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Consistency is Key to Business Growth

So, what are the keys I have used to cultivate my own business growth? The three keys to business growth are built on consistency. Showing up consistently is a huge piece of a successful business.

Not showing up consistently is where most people fall into the boat of failure when it comes to starting a side hustle. If you’re not consistent, you won’t make consistent money. You have to show up regularly if you want to get paid when you start a business. Of the business owners who started at the same time as I did, the ones who have succeeded are those who stayed consistent.

What is in Your Way?

It is absolutely vital that you figure out where your major gaps are. What is keeping you from being consistent in any area of your life? Knowing that answer will help you in your own business growth journey.

There are three key components to business growth. If you’re ready to grow your business while maintaining your home and family life, then buckle up! Things are about to take a turn for the better.

Obstacles Keeping You From Business Growth & Success

First, let’s talk about the two main obstacles people go through, keeping them from seeing business growth: lack of time and lack of clarity. Mixing not enough time to accomplish all the tasks with a lack of clarity and your business will majorly suffer. Don’t quit. With the right tools and strategies, your business will be booming in no time!

The Importance of Celebrating the Small Wins

When we get into the weeds, we realize online business is not the cute thing we see on social media. This is real. About a year into my own business, my podcast had almost negative downloads. A whole year was a very long time to show up consistently and not see much, if any, growth. The small wins kept me going through that time. I celebrated when even 5 more people downloaded my podcast. That small number was enough to see that something was working. It motivated me to stay super consistent.

That was also the point when I realized if I actually wanted to accomplish the goals I had set, I would need so much more time. Many people get to that point, where they’re drowning at home because they don’t have a whole management system in place. They see the things that they need to do to have a legitimate business and they automatically panic, freak out, and quit. However, you don’t have to. That is not how it has to be.

Don’t Give Up on Your Dreams

So my business growth really started after I created systems. Systems removed the overwhelm and made it possible to grow month over month. That is how I was able to quickly flip the switch, get out of that stagnant headspace, and go gangbusters on my tasks. I had very little time to run a business, which meant I had to be very strategic and consistent.

When Lack of Time Meets Lack of Clarity

Mixing a lack of time with a lack of clarity is a recipe for major confusion and very little confidence. I didn’t have clarity, and this was the point when Stefanie Gass came into my life and business. Since I didn’t have a ton of clarity, it was really hard for me to take consistent action on my tasks. Squirrel syndrome was a struggle for me. It was a challenge getting laser focused on the tasks that were worth my time. I had trouble completing projects and I was building things that didn’t really make sense.

Showing Up Anyway

I carried so much fear of showing up online, but when I showed up anyway, my business growth boomed. It was the typical story that Jenna Kutcher often shares. I was afraid to show up, but I did it anyway. Looking back 4 years ago, at the videos and content I produced, is humbling. You have to start somewhere, you will be so grateful you did.

You really can show up consistently and it can lead to some incredible things. Obviously, strategy is involved, which we will dive into in part three of this series. In the very beginning, I worked on my business for five hours a week. I grew from there and really paid attention to the processes I held.

Partnership is Crucial

My husband partnered with me through that time, watching the kids while I worked in my business during dedicated time blocks. All the doubts started creeping in, telling me I wasn’t supposed to do this, until I realized that was a lie. The laundry was getting done, I didn’t neglect my family in the process, and it was all because of my home management system. I knew it in my heart. I knew I could do it.

It was a matter of pouring into those two hours of business in my work block and actually making it matter. All while recognizing that I wasn’t doing it in vain.

Everybody Starts Somewhere

When I first started I obviously wasn’t replacing my full time income yet. I needed the reassurance that whenever I was away from my kids, I wasn’t doing something wrong. It was a conversation that I was having with myself over and over again because I was in my mind. When asking other people to do so much on behalf of what I felt like I was supposed to be doing. I’ve always had this internal dialogue and struggle, through this entire process. You can probably relate. There was a block of two hours before my family would be barreling in the doors. There were other things that I had to do.

With those needs in mind, I also wanted to be seen as trustworthy. It was important to me that every person listening to the podcast knew that I was legit. That I was there for them and that I meant it. I believed in my soul that my listeners could put a system in place and it would work for them. 

Keep Going

So I showed up consistently, over and over again. There was a whole new ecosystem that I was creating as a work from home mom. Running a business, I knew the dreams that I had. I was there to prove to myself, and probably to a lot of people that this was exactly what I was supposed to be doing. It takes grit, consistency, focus, clarity and time.

So, how important is it to you? 

Is it just something that you feel like you want to do for fun? 

What are you willing to invest? 

What are you giving up to work towards your business and life dreams?

Key #1 to Business Growth: Know How Much Time You Need

The first key to business growth is knowing exactly how many hours you need to work every single day and every single week. This is exactly what I did from the very beginning and I still do it every single day, every single week. I’ve been doing this process, every single day for the last 4-5 years in order to have continuous rapid growth to stay consistent in my business.

Knowing exactly how many hours you need to work means you have to know all of the tasks that you want to get done. You have to make a decision on how much content you are going to produce. You have to weed out the unimportant tasks.

Questions to Ask Yourself

What are the daily, weekly, monthly things that you need to do? 

What projects are you going to commit to? 

Do you have clients? 

Do you have a service that you provide right now? 

If so, how much time do you need to give to them? 

How much time do you want to spend on social media? 

How much time do you want to not spend on social media?

Key #2 to Business Growth: Know When You Will Show Up

The second key to business growth is knowing exactly when you are going to show up to those hours every single day. This is called your work block. You need to know when your work block is going to be every single day.

If you are wanting to dedicate 15 hours per week to your business, it is easier than you might think. Those 15 hours can be broken into a power hour Monday-Friday and a two hour afternoon work block Monday-Friday.

Can you get up an hour before your kids? Can you pop in an hour after they go to bed, or during the day when they’re doing independent play? You can start and grow and scale a business in 15 hours a week, if you do these three steps. It is unbelievably possible for you!

Key #3 to Business Growth: Know What to Focus On

The third key to business growth is to know exactly what to focus on and where to find the information. Even if you’re dedicating 10 hours a week to your business, you can make so much happen in those 10 hours. I had 10 hours a week for the first year. That first year is the foundation that I had for where I am now.

You can do so much if you know exactly what to focus on and where to find that information. Stop writing in multiple places and put everything in one spot. I know exactly where to go to find the information I need. I carry around one notebook, and have one single task management software.

“You can do so much if you know exactly what to focus on and where to find that information.”

Choose Your Strategy and Stick With It

I talk about MeisterTask all the time, and that is where all this information should be kept in my opinion. Knowing exactly what to focus on means you should have some plans in place. Pick one specific strategy that you are going to subscribe to grow your business. Whether it be an Etsy shop, network marketing, an online business, whatever it is you’re going to do, only pick one.

Pick one strategy that you will follow and go all in on it. Only do the tasks that support that one thing. When you sit down to work you will know exactly what those things are that you’re going to do. You’ve got a short amount of time, with no minutes to spare. Go in and get the job done. Don’t scroll on social media, don’t waste your time in Facebook groups. List out the tasks that matter and get the job done.

Your Dreams are Possible

What you’re dreaming of for your business and family truly is possible. My business used to be a dream inside my own head. Now I have the honor of sharing what I have learned with others and getting to watch them blossom in their own journeys. When you apply these three keys and pair them with a great business strategy, you will be living that dream before you know it.