When talking to people about work, I have found they fall into one of 3 categories:
- People who don’t like work at all and do enough just to get by.
- People who believe that you have to work hard to be successful but don’t believe you can get into your Dream work.
- People who believe that you have to work hard to be successful and put that effort into building their Dream business.
I primarily work with people in the 3rd category. After years of working with these entrepreneurs, I have found that most work extremely hard, some to the point of overwork. They begin building businesses but many then hit a block. And no matter how hard they work, they just can’t seem to get past this block. It’s like getting your car stuck in the mud. The more you step on the accelerator, the more your wheels spin. In this way, many entrepreneurs end up just spinning their wheels and staying at the same gross revenue level for months, even years.
It takes more than just hard work to take their business to the next level. They are missing a key piece. I call this missing link their Business Blind Spots or BBS. I call it a blind spot because even if I can see it and tell them what it is, they still have a hard time seeing it. That’s because the Business Blind Spot is not something missing from their marketing campaign or pricing or branding or product or money management or cash flow. Yes, there may be holes in those areas but the key problem is what lies underneath these flaws.
These Business Blind Spots show up as patterns. Let me illustrate with an example from one of my clients. He is a high fashion designer who sells his clothes in places like New York and Paris. He sought out my help because he was burning himself out. When he saw me, he was working 14-hour days catering to his customers. He was run down and emotionally exhausted and took it personally when anyone complained about his designs. He would actually vent his anger to his customers. He was stuck at the same gross revenue level for about a year.
After working with me for a short time, I told him that I didn’t think he had a time management problem. I said that he had a Pleasing — Resentful BBS Pattern that is hurting his growth. He was trying too hard to please his customers and would then resent them when they weren’t completely satisfied.
He resisted this at first. He believed he just had to work harder. But after losing 3 more clients and one distributor and over $15,000 in revenue over the next 3 months, he relented. As to my advice, he hired a customer success manager and an online technological expert to make the selling process a step removed from him. This also cleared up a bulk of his time so he could focus on what he does best: design high fashion clothes and sell. Two years and three more hires later, his gross revenue and profits have more than tripled.
I have seen many Business Blind Spots patterns in different entrepreneurs. Other BBS patterns include…
- Avoid Confrontation
- Perfection
- Inner Critic
- Worry
- Control
- Unworthy
- And others…
People are too close to their BBS to see what they are. When I help entrepreneurs, like yourself, identify and manage your BBS, you are then able to delegate and sidestep your weaknesses. It’s as if your business lets go of a heavy burden that is weighing it down so it can rise to the next revenue level. As a bonus, this opens up more time for you to focus on your strengths. This combination of accentuating your strengths and delegating your Business Blind Spots or hidden weaknesses is effective in any type of business because it drives success from the inside out.
People cannot see these BBS patterns because many have had them their whole lives. You need an expert who is able to see what you can’t see and identify those patterns so you can free up your time to focus on what you do best. This Covid-19 pandemic has been tough on many businesses. At the same time, this imposed slowdown may have got you off the hamster wheel of seemingly unending tasks to take care of. You can now take advantage of this time to reflect on what is really stopping you from taking your business to the next level.
When you are blind to your Business Blind Spots, you stay weak. But when you can see your Business Blind Spots, you become strong.
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