I’ve recently taken up exercise, in the form of a boot camp.
The other morning I was doing my chest presses (yes, I surprise myself with this topic of discussion here) and my instructor, Jennifer, reminded us to focus on working the muscles in our chest.
That little bit of focus changed the entire experience of the exercise, and based on how fatigued I got, I am certain it changed the outcome.
What we focus on, grows.
When doing chest presses and simply focusing on lifting the weight and surviving the workout, the impact of the exercise may be in any number of places. Who knows which muscles you use to get those weights up! When focusing on the chest, wow, the chest gets a workout.
What does this have to do with business?
Well, what we focus on, grows.
I speak with business owners every day who are either focusing on the wrong things for where they are in their business, or who are really NOT focusing, but rather going through the motions with a dull sense of hope that it will work out. (Kinda like I was with my chest presses before it was brought to my attention!)
Let me give you some examples.
Example: Smart Business Owner A
Darla: What do you most want in your business right now? What are you focused on?
A: I just want more time.
Darla: What would be different if you had more time?
A: I could do more social media.
Darla: What’s important to you about doing more social media?
A: I don’t know, I’ve just heard that I should be doing social media and I know I’m not doing it right.
I could continue with the dialogue, but this is an example of focusing on the wrong things for where Smart Business Owner A is in their business. They know they need to do something different, because what they are doing isn’t working, so they choose the latest thing they heard they should do. But Smart Business Owner A doesn’t yet have current clients, nor do they have a defined ideal client with a strategy to reach them, nor do they like sitting behind a computer! They don’t need time for social media – they need a strategy which allows them to focus on bringing in cash fast, working with clients they love!
Example: Smart Business Owner B (My clients really are very smart)
Darla: What do you most want in your business right now? What are you focused on?
B: I don’t know. I’ve got a few priorities.
Darla: What are some of your current priorities?
B: Well, I’m working to grow a few different areas of my business.
Darla: Who are the ideal people you’d like to connect with to grow these areas?
B: I’m working on X, which is designed to reach people like Y. I’m also working on Z, which is designed to reach people like A…
You get the picture.
Smart Business Owner B has some great things going for them – they are designing offerings that are designed for specific types of people! The issue is that their efforts are diluted. They are missing a focus! You cannot focus on two ideal clients at once. You simply can’t. You must focus.
You can build an income stream with one client base to be sustainable, then expand to a second, but seeking two client types at once will dilute your efforts every time. (Trust me I’ve tried it!)
From a Universal Law standpoint, the Universe doesn’t know what to deliver you when you are not clear and focused on your intention. From very practical standpoint, in the above example, people won’t know who to send to Smart Business Owner B, because they are having to work hard at understanding their Ideal Client.
These are fictitious conversations, but are representative of the types of discussions I have with people.
What we focus on grows.
Where is your focus this week? Is it on improving the specific results in your chest muscles, or are you simply surviving the workout?