Business Education

3 Unconscious Mental Blocks Your Routine Creates that Hold Your Business Back

Your routine is your frenemy. Let’s repeat this paradoxical reality again. Your daily routine is your frenemy. It’s an often unspoken, difficult truth. Something most of us either ignore or just never think about. Regardless, it is inescapable, because there are two sides to everything. And your daily routine is certainly no exception. What is supposed to be highly advantageous, can also unleash equal disadvantages. So, it’s time to look at this with a curious, open mind.

Biggest Daily Routine Benefits

Routines obviously have their benefits. Otherwise, we would not institute and follow them at all. For example, keeping you on time and task certainly is a huge advantage. By following a routine, you are much less likely to get distracted and you’ll complete priorities in order of importance. Additionally, a routine helps with the ebb and flow of life. Which is to say, uncomfortable or emergency situations.

It’s a fundamental truth that sometimes the greatest barrier to your success is yourself. Not that you don’t try, aren’t talented, or don’t have the resources to succeed–you do. It’s just that a self-limiting mindset can creep into your worldview without you realizing it, keeping the achievement of your goals forever on an unreachable horizon. —Inc.com

It’s common advice that when you’re in unfamiliar territory and feel overwhelmed, settle back into your routine. This helps you to relax and look at the bigger picture. Ultimately, it gives you the calming effect of being in control. Moreover, a routine lets you to chart your progress throughout the day. You feel a sense of accomplishment with each line item you cross off your list.

3 Ways Your Routine Sabotages Your Business

Although routines are beneficial on one hand, on the other, they can be downright detrimental. We usually don’t see these disadvantages because routines offer a sense of continuity and comfort — to mindsets that can be counterproductive. Here are three unconscious mental blocks that your routines create and hold back your business:

You feel satisfied. There’s nothing quite like the feeling of satisfaction. It puts your mind at ease and lets you put your brain on idle. And, that’s the very problem with the mind being satisfied — the satiation is an impediment to wanting and doing more. When you are satisfied, you stop and disengage. Done too often, this is a recipe for stagnation.
You’re not as creative. Have you ever noticed those “eureka” moments are now few and far between, or worse yet, absent entirely? When you started your business, you did so with enthusiasm, drive, and purpose. But, you’ve come to a point where you’re not nearly creative as you were in the past. That’s because you’re just following a routine, which means your no longer freeing yourself to think outside of the box.
You can’t envision a different future Sure, the future is always uncertain. However, there’s a difference between not knowing and not dreaming. If you hit enough of your goals, you’ll probably stop thinking about reaching new achievements and that is tantamount to not reimagining your possible future. After all, as time goes by, changes occur and the future might actually look completely different than it did before.

What other ways do routines undermine your success? Please take a moment to share your thoughts and experiences. Your unique perspective just might help one or several people out! Interested in learning more about business? Then just visit Waters Business Consulting Group.

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How to Use Social Media to Promote Your Business

February 13, 2018 No Comments

Social media can really become a workplace problem. And, it’s always a good idea to have an effective social media employee policy. But, it is also one of the most powerful marketing tools business have at their disposal. It’s free. It can potentially reach thousands to tens of thousands of people. Plus, it’s very easy to use. Well, that’s not always the case because some businesses actually don’t quite know how to use it correctly. Why Social Media is an Important Business Tool Social media is an important business marketing tool because it’s part of our day-to-day lives. The vast majority of consumers are on at least one or two platforms. Therefore, the exposure is far and wide. It’s not just about branding and marketing outright, either. Social media offers customers yet another contact and engagement point. Customers should know you are serious about promoting your company, about announcing when there is a new milestone, about company news that might make them want to buy a product, not just laugh at a video. They need to see effort, not occasional hits. —Inc.com There are plenty of instances where companies have used social media to their advantages. (Of course, there are plenty of examples where companies have publicly dropped the ball.) But, more often, social media is an avenue to build a following. The more followers, the more interest and sales a business receives. How to Use Social Media to Promote Your Business To really tap into the power of social media, you should know some basic ground rules. If you’re going to make it work for you, it’s important to understand how to go about it. Otherwise, you’ll simply be wasting your time. Here are some helpful tips for how to use social media to promote your business: Make all profiles uniform. Most businesses set-up more than one social media account. Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are among the most popular. Whatever platforms fit your business, they should all be uniform. In other words, present the same “face.” The same profile picture, the same bio or about, and so on. This provides a seamless experience and avoids confusing people. Provide value. Whatever you share, it should have some sort of value. Be it advice or just good for a laugh. And, you should always use the 1-in-7 rule — one post overtly promotes your business, the other six provide valuable information. Showcase your expertise. It’s always a good idea to periodically share insider information. (No, not the kind that goes against insider trading rules.) Rather, the kind of information the average person does not know or know much about. Ask questions that beg answers. The whole point of social media marketing for business is to get users to engage. So, ask questions that are conversation starters. And, when people respond, be sure to interact. Use images to your advantage. It’s a well known fact that posts with images gain a whole lot more attention than text-only posts. Use interesting, mood-evoking images for the best results. How do you use social media to promote your business? What techniques work best for you? Please share your thoughts and experiences by commenting! Interested in learning more about business? Then just visit Waters Business Consulting Group.

3 Necessary Replacement Manager Qualities

July 3, 2021 No Comments

Replacing a manager in any size business presents a number of challenges. It’s not just finding the person with the right skill set, or the most experience, or even the best aptitude for the position, but all of these and more. Unfortunately, too many administrators and entrepreneurs only look at these types of qualities. They fail to factor in other intangibles that would benefit their team members the most. Read on to learn about the three most important qualities of a replacement manager. Why Past Job Performance is No Guarantee of Future Success You’ve no doubt heard or experienced two different cliches: that past performance of an investment is no guarantee of its future result, and the Peter Principle (the phenomenon of people rising to their highest level of incompetence). Unfortunately, this is where many administrators and business owners go wrong. They mistakenly believe that an individual’s past performance is indicative of future results. But, this just isn’t true. Bad managers cost businesses billions of dollars each year, and having too many of them can bring down a company. The only defense against this massive problem is a good offense, because when companies get these decisions wrong, nothing fixes it. Businesses that get it right, however, and hire managers based on talent will thrive and gain a significant competitive advantage. —Harvard Business Review Sure, it’s absolutely necessary to look at a candidate’s previous experience and performance. It’s also just as necessary to rely at least somewhat on their proven skill set and untapped potential. However, this isn’t likely to give you a good overall evaluation of how he or she will fit into his or her new role. 3 Important Replacement Manager Traits One of the most difficult aspects of replacing a manager in any type of business is how he or she will be received by the team members he or she will lead. So, ask yourself if potential candidates have the following qualities: Empathetic ears. There are many different kinds of managers out there, and some of them are a better fit for a promotion or lateral move than others. Depending on their new responsibilities, you most definitely want them to be ambitious and take ownership of their responsibilities. Equally so, it’s critical to have a manager who truly listens to their team members because this will be the perception employees have of the company overall. Decision confidence. Obviously, if someone has all the experience and potential to move up or across, he or she should likewise possess a strong self confidence. In other words, a manager who doesn’t always have to rely on higher ups to make decisions, particularly ones that are relatively small. After all, you don’t want to put someone in a management role who just can’t make up their mind and constantly comes to you for those very reasons. Golden rule follower. If there’s one thing that rank-and-file team members despise the most, it is managers who cannot follow their own rules. Hypocrisy, double standards, and negative traits such as these will quickly erode away employee morale and productivity. Nobody performs well under such types of management, because it is so counterproductive by its nature. What other suggestions do you have for replacing a manager as a business owner? Please take a moment to share your thoughts and experiences so others can benefit from your unique perspective! Interested in learning more about business? Then just visit Waters Business Consulting Group.

The Biggest Pros and Cons of Strategic Partnerships

August 27, 2021 No Comments

A strategic partnership can provide a number of advantages to just about any size business. In fact, it’s the reason that some multinational corporations team up together. Even though they have vast resources of their own, there are often specific tools, appeal to a certain base, experienced skill sets, and more which simply make it more advantageous to partner than do it on their own. Small businesses can likewise benefit from strategic partnerships much in the same way. However, just because there are some distinct advantages doesn’t mean these are always the best choice. Biggest Downsides of a Strategic Partnership There are drawbacks to entering into a strategic partnership. For instance, you must rely on this particular partner to carry out some responsibilities. How, when, and where should obviously be agreed on beforehand. But, this doesn’t necessarily mean it will all go according to plan. Then, there’s the matter of putting your reputation in the hands of another company. If you rely on your strategic partner to represent your business in any way publicly, you are obviously putting a great deal of trust and faith that they will execute accordingly and bolster your company’s name rather than tarnish it. One of the biggest mistakes business owners make is trying to do everything alone. To combat this error, business owners must hire and train the right employees. In addition, they should leverage strategic partners. So what is a strategic partner? A strategic partner is another business with whom you enter into an agreement that aims to help both of you achieve more success. —Forbes.com There is also the possibility that your strategic partner doesn’t truly possess the means and resources you think it does. In other words, you might have to put far more into the relationship than you get out of it. Of course, that would pretty much defeat the entire purpose of teaming up in the first place. Lastly, your strategic partner might be put in a position where they must decide between their own self-interest and their shared interest with your company — you likely know which they will ultimately choose. Biggest Advantages of a Strategic Partnership Of course, strategic partnerships aren’t always bad or no businesses would ever team up together. There are some compelling advantages to partnering with another company. Here are some of the biggest benefits of entering into a strategic partnership: More resources. The single biggest benefit is usually almost instant access to a greater amount of resources. By partnering with another business, you’re essentially expanding your own team and reaching more customers nearly immediately. More versatility. A strategic partnership can also bring with it various skill sets and experiences. Instead of having to seek out individual talent and spend time and effort to bring these things on board from within your own company, you already have an established organization to help your business grow. Different perspective. Perhaps one of the most valuable aspects of having a strategic partner is having another set of eyes and ears to examine situations. Rather than having to rely on just your own judgment, past experiences, and biases, you’ll have someone that has their own interest (and therefore yours too) at heart, which can be extremely beneficial in various sets of circumstances. What other pros and cons of strategic partnerships should be included? Please take a brief moment to leave a comment and share your thoughts and experiences so others can benefit from your strategies. Interested in learning more about business? Then just visit Waters Business Consulting Group.