Over the course of time, I have met quite a few Debbie Downers out there (sorry if there is a Debbie out there), who just cannot avoid negativity.
It is quite infectious and they rub off on everyone around them. Now, when it comes to business, quite often it is not a lot of fun. At least that is the way it seems from the outside.
But if you are a business owner, then it should be a lot of fun.
[player]
There is no reason why your place of work is not enjoyable for your or your staff. I am going to give you six things to think about that will help you get to the place where you enjoy your work.
Weekend Challenge
#1 You Have to Make a Positive Choice to Enjoy Your Work: Your worst enemy in everything is you. Everything comes down to you. Your competitors are you. Your success comes down to you. It is all in your mind.
You have to make the choice to change. You do not have to accept the fact that work is horrible. You can make the decision to go to work and put a smile on your face and be the one to exude happiness.
No, you do not have to exude happiness on a Monday morning, but it would be good if you could. You have to make the decision. No one can do it for you.
You just have to get it in your mind.
#2 Talk to Your Team about Your Plan and Your Vision and Involve Them: First off, you 
need a vision and a plan. Have you talked to your team about it? Have you involved them?
Share with them why you do what you do, what your favorite things are, why you started the company and what you think the company will look like in a couple of years.
Involve them. You will suddenly find a complete change in your staff. They will feel more like part of the family and instead of looking at it like they are coming to work, they will look at it as building up their own company.
Honestly, when I sold my fire safety business in 2003, one of my engineers said, “Let me get this straight — you’ve bought our company”. I was pleased to see how they felt.
#3 Write Down Goals That Can Be Achieved: Don’t set goals like, we want to double our sales this year. You need to set goals that are attainable and achievable.
If you never achieve anything, you will start thinking that you should never plan at all. Start with yearly goals, then quarter goals, then reverse engineer all the way down.
Be sure to involve your staff. They can help you reach those goals if they understand the vision.
#4 Contact a Competitor: Competitors are only that in your mind. They are simply business owners doing the same job as you.
They share experiences. They know what you know, they have things in common with you, so you should think of them as colleagues.
I would like you to contact them and go out for a coffee — maybe at the pub or a Starbucks. Meet them on a neutral turf.
Just ask them to have a chat with you. If they don’t have time, meet with someone else. Then start making this a regular thing.
Imagine being friends with those you used to think of as competitors? Now, when you go on vacation, you can call them up and say, “Hey I got a couple of things that need looking after. Can you help? I’ll return the favor when you are on vacation”.
Now, you might not want to do this, but try it. It works. Seriously — this will change your life.
#5 Contact Your Customers Regularly: Now, I am talking about your top customers. It is great to talk to all your customers, but there are top customers (you know who those are right?).
If you do not know who your top customers are, you need to find out — they are the ones keeping you in business. It follows the 80/20 rule — those 20% of customers are doing 80% of the purchase.
They think you are fantastic because they buy off of you again and again.
Tell them your plans and tell them what you are doing and ask them for their opinion. Make them your friend because they are your friend.
#6 Get Yourself a Coach or a Mentor: Have someone who can bring something to the table. You do not want a friend or mate.
Find someone who is in your industry and is near retirement, and ask them, “I am doing this in my business and I would like to get your advice. Can I take you out for coffee and pick your brain occasionally?”
Personally I pay for mine and I have NO clue how many mastermind groups I am in, but it has really helped me to organize myself and get my business going.
And that’s it — oh and remember to smile. It will make you happier.
Now, go and enjoy your weekend and I will have more for you on Monday.
