Being a business owner is serious business! No pun intended there. I learned right from the beginning I needed to keep personal stuff out of business stuff, and vice versa. I had to learn discipline, and organization. It wasn’t easy at first, but in time it became second-nature. A lot of people tell me I have a mind for business. I’m not sure if I started out that way, but I do believe it’s true now. I’m driven. If you are a driven person then I’m sure you are intentional.
If you’re just starting out with your business, and let’s have fun with this- let’s say you’re starting your own flower shop. You obviously already have some knowledge of what you’re going to sell- in this case, flowers. You know how to arrange them because you have a knack for it, or took some classes, etc. You enjoy working with flowers, and know you’ll be doing it for quite some time. You also love working with colors, matching and contrasting textures, and you have an eye for design. You know what looks good together and what doesn’t. You know what other shops are in your area, and what type of business they do. You’ve established there’s a need for your shop, and you’ve researched the perfect location, finding a place that can accommodate your needs as far as refrigeration, storage, design area, display cases, parking, etc. You also know how much you need to sell in order to pay your expenses, like rent, utilities, advertising, overhead, and so on. You found out where your wholesalers are, and contacted them, even met some of them. You know who to call for special flowers that are hard to find at certain times of the year. You obtained all your licenses, and even joined the local Chamber of Commerce.
Everything you did, you did with intent. You left nothing to chance. You didn’t decide to open a flower shop on a whim. You can do things on a whim in your personal life but when it comes to your business, you must do everything with careful thought and planning. You can buy a dress that is a little out of your budget on a whim, for a special occasion. You can get in the car for a spontaneous weekend away with your significant other, with no idea of where you’re going, just drive and take it as it comes! But you can’t make impulsive purchases or go off without a specific plan when it comes to your business.
You would never just buy whatever flower the wholesaler happened to be having a special on, or just say “whatever” when it comes to designing your store logo. No, if you’re going to succeed in being a business owner you must do everything with intent. Leave nothing to chance. Chances are, even with your most dedicated planning, something will go wrong. And you’ll have to be ready when that happens. You may order sixty dozen long-stemmed red roses for Valentine’s Day, and receive sixty dozen white ones instead. You’ll have to think on your feet of how to deal with those instances. Be ready to roll with what comes your way, because nothing is ever a guarantee. You’ll discover that not everyone in business is as intent about it as you are, so you’ll need to be resilient and clever. Plan for the best outcome, but be ready for snags. And let me add here that you should never, ever let those snags get in the way of your positivity and determination to stay on top of things! You’ll have days when nothing seems to go right, but what do you do? You roll with it, make the best of it, and INTEND to make tomorrow a stellar day in your business.
Sometimes, I stop briefly, in the middle of my day, wherever I might be, and just take a moment to be grateful for what I have, for the people who inspire me every day, for my team of dedicated employees who are more like my friends than employees, for my wonderful customers, and especially for the ability to be doing what I love!! Not everyone can do what they love, and make a living at it. I find that after taking a few moments to myself to really be grateful and positive, that I can’t wait to get back to my work at hand, whatever I’m doing- painting, errands, preparing for a class, meeting customers, or working in my shop. I always have the intent to keep plugging away at my business, because it is my passion, too.
When you wake up each day, and plan what you need to get done, with the intent of checking every one of those items off your list, you’ll keep focused and moving forward. Even when there’s a snag, deal with it, and move forward. Be intentional- to accomplish what needs to be done today, and don’t put it off for tomorrow. Tomorrow is a whole different day, with a new intent to accomplish. Every move you make should have a purpose, a reason why you’re making that move. Every move should be intentional, thoughtful -not haphazard and scattered.
Tami Loves…the motivation and hard work it takes to make my business thrive!
