Here we will share our stories, and some of yours. We'll be real, honest, hopefully inspiring, and give you some epic food for thought!
Blog - The Value of Having a Weekly Check-in, Even if it's by Yourself ;)
by Julie Robbins
We get a lot of people asking us what the secret to running a successful business is.
Our first answer to that is usually a question, “It depends, what does your version of success look like?”
*We’ll be talking about that in another blog.
Our second answer is “Success is in the details and keeping a weekly eye on the details will make all the difference.”
So, how do you keep an eye on the details and still have time for all the other things you have to do as a business owner?
The answer is to have a consistent WEEKLY CHECK-IN (even with yourself if you are a solopreneur!)
It should be timed, have a specific agenda and include all the pertinent information and things you need to keep an eye on.
This is where the rubber meets the road!
You have worked so hard to be where you are and you don’t want it to fall apart. If you don’t have a weekly check in - or what we like to call the BMap Weekly - you might as well not have done any of the work. We don’t mean to sound harsh, but that’s how important this is. You’ve probably heard us use the phrase “discipline equals freedom” - the weekly check-in is the discipline. What comes as a result of the weekly check-in is the freedom.
Here’s an example of business without the weekly check-in…
It’s Thursday night at 11pm. You went to bed two hours ago, but you still can’t get to sleep because you are thinking of all the things you are dropping the ball on or wish you had more time to do. You toss and turn, going over different things in your head, but to no avail.
When you wake up, you hit the ground running - even though you want to stay in bed. The day is a series of decisions, putting out fires, trying to generate more business and squeezing in all of your to do’s wherever you can. And even though you’ve been non-stop busy, you don’t feel like you got much done by the end of the day. And, shit, what were those things that kept me up last night - I didn’t even get to those! Ugh.
Here’s an example with the weekly check-in….
It’s Thursday night at 11pm and you are sound asleep. When you wake up, you happily go through your morning routine, ready for the day. At some point in the morning you remember a work issue that needs to be addressed, so you put it in “the Hopper” (a section of your weekly check-in agenda) knowing that it will get addressed at your next weekly check-in. When you get to work you look at your Action Items and know what you need to do that day. You’re also excited today because at last week's check-in you looked at your schedule and adjusted things so that you could go on an afternoon hike with your girlfriends. Because you have the discipline of the weekly check-in, you’ve been able to get done what’s needed, incorporate your personal desires into your schedule and have the confidence that your business is running smoothly. Now you have the freedom to enjoy all parts of life.
When we work with our clients, we help them set up a Business Map that lays out a plan, hones in on specific goals, helps them know what they should be doing or working on at any given time, and provides a platform to handle all the many things that business owners have to deal with.
Part of this system includes having a BMap Weekly check-in. It requires the business owner (and their team if applicable) to have a consistent meeting every week on the same day, at the same time.
The BMap Weekly has a very specific agenda that you stick to. Part of that agenda includes going over a Tracking Sheet (a place where you put measurables from each week that show the status and health of your business), as well as resolving issues in The Hopper.
The Hopper is simply a list of issues or items that need to be thought about and resolved. These issues are put in the Hopper throughout the week as they arise. The beauty of having the BMap Weekly is that you know you have given yourself time to mull these things over and make decisions. As opposed to frantically trying to squeeze time into your busy schedule and never getting it done, or worse, having them keep you up at night.
Having a weekly check-in is probably one of the most, if not the most, important thing you can do for your business and your sanity.
In our opinion, it is a key factor in the success of any business.
Komentarji