From time to time we look at successful people and wonder how they did it. Perhaps they inherited a great start (it’s easy to make millions if you start with millions right)?. Perhaps they got a lucky break. Perhaps they are talented.

OK, so I am one of those. I have no inherited wealth, I am not lucky and I got no breaks. What do I do?

Get organised.

Getting anything done in life (even making money) is a matter of getting organised to do it. You don’t need a
massive budget (many potential business people give up because they think they don’t have enough starting capital for their idea), you just need to get organised. If you go on holiday and want to maximise the experience, guess what – we get organised. We choose a location that suits, we book flights, we pack. We don’t say “well I’d have a great holiday if I had more money”. Actually we have a better holiday because we have less money, because it’s all down to us, to our organisation.

So what is organisation, how can we do it ourselves and how can we get our staff to do it as well?

Organisation starts with being focused. And being humans, we can only focus on two or three things at a time. So, looking at your business, pick 3 numbers you want to improve. And that’s your focus for the next 90 days. Sure, after that you may change focus. But for now, let’s just get through the next 90 days and don’t even think about longer term goals. Get focused on 3 things for 90 days. Those 3 things could be sales figures, margin, staff retention, production, anything that gives you an importent number. Choose the 3 that are most important for you.

Next, now you have focus, get organised.

Ask the following questions:

  • What do I know for certain?
  • What don’t I know and need to know?
  • Who knows what I need to know and how do I get to talk to them?

For example, let’s say you wanted to increase sales in the next 90days. Let’s also assume you know what lines of stock sell the most over the period. However, some things you may not know and need to know could be:

  • What kind of people buy this stock over this period?
  • How do they hear about us?
  • What makes them tip over from just being interested to actually buying?
  • How can I make this process easier for them?

You may then decide that you need to get some external help, or talk to a friend who runs a similar business, or watch some YouTube videos. Your aim is to fill the gaps in your knowledge.

Now you have the knowledge of what you want to do, prioritise and write down the steps you are going to take. I know this sounds silly “write down the steps”. But I am constantly amazed at how disorganised and unfocused many people can be. I was talking to someone the other day who said “we need more desktop campaigns.” And “we need more contact’s on LinkedIn”. OK I said. Sounds good. But nothing happened? Why? Simply because he did not organise it or hold himself to account to make it happen. People often feel free to spot what needs doing, but it takes rigorous organisation to actually do it. And sometimes people need some external support to hold them to account and see through the next 90 days to make sure that the gals they have set themselves are seen through

Making money is not a mystical magical experience, given to us by the fairies if we’re sitting under a lucky star. It is like any other activity. Prioritise, break it down into steps, and actually persist through those steps, and it will happen.

Don’t deny yourself the financial success you deserve. Get organised. Get focussed, then hold yourself to account and pursue your goals rigorously.