In this, the first of a three part ABC of business series focusing on YOU being your business, I want to talk about being All-In in your business and what that actually means.
When I hear the expression “All-in” I think of being 100% committed to something.
When it comes to your business, that means being prepared to do whatever it takes to drive it forward. After all, being half-hearted in anything is definitely not the recipe for success and that goes double for your business when YOU are your business – the only one with responsibility for its success.
There’s no denying that running your own business is demanding and challenging and at times a real rollercoaster with unbelievable highs and lows.
But, as the heart of your business, you have to be ready, willing and able to take the rough with the smooth.
Not only that but being “all-in” means you have to be able to maintain your drive and enthusiasm to keep on pushing through the obstacles and keep your eyes on the prize – that is you have a clear vision of what you want to achieve in your business and a clear action plan of how you are going to get there?
It’s time to commit to the journey
That means you can’t sit on the fence, go with the flow, or leave the success of your business to chance. It’s about deciding here and now that you are committed to doing whatever it takes to get to where you want to be and determined that your business is going to be the “vehicle” you are going to drive to get there.
That means you are going to have to provide the fuel for the journey and you may well have to change the odd tyre or even get out and give it a push up some of the steeper inclines along the way.
Your business is a vehicle for you to reach your goals, but you are in the driving seat and you are going to have to put the pedal to the metal to get where you want to go!
Your business is a vehicle for you to reach your goals, but you are in the driving seat and you are going to have to put the pedal to the metal to get where you want to go!
On the flip-side
However, and here’s where I may depart from the advice of the major self-development gurus, I don’t believe being “all-in” means putting your business ahead of everything else in your life.
We’ve all heard how we should be at our desks by 5am and taking 10x action if we want to be a real success.
But, I’m afraid that seriously goes against the grain for me. I have two children, a dog, a house, family, friends, all of which I want to be able to spend time with.
To me, being 100% committed to your business doesn’t mean you have to give it 100% of your time. To me, it’s about being all-in during the time you choose to allocate to your business.
Being all-in is more a state of mind, that a prescriptive time or effort allocation.
There are many “gurus” out there whose audiences pay them thousands of pounds to coach them to put in that kind of time and effort with the promise of helping build your business to six or seven figures.
I’m definitely not one of them. I believe it’s horses for courses.
I believe you can still be “all-in” in your business while keeping it real and having a life away from your business.
My business is about building it around me and what I want to achieve – and I want you to be able to do the same.
I’m not about six or seven figures right now. I want to be “comfortable” – not like a pair of old slippers. I still want to push myself out of comfort zone to get to where I’m going, but rather I want my business to give me a comfortable life with the freedom to do the things I want to do and the income to pay for a comfortable lifestyle.
Comfortable has almost become a swear word in business, synonymous with apathy, laziness and failure, but I’m reclaiming it as something realistic to strive for.
Who’s with me?
I believe you can still be “all-in” in your business while keeping it real and having a life away from your business.
Author: Tracey Sweetland
Founder of The Business Connection and owner of Red Shoes Media and Marketing, supporting small business owners and helping small business to grow.