I recently had the privilege of attending the wedding of a longtime family friend. The following morning, I was reflecting on the ceremony and all the possibilities that await the newlyweds. One thing that struck me is the intention for the new life and journey ahead that was set by the minister and affirmed during the vows.

Our most important life events are marked with ceremonies. Starting our business should be no different. We should have a ceremony when we start a business. The ceremony would celebrate our new beginning, establishing our promises to ourselves and our commitment to our family and business community. It would give us that dedicated time to be intentional about what we are trying to accomplish. A public declaration could also make us more deliberate in what we are about to undertake, and perhaps even more accountable as we progress on our business journey.

Take Time to Reflect on Your Vision

I know Q4 is a busy time for you and your eCommerce business. All the issues with supply chains, changing Amazon rules, and a million tiny decisions make it difficult sometimes to get everything done in a day’s time. But take a minute today to at least reflect on your reason for going into business. If you have a vision for your business, make sure you have that front and center in your mind. Here is why that’s important. As we get busy, we often lose track of why we are doing things and what is truly relevant to our success. Your vision will help you look at your activities and determine what is vital to keeping you moving forward towards that vision. If you are getting caught up in busy work, then your progress will be stymied. If you feel stuck, you will suffer burnout. Any business owner in this state of overwhelm is not serving themselves, their family, or their business very well.

Be Intentional and Take Action

If you don’t have a vision for your business, take 15 minutes of quiet time today and consider, “Why am I in business and what do I want it to look like in one year? What will that look like for me, my family, my team?” Then write on your calendar the one thing you’re going to start doing today to make that vision a reality. Maybe it’s taking the first 30 minutes of each day to work on a project before you get started with the busy-ness. Maybe it’s taking time to walk your child to school each morning because the business was created to give you more time with your family. The point is to be intentional and take action—small steps that will help you reconnect with why you’re working so hard.

If you do have a vision, take the additional step of identifying the gap between where you are now and where you want to be. Brainstorm the three things you can do to close that gap. Then pick the one you can commit to today that will help move you forward. Maybe it’s hiring that assistant you’ve been needing so that you’re free to do strategic work; or cutting operating expenses so you aren’t always strapped for cash.

No matter where you’re starting from, commit to yourself the steps you are going to take each day to live your best life in your business so you can show up for what is important for you personally and for your family. The best tactic I have for keeping this commitment to myself is to put those steps in my calendar at the beginning of my day so I knock them out before I get into the other tasks that will consume me. By keeping this commitment to yourself, you will see improvement in your days, and daily improvement adds up.

Identify The Real Currency—Is it Money or Time?

Typically, I talk about accounting and finance in these blogs and of course good money management is a great goal for your business, but it is just a tool. The real currency that you are spending every day is your time. If you aren’t using your time to accomplish what is important to you, then all the money in the world will not get you where you want to go. I’d love to hear what you’ve committed to for your business. Please email me at cyndi@bookskeep.com and let me know the one thing you’re going to do to move your business forward. I look forward to hearing from you!

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