Being stuck and feeling trapped
Working more hours, not making more money and feeling stuck in a terrible rut.
Stuck? Can't seem to get out of a rut? If you feel that way, welcome to the club. You are not alone. I've been there and most other people have felt or been stuck. You're working hard sometimes 60 or more hours a week and your revenue seems to be stuck or worse yet your revenue is going up but your bottom line is not. It can seem like there's nothing worse than bringing in more revenue and not taking any of that increase to the bottom line.
Being stuck has an emotional component, a process component and a structural component. Being stuck is a feeling and thought around a circumstance regarding your revenue, net income and possibly the number of hours you’re working. The circumstances are neutral. The fact you may be working 60 hours a week is a perhaps a fact or circumstance. However the thought of being stuck is just that - a thought. Feeling stuck is not a fact, it’s thought you have about the fact that you’re working 60 hours a week. Unfortunately feeling stuck or helpless is most likely going to keep you stuck and won't help you get out of that rut. You pivot your thought to see the opportunity for change. A thought you could have is “I want my revenue and bottom line to grow and I am creating the change necessary to get there.” You could pivot your thought from feeling stuck to “This is a problem I am going to solve. It’s just another business challenge.” Those thoughts will serve you better allowing the door to change to open.
A look at your processes like how your crews assemble in the morning, how are materials delivered and organized, the order of work, etc. These can all be limiting factors in your growth. How do you organize your day? The business is most likely following its leader and if your day is a mess, it’s possible your business is the same.
The structural component is looking at the roles and organization of your human resources. The focus should start with your time. Are you loaded with text messages, emails and voicemails from crews, your bookkeeper, and customers? You get to the end of the day and wonder what the heck did I do? Some days you can be pulled into so many small tasks that no boulders go moved. You were busy rearranging pebbles. That needs to change. Changing both your mindset around your work and how structurally you reorganize your day is critical. We want you working on moving boulders and mountains. Said another way - you should be working on your business vs working in your business. There needs to be time in your week devoted to visioning the future and actually creating the change you've envisioned. This could involve changing people's roles, doing additional training, and creating standard operating procedures to optimize workflows. Important too is your mindset around change. It's hard to not get dragged back into moving pebbles. I've been there and walked that walk. It's important on a daily even hourly basis to remind yourself that change will never happen if you keep doing the same things. It helps to have an accountability partner like myself to help keep you on track and to discuss your successes and your fails. Together we can look at where you are failing in the process and how we can pivot to success.
Contact me today and get UNSTUCK. Take control of your future, reduce your stress and get a cash buffer that gives you the peace of mind you deserve.