Samantha Kelly who is better known as the Tweeting Goddess recently posted a blog on her website on the pressure of being the owner of a small SME. It’s a salutary lesson and we are sure many of you, as small business owners, will readily identify with Samantha’s plight, and hopefully, her decision to focus on what she does best. Samantha’s blog hit home on a couple of the points we make in our most recent guide, ‘Vision and Strategy Guide’. As the guide points out could you imagine getting in your car without knowing where you’re going or why you’re going there. Would you start or run a business in a similar fashion? Vision and strategy for small businesses is a very important discussion to had by every small business owner reading this blog.
Here is Samantha’s blog post:
“Working for yourself is a great adventure! It’s also a roller coaster of highs and lows, ups and downs. One minute you are wondering why on earth you started your own business, the next you get that call that will change everything!
I have noticed that there are lots of SMEs who aren’t quite sure how to promote themselves. They are almost afraid to say ‘Here I am, this is what I do!’ I am not sure if it is an Irish thing, but there seem to be others who put you down if you talk about what you have achieved and successful things that happen in your business world. Well my advice is, don’t listen to those guys!
There is a whole network of small business owners out there, just like you who are delighted to see you doing well. They are also the ones who empathise with you when things are not going so good, and give you advice on what to do next. So I surround myself with like minded folk like that. #Irishbizparty is one network that has helped me so much with support and positivity. Even when things go wrong (which they do) I know there is a whole crowd of people who understand and are ready to chat if I need to.
As an entrepreneur I get fantastic opportunities all the time. Some are really exciting and fun and can distract you from your main interest which should always be your own business.
I found this recently with a new opportunity but when I got a chance to stand back, I realised that I needed to focus on my goals of keeping Tweeting Goddess at the forefront to guarantee continued success.
1. For my family
2. For me.
I only noticed it really when I was trying to make an appointment to have an assessment to get healthier and lose weight. I couldn’t find a time, not one space to do this. This rang alarm bells with me. Imagine I can’t even look after my health! And my family won’t be too happy if I drop dead tomorrow.
Turns out these new opportunities were taking up too much time. So I have decided to stop doing everything and just concentrate on what I excel at. Tweeting and teaching! Having made the decision (Which is sometimes the hardest part) I feel much better, and even had my first walk and assessment with Susan my coach. So hopefully I will keep it up now!
My point is that no matter how long you are in business you learn EVERY day. I have learned that no matter how much you love something, if it is taking your focus away from the big picture it’s time to make changes. I really enjoyed TV presenting and it was a great experience but family, health and businesss takes priority for me. I have so many plans with #Irishbizparty and #Britishbizparty and have a wonderful conference coming up so going to concentrate on that, hang out with folk who understand me and ‘Get me’ and what I do.
Am looking forward to the conference, Hopefully I will see you there! You can book tickets here”
Take a few minutes to download and read the ‘Vision and Strategy Guide’ and see if your business is focused on what you excel at.
