One of the things that ‘busy’ people often lament is the lack of time. Well there is only so much time available. If you find yourself wishing you had more time, it would be a good exercise to look at exactly where you are spending yours.
Your clients are the people who pay you money to do what you love. Without clients, you have no business. So you need to be really aware of valuing them in order maintain and build a successful business.
The other day I was shopping and came into the same aisle as a young family – Dad, Mom and Toddler. The Mom was pushing the cart, the Dad was looking on the shelves, and the Toddler got in the way of the cart Mom was trying to push around the corner. She immediately yelled, “That’s enough of this crap! You’re getting in the cart!” and proceeded to pick up the Toddler and dump him in the cart. He started to cry, and she continued, “It’s not a punishment, it’s just the way it has to be.” … Huh? Not a punishment? Then why the yelling and the dumping?
When you go into business for yourself, it is important to build and maintain a mindset that you are more than an employee to your clients … you are a business owner that is collaborating with them on their business.
How do you measure success? Maybe you are successful when you reach a goal, maybe when you make a certain amount of money, or maybe when you get to work with that client you chased for so long. Whether you are after small successes or big success, it is important to recognize that to get there you are going to need to pay attention to the details.