Accountability in business
Are you a business owner who comes up with a million ideas? You love to dream about what could be, new ways of thinking, and new programs, services or offers to help more people. However, dealing with the tiny details behind these big ideas (think numbers, systems, processes, deadlines, measurements, indicators, spreadsheets…) doesn’t feel as exciting to you. They’re not as compelling, and so you naturally tend to not put your focus there as much. You would rather make money or talk to someone on a sales call.
Here’s the truth, though: what got you to the level of business growth you are at now will not get you where you want to go. Whether your goal is more freedom and vacation time, increased monthly revenue, or a business that runs without you being present, a shift is needed and it requires you to be accountable. Here are some starting points:
You need to know where you are now
You need to be specific and clear on where you want to go
You need to have a strategic plan for how you’re going to get there
You need to be tracking your progress consistently
You need to tweak and adjust your actions based on the insights you gain in real time
Now, stay with me here. I realize that the 5-point list I have above does not light you up. These are not the things you would naturally want to spend your work time on. However, to see the growth in your business that you want, you need to make a shift. Predictable, exponential growth doesn’t just happen by accident.
Tracking, measuring, and looking at “the numbers” is vital at this stage of your business. It’s what will scale your business to 6 and 7 figures and beyond.
I challenge you to learn to appreciate the numbers, because they tell a story that you can then use to make strategic decisions toward your goals. Numbers hold you and your team accountable to where you say you want to go.
At this stage, accountability in business is everything. As uncomfortable as it might feel, you must start tracking your numbers on a consistent basis, because it is the thing that will help grow your business the most predictably and steadily.
I understand this may not be part of what you have done before and the thought of being comfortable with your numbers is scary in itself. You are asking yourself, “Can I just ignore this a bit longer? Perhaps I just need to adjust my marketing content strategy and then I will grow.” Being accountable in business is not easy at first, and I understand that. However, once you start and embrace it, it becomes more comfortable and can take you places you could only dream about before.
If this is new for you, it will require a new way of being in your business – it means growing up and taking personal responsibility.
I was recently working with a client who stepped up to the plate and started being accountable in her business. She had a fairly successful business, but was always trying to find ways to grow and make a bigger impact. Prior to working with me, she admitted that she was not comfortable with her business numbers and quite frankly did not track a single metric. However, she knew deep down that in order to grow and expand she needed to know some facts about her business that only the data would show. She was able to embrace this new accountability and consistently track her marketing efforts as well as her sales data. She knew exactly which marketing campaigns were bringing her results (i.e. purchases) and what type of content resonated with her audience the most. Armed with this info, she was able to mobilize her team to double down on the specific tactics that were producing results and spend less time on those that were not.
If you’ve known for some time that an accountability shift is needed for you to grow your business, income and impact, the best time to get started is now. The sooner you make this change, the sooner you’ll have an intentional plan to reach the next level.
