Quick Roundup

Clarify Your Goals
The clarity of your goals will ultimately have a large impact on your ability to achieve those goals. Vague goals only lead to confusion, and often send us in the wrong direction. For example, a goal to spend more time with your family in 2009 is much different from a goal to achieve the financial position to be able to spend more time with your family. On the surface, they may seem the same, but the latter specifies the more fundamental goal. In other words, achieving a certain financial position makes more free time possible.

Brian Tracy addresses this in The Law of Clarity:

People with clear, written goals, accomplish far more in a shorter period of time than people without them could ever imagine. This is true everywhere and under all circumstances.

No matter our goal, we must identify the cause and the effect. And we must focus in on the real effect we want. That will often help us identify and clarify the specific steps we must take to achieve that goal.


What Was That Bump?
In working with other contractors I am often struck by how resistant they are to try a new idea. They seem overwhelmed by the potential for making a mistake or failing, and this fear stops them from attempting something new. For example, many contractors are extremely reluctant to raise their prices.

Certainly, nobody enjoys making a mistake or failing. But it is a part of life and business. As Dan Miller writes in Go Ahead--Make More Mistakes:

Here’s what Robert Kiyosaki (Rich Dad Poor Dad) has to say about “bad luck.” He says, “Making mistakes and becoming smarter is the job of an entrepreneur; not making mistakes is the job of an employee.”

An essential part of entrepreneurism is taking calculated risks. Doing what you've always done will continue to get you the same results. Getting different--better--results means doing something different, and that necessarily involves the risk of making a mistake or failing. Taking calculated risks won't eliminate mistakes, but it often reduces them to minor bumps.


Five Essential Skills
Michael Gerber's new book, The Power Point, lists 5 essential skills that every entrepreneur must possess. Mastering these skills, he says, is necessary to create a great business. The skills are:

1. Concentration--The inner force and energy that allows you to focus your attention.
2. Discrimination--The ability to choose upon what, where and who our attention (or concentration) is directed.
3. Organization--This is the ability to turn chaos into order.
4. Innovation--Innovation is that spark of genius that all entrepreneurs have and should be seen as an asset.
5. Communication--The ability to transmit ideas with clarity, precision, passion and purpose.

These skills are crucial to achieving our goals, no matter what they are. We must identify our goals (discrimination), prioritize those goals and the methods for achieving them (organization), focus our efforts on the goals (concentration), seek creative ways to accomplish the goals (innovation), and share the goals with the relevant people (communication).

Not only do these skills help us achieve our goals, they also help us clarify those goals and develop a plan that will minimize the risks involved.


The Two-Minute Rule
One of the biggest obstacles to achieving our goals is procrastination. While there are many causes of procrastination, they all result in delaying work on some task or project. We may write the task down, or swear that we will remember it, or whatever. But we delay doing it, and suddenly we can have a very long list of tasks. David Allen, of Getting Things Done, developed the Two-Minute Rule--if a task will take less than 2 minutes to complete, do it now. Here is a short video--it is only 2 minutes long--on how to apply the Two-Minute Rule.

Magic Pills

All of us want to manage our time more efficiently, no matter what our personal goals. Yet, despite reading books, articles, etc. we often find it difficult to actually make better use of our time. Denise Miller addresses this in a recent blog post.

You see the words everyday: goal setting, time management, multitasking, organizing…. After diet and weight-loss books, these topics are high on the list of self-help tomes. I have worked with clients who owned more time management books than many bookstores stock at one time, yet they still need me to come into their offices and work with them. One of the reasons may be that many of the books are still shrink-wrapped, and the rest are in pristine condition.

It’s appealing to think that a book or a training session will resolve an issue, but there are some points that must be stressed when you sincerely want to improve your time management skills, which can include managing paper, email, and clutter as well as calendars.

I think too many of us look for some magic pill that will solve our problems, whether it is dieting, time management, or marketing our paint contracting business.

There is seldom a single magic solution that will fit all people and all situations. There are general principles that apply, but those principles must then be adapted to our particular situation. This takes effort-- mental effort. And I think that is what a lot of people are trying to avoid when they seek a magic solution.

The truth is, no matter what your goal or what the issue, action must be guided by thought. We must identify the goal the means for achieving it. In other words, accomplishing a goal is a combination of mental and physical effort. Thoughts without action are simply a waste of time, and action without thought is suicidal.

Make a Date with Yourself

I hear a lot of contractors complain that they simply can't find the time to work on certain projects. They want to develop procedures, or tweak their estimating system, or some other task that will have long-term benefits. But they just can't seem to squeeze the time into their day.

In a recent blog post Brian Tracy offers some tips on how to make better use of your time.

Some people allocate specific 30-60 minute time periods each day for
exercise. Many people read in the great books 15 minutes each night before
retiring. In this way, over time, they eventually read dozens of the best books
ever written.

The key to the success of this method of working in specific time
segments is for you to plan your day in advance and specifically schedule a
fixed time period for a particular activity or task.

Long-term projects require a prolonged committment-- consistent steps in the right direction. By setting aside some amount of time each day or each week to work on a project you are able to make gradual, yet consistent progress. Painting a house requires a series of specific actions. So does the completion of long-term business tasks.

Many highly productive people schedule specific activities in preplanned time
slots all day long. These people build their work lives around accomplishing key
tasks one at a time. As a result, they become more and more productive and
eventually produce two times, three times and five times as much as the average
person.

Like many time management tips, this is easier said than done. The daily demands of owning a business, in addition to family, friends, and hobbies, can stretch our time very thin. Focusing on priorities, rather than the interest du jour, keeps us moving toward our long-term goals.

Keeping Focus

Many things can cause interruptions when we are working on a task. We often look at others as the source of these interruptions-- such as phone calls or questions from an employee. But as Denise Landers writes, "there is another one to add to that list. We interrupt ourselves frequently."

Whether the source of the interruption is internal or external, interruptions are a huge time waster. It can take as long as 20 minutes to regain focus, during which time another interruption can occur.

External sources can be difficult to control, though not impossible. We can shut the door, turn off the phone, etc. to reduce or eliminate these causes.

Internal sources-- such as boredom, procrastination, or simply habit-- can also be difficult to control. Landers suggests setting aside a small amount of time each day to focus on one project. "It may seem strange at first, she writes, "and you will find your mind wandering or your hand edging toward the email inbox. Fight the urge."

That might seem like a simplistic suggestion. But the fact is, keeping focus does require effort, and we are the only one who can exert that effort. Like many tasks that are difficult, it may be a struggle at first but will get easier in time.

© BEP Enterprises Incorporated 2008

Bite Sized Pieces

Faced with the task of eating an elephant, one could easily be overwhelmed and give up. After all, who could possibly eat an elephant?

But in truth, eating an elephant isn’t all that hard, if you take the right approach—one bite at a time. Indeed, this is how we eat hamburgers, a bowl of soup, or anything else. The fact that the meal on our plate is much, much larger doesn’t alter the basic approach.

Many aspects of owning a paint contracting company can seem like eating an elephant—planning, developing systems, implementing training programs. Each can be a large task that seems overwhelming. This is true, as Susan Weber puts it on the E Myth Blog, "especially if—up until now—you’ve been focused on the day-to-day work of a Technician."

For someone who is "in the bucket", working on your business is a big step. You will most likely be out of your comfort zone. In addition, finding the time to take on this task might seem impossible. Susan recommends 3 steps: organize, prioritize, and book it. Identify what you need to work on, what is most important, and then schedule time to work on it.

While these are big tasks, they can be accomplished. You can eat the elephant if you take it one bite at a time. For example, developing systems might seem like an endless task. But if you develop one procedure at a time, concentrating on one area of your business at a time, you can gradually and consistently move towards the larger goal.

In short, eating an elephant requires that we focus on one part at a time. We break the task into smaller, bite size pieces. By focusing on these smaller pieces, we can overcome the immensity of the project.

© BEP Enterprises Incorporated 2008

It Doesn’t Hurt to Ask

I was talking to a contractor a few days ago and he mentioned that he was going to have to take a Friday off. Knowing that he had plenty of work, I asked why. It turned out that he was going to finish his current job a day early, but his next customer was expecting him to start on Monday.

I asked him if he had called his next customer to see if she would be ready. No, he said. I already told her it would be Monday. I finally convinced him to call her, and she was thrilled that he could start earlier than expected.

Sometimes we just need to ask for what we want and not be so concerned about hearing “no”. We just might hear “yes”. It can be easy to “know” what the answer will be, and then refrain from ever asking the question.

I see this occur in regard to all kinds of issues relating to paint contracting—deposits, scheduling, employee pay, vendor relations, etc. Far too often the contractor refuses to ask a question, and then he complains about the “answer”.

I’m not a mind reader, and I seriously doubt that you are either. Why should we assume that we know the answer when we haven’t even posed the question? Making such assumptions does a disservice to everyone involved. We don’t get the real answer, and the other party never gets a chance to answer the question. The worse thing that can happen is that we get an answer we don’t like, but it never hurts to ask.

© BEP Enterprises Incorporated 2008

Mending the Fence

Here in Texas, we often have to mend our fences to keep the cattle from straying off. But the problem with mending fences is that the Indians keep sneaking up and shooting at us. They don’t quite seem to realize that it’s not polite to shoot at people when they are mending fences. But then I don’t have any cattle, so I’m not sure why I’m even mending my fence.

Actually, I do know why I am mending my fence. My wife has been bugging me for 3 or 4 years to do so. Of course, the fence that started leaning after a bad storm years ago bothered me, but not enough to actually do anything about it.

It’s often the case that we will put up with things that we aren’t happy about in our paint contracting business, rather than exert some effort to fix it. We’ll look at that leaning fence every day, and swear that we will fix it soon. And we never do.

Mending fences isn’t fun. I had to remove about 50 pickets and 3 posts. I had to re-dig post holes, set new posts, and then put the whole thing back together. It was about 90 out and the humidity was somewhere around 150%. I had to change my shirt 4 times. But it needed to be done, and I’m not one to put off unpleasant tasks. (Well, not for more than 4 years.)

I’m proud of my new fence. My cattle won’t be wandering off. More importantly, my wife won’t be asking me when I’m going to mend the fence. Like many unpleasant tasks in our business, I’m glad that it’s done and I appreciate the results. Sometimes we just need to roll up our sleeves and do it.

Unfortunately, my wife has some more tasks for me. But I still have a few more years to work on those.

© BEP Enterprises Incorporated 2008

Pareto’s Principle

Often called the 80- 20 rule, Pareto’s Principle holds that 20% of our effort yields 80% of our results. This is often applied to other situations, such as 20% of our customers create 80% of our profits. While I don’t think this rule is literally true, there are elements of it worth considering.

There are many situations that can disrupt a painting contractor’s day. Many of these—such as a crew running short of paint at the end of a job, equipment that wasn’t taken to the job, customer complaints—can become minor emergencies that require immediate action. The time required to address these issues, in addition to the interruption, can sap energy as well as time.

If our day is dominated by crisis management it can be extremely difficult to work on our business. If we spend our time putting out fires we do not have time to address the true source of those fires. As soon as one is stamped out, another arises.

Imagine how your business might change if you spent 8 hours a week (or 20% of a 40-hour week) developing systems to prevent those fires. Those 8 hours would eventually save you hundreds of hours, not to mention the reduced stress and improved profitability. Further, by eliminating those fires would provide additional free time to address other issues.

Working on your business is simply one application of Pareto’s Principle. It is an application that can pay dividends for years to come.

© BEP Enterprises Incorporated 2008

The Tortoise and the Hare

You’ve probably heard the story of the tortoise and the hare. Engaged in a race, the hare believes that he can dilly-dally and use his superior speed to catch the tortoise. He winds up waiting too late to start and the tortoise, though slow and methodical, wins the race.

The same can happen with our paint contracting business. We can put off doing the things that are necessary to succeed, believing that a mad dash at the end will suffice. In the meantime, the contractor who consistently does the right things, slowly and methodically, gradually moves forward step-by-step.

It can often be easy to put off mundane tasks. It can often be easy to feel overwhelmed and refuse to start a project because its immensity makes it seem impossible to finish. While starting a project will not guarantee its successful completion, failing to start will insure that it is never completed.

A cross-country road trip is not a small adventure. It involves lots of boring driving. It also involves periodic sights and experiences filled with excitement and grandeur. But if we never start we will not have those experiences, and we certainly won’t reach our destination.

The speed with which we get to our goals is far less important than accomplishing them. Sometimes it is much more effective in the long-term to be a tortoise rather than a hare.

© BEP Enterprises Incorporated 2008

What to do with Your Rebate Check

It seems like everybody has a suggestion on how you should spend your tax rebate check, and it usually involves their store or their product. Since I am such a follower, and have a web site that sells stuff, I’ll make a similar suggestion. Go to Out of the Bucket.com and buy everything we have.

Seriously though, you should really consider investing some of the money into your business. Take a training class, or buy QuickBooks, or do something else to expand your business skills. If you spent $500 on learning something valuable about business, you could turn that investment into thousands before the end of the year.

I know, training is expensive. You don’t have time. Blah, blah, blah. To be blunt, these are silly excuses. Lots of things are expensive—spray rigs, trucks, a gallon of gas. But you buy these things because they help you make money. What about your brain? Does that help you make money? If so, why aren’t you investing in it?

As far as time goes, I hate to be the one to break the news to you, but there are 24 hours in every day. Always has been, always will be. I don’t have any more time in the day than you do. I just choose to use my time differently, that’s all. So when someone says, “I don’t have time” what they really mean is “I choose to use my time for other things.”

But I digress. Marketing is an investment. Equipment is an investment. Training is an investment. Invest your rebate check. You’ll thank me some day.

© BEP Enterprises Incorporated 2008

Procrastination

Since I started this blog I’ve wanted to write a post on procrastination, but I kept putting it off. At first I wasn’t sure where to start, and then I got other ideas that were more interesting. When I got back to the idea, it seemed like such a big topic that I could never actually complete the post.

Then I realized that so much has been written on the topic that I’d need to write the perfect post to say something original. So I decided I needed to wait some time until I learned more and then I could write a really good post. Just when I was ready to start my cat wanted to play.

Does any of the above sound familiar? These are the common excuses for procrastination. And they are excuses. Personally, I get real tired of excuses. I know people who keep telling me what they are going to do. They never seem to be able to tell me what they have actually done, because they spend most of their time making excuses about why they can’t do anything.

Here’s a tip: if you say you are going to do something, do it. If you aren’t serious about doing it, don’t waste my time telling me about your fantasies. Frankly, your fantasies aren’t all that interesting unless they involve Cameron Diaz, and even then I really don’t want to hear them.

I admire accomplishment. I respect people who work hard to achieve a goal. I feel nothing but pity for people who can only talk about what they are going to do—the dreamers who never act. Actually, there is one situation in which I would appreciate procrastination. If you are going to tell me about what you are going to do—and you aren’t serious about it—why don’t you just put it off for a few days.

© BEP Enterprises Incorporated 2008