Overcoming Obstacles: Things to Think About and Do When Business is Slow

Things to Think About and Do When Business is Slow


Part I - Take Action and Encourage

• Focus – Decide on the targets and goals of your business.
• Plan 49 Contacts to Make
• Use a Daily Seven List
• Develop a Successful Rhythm to Prepare you For Success

Part II – Work on the the Right Attitude

1. Be content with the situation and give thanks.
2. Get your eyes off of yourself for a period each day
3. Make tangible reminders to keep your faith.

PART III - Anticipating Success - Take Care of Loose Ends, Manage Life and Create Order

1. Establish Policies & Goals.
2. Create Action Plans for making your operation run smoother when success is banging on your door.

• The Car
• The Notary
• The Office
• The Notary's Spirit

Part I – Take Action and Encourage

This is one of those examples from my life that has helped me gain perspective on how action can create success. I was winging it when I first started using these principles, but they have proven to work for me and my family.

One of my sons graduated from college with a technical degree in multi-media in the late nineties.

Actually, he was my stepson from my previous marriage, but he’s always been like a son to me—both of my stepsons are. So, when he called and asked if it was okay with me if he moved in while he was looking for a job, I was thrilled.

For a month, he rested and half-heartedly sent out resumes. I have always been a soft-touch with the boys, so I had no problem with that. I figured he needed a little time to unwind.

However, there came a time when he got too comfortable saying that he could not get a job in his field, and he began to get into the habit of extensive napping and late night prowling. To cut the story short, I got pretty excitable and began to pressure him to take his destiny into his own hands and get moving. I began repeating the concepts of gaining success and achieving a goal which I had learned from reading books on the subject. At the time, I was not sure if they worked, but I knew ANY effort was better than NO effort, so I began to tell him what I believed would get him where he wanted to be. As it turns out, these concepts are pretty good ones.

Focus:
First, I told him about the bonus of aiming for a target,
Don’t just ‘shotgun blast’ your efforts”, I told him. “Know what you desire and want first, streamline your activities accordingly.”

“Son,” I said, “Knowing what you want helps you to focus your direction and to waste less effort. Know what you want, then figure out what you have to do to get there.” So, out of this came writing a goal for what he wanted to do.

Plan to Make 49 Contacts:
Second, I told him about my theory of sevens. Somewhere I had read that in order to get a “nibble” you need to cast out seven times. In this context, send out seven resumes. So, I kept repeating to him that in order to get one nibble, it was necessary to send out at least seven resumes.

For every seven nibbles, you might get one solid “for sure.” Do the math. Seven resumes = one nibble. Seven nibbles = a possible real shot at a good job. 7 x 7 = 49. You need 49 casts for finding one good job you might be interested in. So, I assigned him the job of making a list of 49 targets to “cast his line” toward.


Use a Daily Seven List
Third, I assured him that if he engaged himself into a momentum of success and he would be rewarded. He got very tired of me saying: “Just DO SOMETHING – do it daily and consistently to get what you want.”

“What do you mean?” he asked me. I think by this time, he was getting worried that he’d never get a job. So, to keep him involved in the process, I created a daily job for him in the form of a list. I called it the “Daily Seven List.”

The form for it is listed here. Basically, you list Seven Life Goals to work toward each day. Next you make a list of seven things to do like this:

1. Fill in the first seven list of the day.
2. Item:___________Results:__________Follow-up:___________
3. Item:___________Results:__________Follow-up:___________
4. Item:___________Results:__________Follow-up:___________
5. Item:___________Results:__________Follow-up:___________
6. Item:___________Results:__________Follow-up:___________
7. Stop, smile, pat myself on the back and realize I have taken action toward my goals of Success. Results: Feel of control. Follow up needed: Start another list.

Finish those and make another seven items to attack. Do something all day long each day to get ready for your goals to be achieved and to find the work you desire. Be active, make a list of things to do, contacts to make, and ways to market yourself.”

Look toward a goal that you want and get moving toward it.


1. Fill in the next seven list of the day.
2. Item:___________Results:__________Follow-up:___________
3. Item:___________Results:__________Follow-up:___________
4. Item:___________Results:__________Follow-up:___________
5. Item:___________Results:__________Follow-up:___________
6. Item:___________Results:__________Follow-up:___________
7. Stop, smile, pat myself on the back and realize I have taken action toward my goals of Success. Results: Feel of control. Follow up needed: Start another list.



Finish those and make another seven items to attack. Do something all day long each day to get ready for your goals to be achieved and to find the work you desire. Be active, make a list of things to do, contacts to make, and ways to market yourself.”

Look toward a goal that you want and get moving toward it.

I DID mean to repeat the above. You have to do these things repeatedly to get to where you want to go.

Develop a Successful Rhythm to Prepare you For Success
Fourth – Keep Success Hours and Maintain a Successful Image

I insisted my son sleep regular hours and dress to be employed.
Dress – But why??? To find confidence in his appearance and the way it boosts the ability to act on a moment’s notice.

I insisted that he get a job of ANY kind while waiting for a job in his field. “Why?” he asked. “Because you need to get into the rhythm of working every day and once you are out and on your feet taking steps toward your goal, you can make contacts and enlarge your circle of influence, find leads and pretty soon you’ll be confident that you can do whatever you have to do to get where you want to go.”

Epilogue
My son employed these techniques. He developed a good resume and put it online. He acquired a job with a retail store in the mall. The second week he was employed, he was strolling through the mall during a lunch break. There was a booth set up selling web hosting and web creation. He stopped and talked to the owner. The owner asked for his resume. My son produced it immediately because he had it online by that time. The man hired him on the spot.

He worked there for several years. When this business went under due to some underhanded tactics of the owner, my son started working from home and acquired several of the accounts and began maintaining the websites and doing the hosting. And, because of this, during the time my grandson was a newborn, my son became “Mr. Mom” and took care of the baby and his older sister while working from home. I am very proud of my son and his success.


Things to Do When Business is Slow - Part II

• Be Content & Be Thankful
• Get your eyes off of yourself for a period each day
• Make Tangible Reminders to Keep the Faith
• Create Action Plans that will make you more efficient.

#1 – Be content with the situation and give thanks! The Bible (which is also my Manual for Life & Business) has guidelines for these times:

Philippians 4:12 “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.”

1 Thessalonians 5:18 give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

To effect this in your life, be grateful and content both in attitude and in speech. My personal prayer is “God, my business is showing me a downtime. I can either be nervous and anxious, or I can be content and grateful. I watch in anticipation during this opportunity. I await clear direction from you. I am excited about the way my faith will be increased! These quiet times are excellent lessons for me to be sure you will show me you are attentive to me in my time of need. Direct my steps, Lord, and let me care for others less fortunate as much as myself. ”

#2 Get your eyes off of yourself for a period each day. Put some of your thoughts on the enhancement of another person’s situation.

Pick a notary to pray for each day you are worried about your own situation. Today, I am going to pray for three new notaries. First name initials are R, A, and C. At this moment my prayer is that “R, A, and C know that God has their best interest at heart and that He cares for them personally. Help them understand, God, that You will meet their needs in their business. More so, I pray they know You want them to know You, God.”

Pick a person who is not a notary to pray for. I am praying for two family members who have bigger problems than financial situations to look at.

Be encouraging in speech and in action. If you encourage another GUESS WHAT? You will encourage yourself!


#3 Make tangible reminders to keep your faith. Establish three visual reminders to keep you positive. For instance, try candles. Here is the purpose of three candles I have lit for today.

I am reminded:

FOCUS CANDLE: To Focus on Goals, Success, and to re-focus on others' needs as well.

CONTENTMENT CANDLE: To have much peace of mind, patience and gratitude for the slow time

ANTICIPATION AND ACTION CANDLE: To be content to wait, but to have anticipation of favorable situations & success on the horizon.

Act on your faith by getting prepared, organized and ready to work. Do not to waste a minute worrying on slow business days. Use every minute at your disposal to act in ways that that will propel you toward business success.

Put your faith in action by creating a momentum of productivity and get prepared for business to open up and start flowing.


PART III - In Anticipation of Success: Take Care of Loose Ends, Manage Life and Create Order

#1 – Establish Policies & Goals. Do you have a fee list, a list of business goals, a marketing plan? Work on these things.

#2 - Create Action Plans for being more efficient. This will help in making your operation run smoother and for restoring order to your life. While you are taking care of these checklists, acknowledge that you have faith this is going to make you prepared for busier times ahead.

Action Plan: The Car

• Take care of recalls – put on your calendar
• Inspection Sticker Renewal - – put on your calendar
• Check State Registration Expiry – put on your calendar
• Check the tires – put on the calendar for checking again
• Change your oil – put on the calendar for changing again
• Wiper Blades – change or put on the calendar as a reminder to check again.
• Wash and detail the car.

Action Plan: The Office

• Bookkeeping System Check
• Catch up the filing
• Refill Toner Cartridges
• Re-bill the slow paying clients
• Start preparing for tax time.
• When does your cell phone contract expire – is there a cheaper way to do business?
• List of supplies you need to re-stock.
• Clean up your computer files
• Back up your email.
• When do your memberships come due?
• Decide what memberships to renew.
• Make a budget.
• Envision your perfect work environment and make a list of what you need to do for it.

Action Plan: The Notary

• Is it time for a check up? Schedule it.
• Try daily walking for anxiety.
• Drink water when you feel upset.
• Make a list of ways to be pro-active.
• Make a schedule of outfits to wear.
• List what you need to purchase to extend your wardrobe
• Look for buttons that need to be replaced/seams to be fixed.
• Organize your closet.
• Make a menu list with shopping lists.
• Set up a schedule for keeping up with chores.
• Catch up hand washables.
• Catch up your laundry.
• Clean the ceiling fans.

Action Plan: Marketing

• Decide on a number of of Companies to Market Yourself to DAILY. Do it.
• Follow up on these lists by making calls.

Action Plan: Schedule

• Start a daily schedule for when there is little or no business and set aside time for your Action Plans.
• Stick to it.

Action Plan: The Notary's Spirit
Encourage yourself with scripture. One of my favorite scriptures is

Proverbs 18:21: The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.

Watch what you say because your speech has a powerful affect on your life. If you think and speak negatively, you will kill your success. If you speak life into your success with words and thoughts of faith and with a positive attitude, you'll reap the rewards.

• Look up scriptures about answered prayer.
• Read them daily
• Read them aloud
• Write them down
  
• Stay focused on the message
  
• Believe what you read
• When you have negative thoughts - remember what you have read and cancel out the negative thoughts with the message of your scripture reading.
  

EPILOGUE:

While I was finishing up this article, I was called on both lines for two assignments with companies that pay well and on time.

I feel by putting my faith in action, and sharing encouragement, God blesses my business and helps me to thrive as a self-employed person.