Why you shouldn’t be focusing on the numbers (and what to do instead)

21 Sep Why you shouldn’t be focusing on the numbers (and what to do instead)

Posted at 11:21h in Business Growth by

Here’s a summarised version of how I used to help my clients achieve their profit goals.

Set an annual profit target, divide it by 12. Then figure out what you need to sell each month to achieve the number. Put in place a plan to do it.

And this helped, to a certain extent. Lots of people got focused and achieved their targets.

But some didn’t.

Some became despondent as each month went by and they didn’t hit their targets.

I used to think it was because they weren’t taking the action they needed to. They weren’t focusing on the right things. They were getting distracted or procrastinating, or simply not doing stuff.

But in the past 18 months or so, I’ve learnt that to make more profit, the last thing you should be doing is focusing solely on the numbers.

Of course, the numbers are important, but by solely focusing on these, the joy you have for your business vanishes.

It starts to feel like really hard work.

It becomes demotivating if you don’t achieve them, and you beat yourself up for being a crap business owner.

The truth is, what you really should be focusing on to increase you profit, is what you love doing.

What are you really passionate about? Why did you start the business doing what you do, instead of something else?

And don’t give me the answer ‘to make money’ – there is always another, more inspiring reason why you chose the path you have.

Reconnect with it, and focus on this, and relax about the money.

It’s only when you get less hung up on the outcome, and relax into your business, that the profit will start to follow.

Do what you enjoy, and stop doing all the things you hate doing.

My own passion is to help business owners realise there is an easier way to run their business, and that they can achieve their vision of success, without getting burnt out and stressed out.

If you’re curious to find out more, you can book a strategy session in my diary here, where we can identify some quick wins for you to start making the progress you want in your business.

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Alison Bradford

Alison Bradford is a business coach who works with smart, ambitious business owners to get clarity about how they can grow their business and increase profit. Sign up here to learn 6 easy ways you can boost profit in your business today.
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