING that’s going on at all times and you’re responsible for directing the show. Your teammates (or employees) are depending on you to give them direction and they’re watching you to see how you react when the going gets tough.
When you get in that huddle at the two minute warning and need to drive down for a touchdown, they’d better see that steely resolve in your eyes and hear it in your voice or you’re not going to be successful.
You also need to put in the work ahead of time. If you’re just showing up on game day, but you haven’t done your homework, you haven’t studied your competition, and you don’t have a solid game plan in place, whether it’s football or in business, you’re in big trouble.
Drew Brees is an incredible example of how to do it right. As a business owner, I’m always watching and looking for people I can emulate and follow to help me improve myself and my business. I can tell you that in spite of the team he plays for, Drew Brees is one of those guys.
Check out these videos and see exactly what I’m talking about:
I know it’s easy to get down and depressed when you read or watch the daily news reports about what’s going on in the economy. Unemployment’s still a huge concern, taxes appear to be headed up, and consumers are spending less yet the competition remains as fierce and competitive as always.
While there really isn’t much I can do about any of those things, what I can tell you is that in reality, none of it really matter.
I know, I know. I can hear you now, “None of that really WHAT!?!”
Listen, one thing that holds true for any business, no matter the industry and no matter what’s happening in the economy, is the simple fact that you control your destiny. That’s right, YOU’RE IN CONTROL.
How can I say this with such confidence?
First, because you have to start seeing your business for what it really is, a provider of products and/or services that people want, need, and will happily pay for no matter what the talking heads on TV or radio say. Sure, things are little scary out in the real world right now, but people haven’t stopped spending money. They haven’t cut up all their credits cards and they haven’t taken to raising their own cattle and planting gardens. At least not yet.
What this means is that there is still plenty of business to be had, if you’re willing to go out and get it.
Second, you’re in control because most of your competition is simply hunkering down just hoping to make it out of this mess alive. They’re of the mistaken mindset that if they can just last long enough for things to turn around that they’ll soon be whistling Dixie once again.
I hate to be the bearer of bad news for these folks, but that ain’t gonna happen. While things are certainly tough, it’s definitely NOT the time to sit back and wish for better days.
To not only survive, but ultimately thrive in today’s marketplace you MUST be actively engaged in growing your business. That means investing in new marketing campaigns, training your employees, finding ways to improve your produce or service, and just looking for ways to get more business.
Is that a scary proposition? It can be, but not if you have a solid plan in place and you’ve figured out how to differentiate yourself from the competition.
So if you’re goal is to do more than simply survive the storm, then you’d better figure out a way to invest what resources you do have so you can continue to expand your customer base and ultimately, your business. If you don’t, chances are you’ll be even more in tune with what the latest unemployment report says because that number might just include you!
One of the biggest challenges to growing any successful business is figuring out how to get all the things done that are on your ‘To Do’ list. If you’re anything like me, it seems as if the list never goes away and in many cases, seems to multiply like rabbits!
Well, while I definitely no expert at being super-productive, I have found a few things to be extremely beneficial when trying to make sure I satisfy all of my responsibilities and obligations. Here’s a list of the top 5:
- Make a plan. I’m sure you’ve heard the saying, “if you fail to plan you plan to fail.” While I won’t go as far as to say that’s 100% accurate, I do certainly think it has some merit.
If you don’t know what you’re supposed to do and when you’re supposed to do it, chances are you’ll get caught up in one fire drill or another and before you know the day/week/month will be long gone. Taking just a few minutes at the beginning of each new work period will do wonders for your ability to get things done simply because you’ll have focus and direction.
- Be super-disciplined. This one can be extremely tough. Believe me, I know! However, once you’ve gone through the exercise of planning out your days or weeks, you’re only halfway there.
Now you have to actually carry through with your plan and I’ll be the first to admit it’s NOT easy! There is never a shortage of distractions or reasons to procrastinate so you’ve got to develop some discipline to make sure you can remain focused on the task at hand when the temptation is there to divert your attention.
- Set self-imposed deadlines. Unless you give yourself a time limit in which to accomplish your various tasks, chances are you’ll drag the task on for much longer than you want.
Setting deadlines and time limits will go a long way towards helping you complete the myriad of tasks you have planned each day.
- Hold yourself accountable. Being self-employed and running your own business definitely has its advantages and disadvantages, and the fact there’s no one standing over you making sure you get things done can be both a blessing and a curse.
Remember, just as there’s no one telling you how much money you can make, there isn’t anyone telling you when to get things done. This means you’ve got to be the one to make sure you get things done when you say you’ll get them done.
- Allow for some flexibility. Plain and simple, life happens. Fires pop up. Issues arise. Plans get interrupted. As a result, it’s important to have some flexibility, both in terms of planning your time and in how you actually use your time.
By having some flexibility built into your plans and mode of operation you give yourself the ability to make course corrections so that you can continually be working on the HIGHEST PRIORITY tasks at all times.
Remember, success in business ultimately boils down to providing a good value for your customers and the more productive you’re able to be, the more opportunity you have to create solutions for your customers. The more solutions you’re able to create or actually deliver, the more customers you’ll have and the more money you’ll generate.
As a result, finding a way to maximize your time and be super-productive should at the top of every entreprenuers list!
