Did you know that about 20% of new businesses in the UK do not make it past the first year and 60% of new businesses will fail within the first 3 years?
Often, it’s thought that not having a solid business plan is to blame, but for most people this isn’t the case.
Without knowing, we can adopt habits that undermine our own efforts, such as failing to delegate, not believing in ourselves or clinging to comfort zones.
So, how do you know if you are sabotaging your own business?
1. Too many distractions
Distractions are hard to hide from, with our phone buzzing continuously, telling yourself you’re not addicted to doom scrolling and the never-ending steam of emails flying into our inboxes, it’s hard not to get distracted.
When running a business, every minute counts but it’s not just the quantity of work that can be affected. The quality of work can also suffer. If our attention keeps being pulled away, our focus becomes fragmented and we’re more likely to make mistakes and overlook errors.
A great way to overcome this is by scheduling time for ‘focused work’. This would include turning notifications off on your phone and letting those around you know you’re fully focused.
Another great way to help this is by optimising your workspace – working in a clean and tidy environment, making sure you have a comfortable workspace, putting on some background noise if that helps you.
‘Brain dump’ at the start of the day, by creating a to-do list or delegate any tasks.
2. Avoiding feedback
As a business owner it’s easy to assume that all of your ideas are perfect and need no improvement.
I hate to break it to you but that often isn’t the case…
By avoiding feedback, you risk seeming disconnected from your customers and like you don’t care about what they have to say.
A great way to overcome this is to regularly ask for reviews from trusted clients / customers. It’s the customers that use your products and services regularly that tend to know how to improve.
Bringing in consultant is also a great way to get professional advice if you are unable to collect trusted feedback from customers or clients.
3. Not asking for help
Many businesses owners feel as though they don’t need to ask for help and that they have the ability to take on all tasks themselves.
I know it seems like you will lose control or not have the work done to the standard that you like but by not asking for help you risk your own wellbeing and your business’s success. And that’s a recipe for failure…
A great way to overcome this is to hire a Virtual PA!
A Virtual Assistant is a skilled professional who can provide administrative, executive, clerical, social media, graphic design and property support to clients from a remote location, typically from their own home office
Due to low overheads and high flexibility, VAs are a cost-effective staffing solution for companies of all sizes. A VA can help you to achieve your goals or to just tick off those tasks from an ever-growing ‘to-do list’.
Sound like something your business needs? Get in touch.
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