Growth strategies for successful business owners | Ewomen Network

As our businesses expand, we receive a lot of noise, and our days fill up with increasing "busyness" rather than growing our enterprises. We may use the last few days/weeks of any month, season, or year to plan out how we want to show up next in our businesses and in our lives. Our future business growth will be delayed if we do not begin to rid the business of "busyness." We have junk in our email, voicemail, calendar, files, and eventually our bank accounts, just like we have clutter in our closets and on our desks. For the sake of this debate, clutter is defined as anything that causes information overload and hidden recurring drains on our time and money, such as time-sucking distractions, cash withdrawals from bank accounts, or automatic credit card purchases.

My advice is to take tiny, manageable efforts to lessen "busyness."

The Rule of 30 in 3 Schedule 30-minute time blocks on your calendar for checking email and unsubscribing from superfluous newsletters at least three times a week to clean your inbox and quiet your mind. According to studies, having a clear email inbox reduces stress, allows for more creative thinking, and boosts overall productivity. Another rule for this duration is to set your phone and computer notifications to "do not disturb" during this 30-minute period.

Make a list or spreadsheet of all the services, subscriptions and networking groups you use, how much they cost and the renewal dates. Use one of your 30-minute time blocks to assess the impact of each of your businesses and/or your life. Focus on quality versus quantity – declutter your resources and increase your cash balances. This can also become a practice in how to say “NO” to friends and family who may be selling subscription-style services, you know the ones that become those monthly annoyances that you are afraid to stop for fear of offending the salesperson? Yes, those. Chances are they have already forgotten about the sale and won’t notice you’ve stopped the automatic renewals. One client who implemented this tool saved $20,000 in a twelve-month period. You will be surprised at how many little purchases add up to a significant impact on your business. You can make this a game to see how much you can save and perhaps use that money to fund your next vacation or business investment.

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