How to Systematise Your Business for Greater Efficiency and Stepping Away Stress-Free

As a business owner, you are constantly balancing the needs of your customers with the demands of running a successful business. You’re always looking for ways to increase profits and reduce costs, while ensuring you provide the best service possible.

One way to do this is to systematise your business. By systemising your business processes, you can save time and money, create greater efficiency, and free up your schedule so that you can step away from your business more often.

Let’s explore how to go about systematising your business.

Create Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)

The most important thing in any successful systemisation process is having standard operating procedures (SOPs) in place. These are written instructions that describe how tasks should be completed within an organisation—they detail the who, what, when, where and why of a particular task or process.

This information should be written down so that everyone in the organisation understands their roles and responsibilities in relation to completing specific tasks.

Having SOPs will make it easier for new employees to get up-to-speed on their duties quickly as well as minimise mistakes due to lack of communication or misunderstanding between colleagues.

Make Use of Automation Tools

Once you have created SOPs for each task or job role in your organisation, it’s time to start automating these processes wherever possible. Automating certain processes can help save time and money by streamlining workflows and removing unnecessary steps from daily operations.

There are many tools available that allow you to automate certain tasks like scheduling appointments or sending out invoices automatically at pre-set intervals. And if automation isn’t needed for a particular task or process yet, then consider investing in software solutions that integrate with other applications and systems in order to streamline operations across multiple departments simultaneously.

Analyse Your Systems

Finally, it’s important that you regularly review and analyse your systems once they are implemented so that they remain efficient at all times.

Consider using analytics tools such as Google Analytics or heatmaps in order to measure user engagement with different areas of your website or app – this can help identify potential issues before they become major problems.

It also helps keep track of customer feedback so that changes can be made quickly if necessary.

The Benefits of Systematising Your Business

The biggest benefit of systematising and automating tasks in your business is that it frees up time for yourself so that you can step away from the day-to-day operations of the business without worrying about whether things are still running smoothly in your absence.

Additionally, systems and automation allow you to provide consistent customer service regardless of who is interacting with customers at any given time—which helps foster trust among customers while also saving you stress and worry about whether customers are getting the experience they deserve every single time they interact with you or one of your employees.

Finally, setting up these systems also makes it easier to delegate tasks because everyone involved knows exactly what needs to be done—so there’s no confusion or miscommunication between team members when it comes time for task distribution (which can save heaps of time).

Systematising your business is essential if you want to ensure maximum efficiency while reducing costs over time. By creating standard operating procedures (SOPs) for each task or job role within your organisation, automating where possible using various tools, and analysing regular data points through analytics platforms like Google Analytics – you will be able set yourself apart from the competition while freeing up more time for yourself outside of work!

Doing this will not only benefit you but also those around you who depend on a well-organised business environment!  Allowing more freedom away from work means more quality time spent with family & friends which will ultimately improve both mental health & wellbeing!

There are plenty of professionals out there who specialise in helping business owners and entrepreneurs build systems so that their businesses run smoothly even when they’re not around – so don’t hesitate to reach out for assistance today!

Live with purpose,

Kristian Livolsi

The Benefits of Positive Cash Flow in Business

As a business owner, you know that having a positive cash flow is essential to the success of your company. A positive cash flow indicates that money is coming into your business faster than it is going out. This gives you the financial stability and flexibility to invest in new projects, hire additional employees, and expand your customer base. But what are the long-term benefits of having a positive cash flow? Let’s take a look.

Increased Revenue 

Having a positive cash flow means that more money is coming into your business than going out. When this happens, you can reinvest that money into areas of your business like marketing or growing staff to increase revenue. By investing in areas that will bring more money into your business, you can grow the overall value of your company over time. 

Improved Credit Score 

When you have a positive cash flow in your business, it shows lenders that you are responsible with managing expenses and generating enough income to pay them back on time. This can help improve your credit score so if you ever need additional financing for future investments or projects, lenders will be more likely to approve loan applications or give favorable terms and interest rates.  

Better Financial Planning 

Having a consistent positive cash flow also helps make budgeting easier because you have an accurate picture of how much money is coming into and going out of the company each month. This gives you better insight when planning finances for upcoming projects or expenses so you can make informed decisions based on realistic expectations rather than guesswork or estimates. 

The Relationship between Profits and Cash Flow 

When most people think about the health of their business, they think about how much money they are making in profits. While profit is an important metric and indicator of success, it doesn’t always tell the full picture. A company may report high profits but could still be struggling due to a lack of cash flow. 

This can happen if there are large accounts receivable balances that haven’t been paid yet or if there are long lead times on customer payments. In these cases, profits may look good on paper but the reality is that there isn’t enough actual cash coming in to cover all of the expenses associated with running the business. This is where having a positive cash flow becomes critical; without it, businesses will struggle to stay afloat. 

How to Improve Your Cash Flow 

The best way to improve your cash flow is by reducing how long it takes customers to pay their invoices and increasing how quickly you pay out expenses and bills for goods and services rendered. Of course, this isn’t always easy or straightforward as customers may not be willing or able to pay quicker than 30 days or you may need more time to review bills before paying them out.

However, providing incentives such as discounts for paying earlier can encourage customers to do so while also allowing your company more flexibility when paying out its own bills.  Additionally, automating billing processes whenever possible can help streamline the process while improving accuracy and efficiency in collecting payments from customers as well as processing outgoing payments from vendors or contractors.  

As business owners, managing our companies’ cash flow should always remain top-of-mind. With proper planning and implementation of strategies such as automation, incentives for early payment, and careful monitoring of accounts receivables and payables, we can ensure that our companies maintain a positive cash flow that will allow us to continue growing our businesses for years to come!

It also has numerous benefits; increased revenue, improved credit scores, and better financial planning are just some of them. It provides an extra cushion for unexpected expenses and lets owners feel confident about their financial future as they plan for growth and expansion opportunities down the line. 

If improving your cash flow is one of your goals this year, now is the perfect time to get started! Give our team a call to see how we can help 😃

Live with purpose,

Kristian Livolsi and the Business Growth Mindset Team

How to Get Clarity and Direction to Grow Your Business

As a business owner or founder, you’re often pulled in a dozen different directions, especially when you’re just starting out. You want to get your business off the ground and make it successful, but it can be hard to know where to start. It’s easy for goals and plans to become confused with day-to-day operations. Taking the time to step back and focus on getting clarity and direction can be invaluable when growing your business.

Here are three simple steps that you can use in order to get clarity and direction so that you can focus on what matters most. 

Take Time for Reflection 

The first step is taking the time for reflection. This means setting aside specific times during the week where you can sit down and think about where you want your business to go. Think about what goals you have set for yourself both long-term and short-term, as well as what steps need to be taken in order for those goals to become reality. Taking this time allows you to really evaluate what is important when it comes to growing your business. You will also get a better understanding of how each task or action contributes towards those goals thus helping you prioritise accordingly. 

Analyse Your Strengths & Weaknesses 

Once you have an idea of where your business is headed, it’s time to assess what resources are available at your disposal. What skills do you possess? What kind of tools do you have access to? Are there any areas where more training or additional personnel might be beneficial? Taking stock of both your strengths and weaknesses will help provide clarity on the path forward for achieving success with your business.

Develop an Action Plan 

Once you have taken the time for reflection, it’s important that you develop an action plan based on the goals that were identified during the reflection period. Outline a timeline of tasks that need completing in order for these goals to be achieved as well as any steps needed along the way such as identifying resources or building partnerships with other businesses or organisations.

It may seem daunting at first but having a clear plan of action will make it easier for you to stay focused on achieving your desired results while also allowing flexibility should something unexpected come up along the way. 

Prioritise Your Goals 

Finally, once your action plan has been developed it’s important to prioritise each goal according to their importance within your overall strategy. Prioritising helps ensure that tasks are completed in an efficient manner while making sure no detail gets overlooked or forgotten. Additionally, by assigning priorities it allows more flexibility when dealing with unexpected issues since more crucial tasks are already handled first before anything else gets addressed which leads us back full circle!   

Taking the time for reflection, developing an action plan, prioritising your goals, and analysing your strengths and weaknesses are essential steps towards getting clarity and direction so that your business can grow successfully over time! By following these simple steps not only will things become clearer but it will also help keep everything organised which saves both stress and energy in the long run! So take some time today and start planning out exactly how you want your business to grow now into success!

If you’d like help with this then give our team a call!

Live with purpose,

Kristian Livolsi and the Business Growth Mindset Team 

Fostering An Entrepreneurial Mindset

There is no one-size-fits-all formula for success, but there are certain traits that foster an entrepreneurial mindset. This is particularly true for women founders and business owners who must work hard to overcome the traditional gender roles and the stereotypes of what it means to be a successful entrepreneur. In this blog post, I will discuss how to cultivate an entrepreneurial mindset in order to become a successful business owner


Develop Your Ideas 

One of the most important characteristics of entrepreneurs is their ability to develop creative ideas and pivot when needed. Developing new ideas is key to staying ahead of the competition and creating something unique that stands out from the crowd. When you have a strong vision for your business, it gives you the confidence to take risks without fear of failure. You can also test different ideas out until you find the ones that work best for your business model.  


Embrace Change & Remain Flexible 

In today’s fast-paced world, change happens quickly and often unexpectedly. As an entrepreneur, it’s important to remain flexible so you can adapt quickly to changing trends and customer demands. This means embracing change rather than resisting it and having a solution-oriented approach when faced with roadblocks or unexpected changes in your business plan. It’s important to remember that every challenge provides an opportunity to learn, grow, and become better at what you do. 

   

Stay Focused On Your Goals 

It’s easy to get distracted by all of the shiny objects out there but staying focused on your goals helps prevent detours in your journey toward success. Don’t be afraid to turn down opportunities if they don’t fit into your long-term plans or add value in some way because this will help keep distractions at bay so you can stay focused on achieving your goals in a timely manner. Additionally, make sure that you set measurable goals so that you can track progress along the way as well as celebrate small wins along the way!  


Network With Other Business Owners 

Connecting with other entrepreneurs is a great way to get inspired and stay motivated while growing your business. Not only can they provide advice on how they overcame certain obstacles, but they can also offer support during difficult times or celebrate successes together! 


Utilise Your Strengths & Weaknesses To Your Advantage 

We all have strengths and weaknesses – so why not use them both to our advantage? Identifying which skills come naturally to you can help you make better decisions when it comes to delegating tasks or creating new strategies for success. On the other hand, recognising where you could use some help is just as important – don’t be afraid to ask for assistance when needed! 


Fostering an entrepreneurial mindset requires courage and determination but it can ultimately lead to great success if done right! The key elements include developing creative ideas, embracing change with a solution-oriented approach, and staying focused on measurable goals in order to keep distractions at bay while working towards realising long-term plans. By cultivating these traits, women founders and business owners are able to create something unique that stands out from the competition while creating lasting success for themselves!


If you want to go from good to great, then Get In Touch with my team and see what availability we have for 2023 to help you and your team build a market dominating, competitor crushing strategy.

It’s time you raise your standards and flourish.

Live with purpose,

Kristian Livolsi

How To Conquer Business Failure and Flourish in Hard Times

A growth mindset is a fundamental requirement for success.   When facing challenges in your business it can be the difference between success and failure. A growth mindset allows you to see what’s possible instead of being stuck in the fear of failure. 

Learning from other successful business leaders allows us to gain an insight to how we can fail forward in business. There are many great examples and Richard Branson and Elon Musk are the first to come to mind.  Both are hugely successful and both have experienced many failures in order to be successful. 

Everyday we should be learning from these masters, as well as the many businesses that surround us, including our own. 

Have you ever failed? If so, how often? What have you learnt? Have you taken those lessons and used them to move forward in your business? 

The best place to start is with you!

There are several key strategies I use with my clients to help them reflect so they can conquer failure and flourish.  What separates the victors from the victims are the five decisions every business owner needs to make. 

These five decisions include;

1. Growth Mindset

Stop denying yourself success. According to Prof Dweck, your “… most basic abilities and skills can be developed through dedication and hardwork – brains and talent are just the starting point.” This means that Individuals who believe their talents can be developed (through hard work, good strategies, and input from others) have a growth mindset. You need to practice growth mindset thinking in order to get the very best out of yourself and others.

2. People

All leaders need great people to flourish – customers, investors, partners, advisors, suppliers, talent and above all their home network. These relationships are critical.

When you fail to deal with the relationship issues in your business and life, they will drain you and leave you with very little to expend on strategy, execution and cash.

3. Strategy

Articulating a clear and differentiated strategy is critical in good times and when navigating a storm. When it’s supported by a strong culture that delivers on the brand’s promise then you can scale with confidence.

Strategic thinking is the thinking before the plan! It takes disciplined people, with disciplined thought. When was the last time you took dedicated time out to work on your strategy?  

4. Execution 

Most people start with execution and most fail here too. The key to execution is taking action on your strategy and following a proven system to get results. When all your processes are running without drama and driving profitability then you know your entire organisation is executing.

Jim Collins in Great by Choice states, “Greatness is not a function of circumstance. Greatness, it turns out, is largely of conscious choice, and discipline.”

5. Cash

You must know your numbers and you don’t need to be a numbers person to understand them.

There are three financial statements you must learn;

  • Balance Sheet
  • Profit and Loss
  • Cash Flow

Cash is king, although Gary Vee says content is king, I think both are equally king. However cash is oxygen that fuels your business growth.

For a business to flourish you need consistent sources of cash, generated internally to fuel the growth of your business.

How you think about cash and how you understand your numbers will determine your success.

If you take action on these 5 areas and your growth mindset, you will flourish in hard times.

Are you ready?

Then contact the Business Growth Mindset team to organise a free discussion about where you’re at, where you want to be and how to get there!

How Can Outsourcing Help Us In Our Business?

Outsourcing is a great way for companies to cut costs and increase profits. Outsourcing allows you to focus on what you do best, while leaving other tasks to professionals who are experts in those fields. 

Outsourcing can be done on an as needed basis or an ongoing basis, depending on the needs of your business. If you only need help with a specific project that requires specialised skills, outsourcing can be an effective solution. If you want to outsource more than just one project, then you may want to consider hiring someone full-time so that they can become familiar with your company’s needs and culture.

Business owners all over the world are jumping on the outsourcing bandwagon and some have great stories to tell, others not so good 😳, but outsourcing can be a blessing IF you know what you’re doing!

How to work with your Virtual Assistant

You need to have the right mindset around outsourcing to set you and your virtual assistant up for success.

Here are some tips we’ve found that work for us:

  1. Don’t expect to find an instant star
  2. Expect it to take 3-6 months before you see big benefits
  3. Expect to spend 1-2 hours a day for the first week or two to set your virtual assistant up for success
  4. Spend time learning about your virtual assistant’s life
  5. Don’t expect your virtual assistant to do the strategic thinking – that’s your job!
  6. Don’t overload your virtual assistant with too many tasks at once, ease them into it
  7. Communicate expectations and priorities
  8. Be aware that your first hiring may not be the perfect fit and that’s ok… Just keep going
  9. Hire for attitude, not necessarily for skill

Outsourcing the mundane tasks allows businesses to thrive and scale, as business owners free up time to work on their business instead of in their business. It also helps high level managers concentrate on high level tasks. There are just so many reasons why this is an important thing to do, no matter if you are running a business, big or small. 

And especially now, with the labour and skills shortages we have in Australia, outsourcing has never been more important. 

Virtual Assistant Tasks

Here are some tasks that we suggest you could outsource:

Email management

Email is one of the most important tools used in business today. When you have employees, it’s even more important to keep track of your email accounts. However, if you are a one-man show or have a small team, it can be difficult to keep track of all of the emails that come in and out of your inboxes.

One way to solve this problem is to hire a virtual assistant who can help manage your email accounts on a daily basis.

Customer support

Virtual assistants can take on many customer-facing roles, including answering phone calls and emails. They can also manage social media accounts and schedule meetings.

Diary management

Get a virtual assistant (VA) to help you manage your diary. VAs can do all kinds of things for you, from managing social media accounts to answering emails, but when it comes down to it, their main job is helping you schedule your time better so that you have more free time. 

They’ll book appointments for you, check your schedule against theirs and make sure that nothing clashes. They’ll also update calendars with important events or deadlines and remind you when they’re coming up so that you don’t miss anything important.

Social media management

Social media is a great way to promote your business, but it can be time consuming to manage on your own.

If you have a social media expert on your team, they will be able to handle everything for you.

However, if you don’t have the budget for a dedicated social media manager or you simply want to take things off your plate, consider hiring a virtual assistant (VA) who can assist with social media management.

Here are some things that VAs can do to help with your social media management:

Post content:

Posting content on your business’s various accounts can be time consuming and difficult for some people. A VA could post high-quality content regularly for each account.

Schedule posts:

Scheduling posts ahead of time allows you to share content at optimal times and reach more people without having to manually post every day or week. VAs could also schedule images so that they’re ready to go before posting them on different networks.

Respond to comments and messages:

Sometimes people leave comments on Facebook or Twitter with questions about products or services. Your VA could respond quickly with an answer so that customers feel heard and cared for — and potentially convert into sales!

Administrative tasks

Your virtual assistant can help you with administrative tasks. They can take care of your emails, making sure that they are sent to the right person and that they are answered in a timely manner. They can also manage your calendar and schedule meetings on your behalf. This will free up valuable time for you to do more important things.

Data entry

This task is one of the most important tasks that you can delegate to your virtual assistant. So, how do you choose the right person for this job?

Data entry can be a tedious process, but it’s also an important one. You need someone who not only knows what they’re doing, but also has a good eye for detail and accuracy.

Personal needs (Flight booking, present buying…)

Your personal assistant is your go to for all your personal needs. If you are a busy person and need a helping hand in your personal life, then you can hire a virtual assistant to free up some time. This will allow you to spend more time with family and friends, which is great for your emotional health.

Research

Virtual assistants can be great for research, especially if you’re a small business or entrepreneur. They can help you find valuable information that would otherwise be a hassle to locate on your own.

Basic bookkeeping

Basic bookkeeping is a task that requires a high level of accuracy, attention to detail and careful record-keeping. You can outsource this task to a virtual assistant who will take care of the following:

  • Bank account reconciliations
  • Cash flow analysis
  • Financial reporting
  • Preparing invoices and sending them out
  • Preparing payroll (including tax calculations)

Anything that you’ve systemised!

If you have a big project that needs to be done, but it isn’t something you can do in the next few days, then break it down into smaller tasks. Anything that you’ve systemised you can assign to your virtual assistant.

Why hire a virtual assistant?

Virtual assistants can help you increase your productivity and do the things you just don’t have time to do. When a task is systematised virtually anyone can do it! Using a virtual assistant is a smart way to save you money as wages are generally significantly lower than Australian wages and this allows you to divert money into other avenues. 

Now… How do you go about hiring a virtual assistant to help you increase your productivity and save you money?

Firstly, you need to take a look at all the tasks you or your team do every day that can be delegated. These repetitive tasks need to be systematised and set up as a SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) that anyone can follow. 

When you have 15-20 tasks systemised that’s when you can start to look at outsourcing. Look at the type of tasks you require to be done. Are they generalised tasks or are they specialised tasks? Administrative tasks will generally require a “general” virtual assistant, whereas something like editing podcasts/media or bookkeeping will require a specialised virtual assistant. Once you’ve decided what type of virtual assistant you require, the fun part starts!

We always write a job description of the type of person we require from our outsourcing company that is centred around our company values and attitudes we have set. We then contact the outsourcing company, Growth Outsourced to find 2-3 people who fit our job description. We then interview those people virtually and make a decision.

Here’s some quick tips on how to increase your virtual assistant’s performance and set them (and you) up for success:

  1. Have good systems in place
  2. Have a good onboarding process
  3. Use task management software (we use ClickUp)
  4. Spend time with your virtual assistant and learn about them as a person
  5. Use daily/weekly meetings to stay on track
  6. Use a reward & recognition system
  7. Do performance reviews and offer constructive feedback
  8. Provide an annual pay rise
  9. Have fun 

Lastly, if you’re unsure about whether outsourcing tasks in your business is right for you, then complete our Task Review sheet, then have a chat with us here at Business Growth Mindset and we can discuss how it’s benefited our business and helped us scale.

Live with purpose,

Kristian Livolsi

7 Growth Mindset Principles for Businesses

Today I am going to share with you the 7 Growth Mindset Principles for Businesses

Everyone has the ability to grow because everyone starts somewhere. Abraham Maslow said, “One can choose to go back toward safety or forward toward growth. Growth must be chosen again and again; fear must be overcome again and again.”

Oprah Winfrey said, “We can’t become what we need to be, by remaining what we are.”

It’s important to recognise that growth is not purely measured by sales.  In fact, from a monetary measure, it’s about profit rather than sales. It begins with you and your people, and it’s measured by their wellbeing and happiness. 

Happy people generate hyper-growth. Happy customers mean loyal customers. And they are the key in attracting more customers who will pay you well for your products and services.  

However, to achieve this you often face the treacherous path of disruption and change, and we all know that for many people these two words cause a significant amount of anxiety.  This anxiety and discomfort caused by disruption and change can lead to a crisis and in many cases can result in failure rather than growth.  I am here to tell you that this can be avoided and the 7 Growth Mindset Principles for Businesses that I will share with you today will absolutely assist you. 

Hyper-growth sounds fun and for the most part, business owners and executives are continuously in search of the magic pill that will create a constant and significant rise in sales.  When we sell more, we feel accomplished, but often this leads to burn out, stress, lack of control and exhaustion.  These outcomes of hyper-growth lead to a drop in your morale, operational dysfunctionality, and pain points for customers that can see many negative outcomes for your business or firm. 

The human pain points, such as exhaustion and burnout are significant considerations for business owners and executives. These are often overlooked because of the need to generate sales and growth. This will lead to a lone wolf approach where people begin to isolate themselves from their team, family and friends. For many business owners and executives, this can lead to depression and business or career failure. 

The primary casualty of hyper-growth gone bad is a human one and often starts with key people. To avoid the pitfalls of hyper-growth you need to make sure that you and your team are mentally prepared, and this comes in the form of developing and practising growth mindset principles. 

As Professor Dweck states in her research on growth mindsets, “We need to be mindful of the misconception of equating the growth mindset with effort.”  Effort is certainly a primary factor in achievement, however, we need to learn new ways and strategies, as well as “seek inputs from others when we are stuck”. 

She goes further to state, “Effort is a means to an end to the goals of learning and improvement.”  This means that from time to time we will face adversity, disruption and change. It’s how we learn and improve that assists us with growth both personally and financially. 

One of my favourite quotes from Professor Dweck is, “That the path to a growth mindset is a journey, not a proclamation.” This is fundamentally critical when you practice the principles I will share with you today. 

Growth rarely happens overnight and it most certainly isn’t lineal like many think.  Success is in fact a messy scribble and bound with failure experiences that force learning and improvement. Having the right mindset, a growth mindset will help you grow and flourish throughout your journey. 

Adopting a growth mindset is not an easy task because we all have fixed mindsets. However, the following 7 growth mindset principles will help you supercharge your growth and wellbeing for you and your business. 

 

 Welcome the Chaos

As Bob Dylan famously sang, “You don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows.”

Welcoming the chaos can help you with creativity and the ability to adapt to change. Crisis spawn’s innovation, effectiveness and success. Distribution is innovation, so come to terms with chaos and embrace reality. As a result, you can sacrifice efficiency for speed and lower the resistance to change as well as minimise the impact of disruption. 

Hire Doers

Hire someone who is an action taker.  Don’t waste your time hiring the next big thing.  You need people that can get you from A to B, then B to C, not A to Z.  These are different kinds of people and you will need them at different intervals of your journey. 

I seek out mentors and advisors for each stage of my journey both professionally and personally. I recently hired two wellbeing coaches working together to help me form new thought processes about my health and wellbeing and the other to help me clear my energy and unbound the things that have held me back in the past. Because they are action takers, and I am a total doer, the results have surpassed all expectations we set on day one. 

Hiring doers is a mindset formed from many steps and processes that you must act upon, having this mindset during all your recruitment stages will help develop a hyper-growth team. 

Embrace a Lack of Management

There is no substitute for speed. And with that will come poor management from time to time, so it’s imperative that the team understand it’s not personal but a requirement to act quickly. 

Rapid growth does not form many friendships, in fact, it breaks even the best. Set the tone and the rules at the start. This doesn’t mean to hate people or do the wrong thing; it means establishing a culture of action takers driven by purpose and outcomes. 

To combat the risk, develop a culture of empowerment as this will accelerate learning and improvement because of accountability. People who are empowered perform much better than those that are oppressed or fear failure. 

Get Your Product to Market FAST

Don’t worry about perfection. The market will dictate changes and navigate your innovation.  Testing your products and services market fit is critical, this won’t happen in your head or in a workshop.  Get it to market and let the market tell you what it needs and why. 

So many people and organisations failed to understand this fourth principle. Fear of failure causes paralysis making products, and services take too long to be deployed in the market which burdens the company and impacts profit.  

Break the fixed mindset cycle that speed is your enemy and work yourself towards freedom and adventure. 

Laser Focus

Business owners and executives get distracted by new shiny objects or unforeseen challenges. Not every new idea is worth pursuing and not every fire needs putting out.  

Don’t overthink it.  Sometimes things need to burn so you can get on with it and not lose focus on your destination. Too often I see entrepreneurs worrying about little things and spending too much time trying to appease everyone. 

The most successful entrepreneurs, business owners and executives I have worked with are those that get on with achieving their goals. They are purpose-driven and have laser focus. 

Hack Away

What I mean is find the fastest way to get from 0 to hero. This is for everything you do!!! 

What’s important to realise is that getting shit done fast is critical to your business and progress is better than perfection. 

Perfection is a detrimental mindset to establish. Developing a growth hacking mindset is powerful and I recommend the ‘high tempo testing’ concept coined by Sean Ellis. 

That is; learn from insight, create a hypothesis, test, measure and go again.

You will be amazed when you develop this mindset. You will solve problems by creating problems and you will grow from cutting corners, improving and learning along the way.

J.K. Rowling famously said, “It is impossible to live without failing at something unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all – in which case, you fail by default.” 

Solve a Massive Market Problem

In whatever you are doing, remember that the key to success and impact is to solve a massive problem. You solve these problems by breaking them down into manageable and actionable tasks. 

When trying to solve big problems in established businesses, don’t gravitate to bold moves but rather seek out small wins. 

Once you know you are solving a big problem, don’t get caught up in customer service because the customers will sort themselves out in the early stages. It’s a learn and test experiment. 

This does not mean abandoning your customers but rather offering the most basic support necessary to facilitate such service.  

For example; once a tech start-up has validated their product and they are ready to deploy on the scale they may offer email support with a 48-hour response time.

For an established business that is navigating disruption, perhaps caused by a pandemic, it’s critical to recognise that when leading change, less is more. 

These 7 Growth Mindset Principles for Businesses will help you develop success in more ways than you could imagine.  It will help your self-confidence. It will improve your social proof and increase your knowledge base. These factors will help you empower others and get them into action. More importantly, you will become more fulfilled because when you are taking action every day on things that matter – you will immediately feel accomplished.  

This is your chance to start, refine and grow!  Despite the challenges and disruption caused by COVID we are blessed with an abundance of opportunities and by developing a growth mindset, those opportunities will become more apparent and you will give yourself the best opportunity to grow and flourish. 

I really loved hanging out with you today and sharing my tips that will help develop a growth mindset.   I hope you will implement these tips that I have shared with you today, and put them into practice immediately. Don’t wait!!

Purpose has become a cornerstone in my teaching and advising business owners and executives. 

Knowing the habits and principles of success will allow you to move forward with courage and action. 

Building courage is a key instrument in accelerating my client’s growth and deepening their impact both professionally and personally. I want this for you. This is why I share my knowledge and experience with you through various media. 

If you loved today’s blog and are enjoying my website, please take a minute to rate it and provide a review. This helps others know that the content I am sharing is valuable and also inspires me to share more content with you. 

Please take care during this time, be kind and be courageous. 

AND until next time, Live with purpose.

“How to Strategise” for People Who Don’t Think They Can!

So many people think that strategy is difficult and reserved for the “Ivy League” graduates and top strategic thinkers at McKinsey and Company or Boston Consulting Group.

The truth Is, strategy isn’t difficult. It’s not a purely scientific exercise and nor is it complicated.

Strategy is simply the basic methodology you will apply to achieve your company’s mission.

It’s not a mystery and it’s not a difficult concept to apply.

Business, like life, cannot be planned entirely.  There are many uncertainties and opportunities that present themselves unannounced. So, there is little point creating a thick, ridged plan that outlines every step and takes a team of experts and stakeholders six months to create.

In traditional strategy development there are six steps.

They are;

    1. Assess
    2. Analyse
    3. Evaluate
    4. Define
    5. Formulate
    6. Execute

These steps will serve you well, however there is a smarter, simpler, more powerful way to create good strategy. 

The key to good strategy is to have a simple, thoughtful and uncomplicated approach for attaining your mission.  It’s imperative to leave room for individual initiative, market conditions, experimentation, change in landscape, opportunities and innovation.

When setting strategy with clients, I follow Jim Collins four basic principles;

    1. The strategy must descend directly from your vision. Vision first then strategy.
    2. The strategy must leverage off the strengths and unique capabilities of your organisation. Do what you’re good at.
    3. The strategy must be realistic. It must consider internal constraints and external factors.
    4. Strategy should be set with the participation of those who are going to be on the line to make it happen. Buy in and action takers.

What’s important to note is that without the CORE you will be rudderless in creating your strategy.  The CORE is made of up purpose, aka vision, values and competencies. These are the guiding principles your organisation is formed upon, it’s the foundation that affects your journey.  

Once you have your CORE, you need to think first WHO then WHAT? Making sure you have the right team onboard is critical to how your strategy unfolds.

The essence of strategy comes done to having insightful and analytically validated answers to three essential questions;

    • Where to place the big bets?
    • How to protect the flanks?
    • How to extend Victories?

We find that breaking the strategic decisions down into key business areas helps and the five areas we consider are;

    1. People
    2. Infrastructure
    3. Customers
    4. Products
    5. Cash

Before you embark on the learning from today’s blog, REMEMBER:

 “Think vision first, then strategy and then tactics.”

In 2022 we have limited availability to help transform new clients. Our CORE workshop helps you uncover your purpose/vision, mission, values and competencies. If your company is unclear or uncertain about your CORE, then get in touch with my team and see if we are the right fit. I love running these workshops with clients, they inspire me and helps me to know what matters the most so they can build a wonderful team that achieves a common goal.

If you already have a clear vision and well-established CORE, then get in touch with my team to see if we can support you in developing a great strategy that aligns with your CORE and answers all the tough questions, supporting you to achieve your BHAG.

As always, live with purpose.

V5.3 Life Hacks for Living a Limitless Life

business owners

Many business owners and CEO’s often ask me: How is it that I have so much energy!  

So, today I will share with you a few life hacks I have learnt for living a limitless life. 

Technology makes our lives easier, there is absolutely no doubt about that! However, it does hinder our learning abilities and this can have catastrophic consequences to our brain. 

Each of us has the power to change our brain. It’s common knowledge that you can free your mind of negative thoughts and replace them with positive ones in just a few steps! If you didn’t know this, now you do. 

Despite this many people choose to live in a low energy state, and one of self-doubt and frustration.  They constantly complain that they can’t get out of the rat race or the hamster wheel and that they are stuck and going nowhere. 

The truth is they are going somewhere, just not in the direction they want. It comes down to the decisions they make. Remember you have choices, the choice to act or the choice to do nothing! 

Here are my top tips:

  • To live a limitless life you need to start by motivating yourself, to change your behaviour by defining yourself and your purpose. 
  • You must support your brain by getting enough sleep, eating the right foods and you have to move – a 10 minute burst of movement three times a day does wonders for staying in a peak state. 
  • Preparation and repetition is progress. Increase your productivity by getting into a state of flow and use the power of small steps to accomplish more. 
  • How many of you don’t have study time?  Yes, I mean a dedicated time each day to keep your brain engaged. I commit one hour a day to dedicated study time. I focus on reading as this is fundamental to learning and it’s something that I have struggled with in the past due to my dyslexia and ADHD.  Reading has helped me overcome these learning disabilities and increased my focus. 
  • Visualisation techniques are known to help increase memory and concentration, so get started! Again, this is about practice and repetition and it will help you stay in a peak state longer. 
  • Try new and different ways of thinking, as solving problems is essential for living a limitless life. One such technique is the “thinking hat” activity This is where you imagine you have a collection of multi-coloured hats. Now when you look at a problem you change hats every few minutes.  Each colour represents a way to view the situation.  For example, red is for emotional and green is creativity. 

Apply these tips and watch your energy and brain flourish. Master these, along with deep medication and breathing techniques, and you will experience a peak state more often that will lead to a limitless life. 

If you lead a business and are struggling with energy and vitality, lack clarity and direction, book a meet and greet with Zoom! Let’s see how I can help you regain that vitality and energy and get you really clear about your direction and actions. 

I look forward to hearing from you and until then live with purpose. 

 

How to thrive through chaos

Today I want to share with you how to thrive through chaos. The tagline for the last couple of years must be “Uncertain times” doesn’t it? Sensational news headlines pit one side against the other and punctuate daily conversations with friends, colleagues, and family members. Social media makes you wonder, “is this true or false?” and distrust grows as a result of the extra noise. Sound familiar? But YOU don’t have to live in a state of distrust. You don’t have to live in a state of fear during times of uncertainty.

You always have the power to choose faith over fear.

So what would happen if you decided to push fear aside to take control of your emotions and create meaningful change?

•It’s time to take action and make fear work for you.
•It’s time to stop being afraid of what could go wrong – and get excited about what could go right.
•It’s time to stop wondering who to trust – and trust yourself. You can’t control the external forces that impact your life, but you can control how you react to them. You can make a world that seems out of control work for you by stepping into uncertainty with a new perspective.

When you discover how to take charge, you decide your path…

So what path will you choose? The path of fear and uncertainty? Or one of faith and absolute certainty that you can create the life you desire, no matter what? Starting today, make the decision to take back control of your emotions. Face the fear, embrace the uncertainty, and start living in a peak state. The truth is, there is no reason not to. And we cannot transcend the boundaries that we ourselves impose. But by taking back your power, you will be able to create more change, make more of a difference, and have more of an impact on others and on the world than ever before. If you are stuck, uncertain and unable to do this on your time then it’s time to hang out with me and let me help you take control of your state, live in a peak state, embrace disruption, change and uncertainty and thrive through the chaos you face.