10 Sanity-Saving Business Strategies: Lessons from the Trenches

By Stephanie Chandler

While reflecting on another great year, I realized that there are several key strategies that have been instrumental in my success and overall well-being. As business owners, we often juggle many balls in the air and can get overwhelmed by the demands of keeping it all going. Following are my best tips for growing a business while finding a little more work-life balance.

Schedule Management: Harnessing my crazy schedule is a job that will never be complete, but I finally found a formula that works well. Instead of scheduling in-person meetings sporadically throughout the week, I designate two days each week that I am available for meetings. That leaves the other three days with time for projects and business development. Speaking of BIC days (Butt in Chair), I also schedule blocks of time for projects, returning calls, and all of the other tasks on my To Do list!

Creative Mini-Retreats: Somewhere along the way, my office became a place for work and no longer a place where I can cultivate creativity. When I want to work on a writing project, focus on developing a new service or any other significant project, I check in to a hotel! It is amazing what I can accomplish in 24 to 48 hours of quiet time. Not only is it productive, but I find it oddly rejuvenating (though I have a toddler and active family life at home so you do the math).

Mastermind Meetings: I formed a mastermind group this year and it has had a tremendous impact on my business. Six of us get together twice each month and each person gets 20 to 30 minutes to discuss business ideas and challenges. It is a safe, comfortable environment where we can exchange valuable feedback, brainstorm and cook up new ideas.

Vision Boards: A vision board is a place where you post pictures and words that represent your goals and dreams. It is a uniquely personal visual tool to help you stay focused on the future. I have several of these in my office and have participated in vision board parties. If you create your own boards, remember to include family and health in addition to business (sometimes these are forgotten).

Mobile Classroom: This year I turned my car into a mobile classroom. I keep a steady supply of audio books and programs handy so that I can learn on the way to meetings, on a trip to the post office and especially during longer trips. It helps to keep a notepad handy in case you want to jot something down, though it’s a good idea to stop the program and pull over first!

Inspired Walks: Some of my best ideas and solutions to problems have come from pounding the pavement. I don’t get out there often enough, but when I do and I let the noise in my head clear out, amazing answers come to me. Again, I keep a notepad in my pocket so I don’t lose any inspired thoughts.

Learning to Say No: There are never enough hours in a day and this year I realized I had to scale back on commitments. I also realized that every time I say yes to something, I have to say no to something else. That really helps me evaluate whether an event, meeting or activity is worth my time. I analyzed my return on time investment and cut back on my participation in various trade organizations. I was afraid I would miss these things, but I have kept in touch with the people I miss the most and am relieved by the space it created in my life.

Outsourcing Galore: I have learned to let more and more responsibilities go by handing them off to others. I work with several virtual assistants and cannot imagine life without them. I also outsource many of my company’s services to contractors, which has made it easy for me to leverage the talent of various people without the burden of employees.

Annual Goal Plan: Each year I write a detailed goal plan. It includes revenue goals, new services and products I plan to launch, and specific activities that I intend to accomplish. The plan gets posted by my desk to keep me focused through the year. I also review my plans from previous years and am uplifted when I realize the number of goals I have been able to reach.

Key Relationships: Networking is a funny thing. There are those who hand out business cards like candy and those who take a more passive approach. I prefer the latter. I decided a long time ago to treat networking as a social opportunity—a chance to connect and make new friends. This has naturally helped to grow my business, while building a stable of brilliant people who I admire and respect. I don’t need to know everyone in the room. I just want to cultivate relationships with the people that I like. Somehow the rest just falls into place.

About the Author

Stephanie Chandler is an author of several business and marketing books including "LEAP! 101 Ways to Grow Your Business" and “From Entrepreneur to Infopreneur: Make Money with Books, eBooks and Information Products.” She is also founder and CEO of http://AuthorityPublishing.com, which specializes in custom publishing and internet marketing services, and http://BusinessInfoGuide.com, a directory of resources for entrepreneurs. For author and speaker details, visit http://StephanieChandler.com.   

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BUSINESS STRATEGIES ~ MASTERMIND ~ TIME MANAGEMENT