Meeting Topic
Introduction for meeting topic discussion:
This fortnight’s article is contributed by Gemma Knight of Gemma Knight Writes.
Consistency is what keeps you showing up even when times are tough. It’s what gets your brand in front of the right people, and ultimately, your consistency will dictate your success. Start noticing where you are able to be consistent in your business and where you need to put in some work, then get to it! You will find the benefits flow through to other areas of your life. A great place to start being consistent is with the marketing content you publish for your business.
As you construct your 60-second introduction this week, consider how consistent YOU are at putting your message and your ‘why’ out into the world through your business. How do you do it? Could you be better at it and if so, how?
Business Growth Requires Consistent Action By Gemma Knight
There is no magic formula for business growth.
Sure, certain guidelines make smart business sense universally, but every enterprise is unique and requires tailor-made strategies and skills.
However, there is one magic ingredient that transcends every niche and industry. Whether you are at day one of building your business or day 1000 of trying to maintain business growth, you need to be consistent.
But what exactly does consistency look like in business, and how can you make it easier to achieve? Read on to find out.
Consistency In Purpose
Your purpose is the backbone of everything you do in business. It shapes the way you work, your values and mission, your branding and voice. If your purpose is shaky or changes from day to day, your entire business will be built on wobbly foundations.
So, what is your why?
What is the reason you keep going? The reason you get up in the morning and embrace another day in business. Your purpose is such a personal thing and is different for every business owner. It could be your family, your kids, your passion, your love of helping people… anything that lights a fire in you.
Once you identify that purpose, it is easier to drive your business forward. A consistent purpose allows you to create a transparent business. It’s your true north that keeps you on track and focused on where you want to be.
Consistency In Branding And Messaging
Consistency is also vital when it comes to branding. In this overwhelming digital world, it is so easy for your business to be forgotten. Which is why we work so hard to be seen and remembered by our audience. Maintaining your visual branding is the key to this recognition.
But branding is so much more than just your logo. It’s the voice, tone, messaging, and feeling associated with your business.
Being consistent with how you talk to your audience, what kind of content you produce, and how you deliver on your promises shows that you are reliable and trustworthy.
Consistent Products And Services
Why do people go to McDonald’s? Whether you are a fast-food fan or not, you know that McDonald’s is going to provide you with quick, easy, familiar food that tastes the same whether you’re eating it in Otago or Okinawa.
You should be offering the same in your business.
No, I don’t mean upselling fries with every purchase! But, I do mean providing consistent customer service and high standards with every transaction. Your audience wants familiarity and consistency from what you offer – make sure you deliver.
Consistent Commitment
Every business owner thinks about throwing in the towel at some point or another. But those that succeed never stop showing up, even when they really want to stay in bed with the covers over their head!
It is so easy to make excuses. Easy to find a reason why you can’t do something that might be a little bit difficult or uncomfortable.
It is much harder to show up and do the mahi every day.
BUT, showing up and doing the mahi is what will deliver the results you want.
Ensuring consistency in your business is just as much about developing this same quality within yourself. Keep doing the work, keep showing up, and keep slogging on – even when it’s hard.
Just think, if you don’t start now you will be in the exact same place in a year’s time. So, don’t do it for today’s you, do it for next year’s you. She will thank you for it!
How To Maintain Consistency For Business Growth
Like any habit – good or bad – consistency takes practice. In business, it’s a reflection of your routines, how well you plan, and your determination to find success.
The plan comes first. Decide what your big goals are, then break them down into baby steps. The smaller and more achievable your plan feels, the less likely it is to become overwhelming. Make it easy for yourself to be consistent!
Keep your actions achievable. There’s no point running yourself into the ground to try and write two blog posts a week if it’s not sustainable in the long run.
Once you have your master plan broken down into weekly and daily to-do lists, find ways to support it. The goal isn’t to make your life hard – it’s to make those consistent actions a piece of cake! Think about what processes or systems you could implement to take care of key tasks – whether by using an app, delegating, or outsourcing some of the work.
Be accountable. This is often easier said than done. It’s far too easy to wriggle out of promises we make to ourselves, but much scarier to disappoint others! Find yourself a coach, a mentor, or some accountability buddies to help you hone that consistency habit.
Get some help. There are a million jobs to do in a small business. And if you want to grow, you can’t keep doing them all yourself. So, call in some help. You might choose to engage a VA, bookkeeper, or even a content writer to help you remain consistent with your vital business tasks.
The Beauty Of Consistency
Consistency is what keeps you showing up even when times are tough. It’s what gets your brand in front of the right people, and ultimately, your consistency will dictate your success. Start noticing where you are able to be consistent in your business and where you need to put in some work, then get to it! You will find the benefits flow through to other areas of your life.
A great place to start being consistent is with the marketing content you publish for your business. Grab my free resource which helps you generate consistent leads and sales across all of your marketing channels by using one key piece of content.
This piece was written by Gemma Knight from Gemma Knight Writes. Gemma is a content writer specialising in crafting blog, social media and newsletter content that is designed to promote and grow your business.
Next Meeting Topic
Introduction for meeting topic discussion:
This article is contributed by Justine Lamont of Good to Great Parenting. When we think about ‘leadership’, we often think about being the boss at work. But ‘leadership’ applies just as much at home! If we are being good leaders at home and the relationships THERE are good and healthy, our ability to be good leaders at work becomes even greater.
As you construct your 60-second introduction, read the article and consider sharing the successful strategies YOU use for bringing good leadership to your home so that those relationships in turn support you to be a good leader at work.
Building a Strong Team at Home Means EVERYTHING Runs More Smoothly (even your business) By Justine Lamont
Do you work proactively in a calm, alert and focused way at work only to find that when you get home it’s a different matter? When we are not in charge at home it drains our energy and affects our ability to function well in both places. I know how this feels – before I had kids I worked as a lawyer in an office, and when I asked people to do things they would do it – without argument!
That all changed when I had a baby and an impulsive and gorgeous pre-schooler.
It was learning parenting skills that helped me to understand how good leaders use their energy. They set things up to go well, rather than reacting when it doesn’t. I found ways to be a calm, alert and focused leader at home and now I work with others to do the same.
What do you notice about how you feel at work and how you feel at home? If I was a fly on the wall at your place, what would I see? Would I see you being a leader? Whether you are a parent or not, there are things that a good leader does to keep things going smoothly at work and at home:
We are the leader
As adults the quality of the relationships we have with others depends on our communication skills and our perspective-taking ability. This applies no matter the age of the person we are in a relationship with. It’s even more important to take the lead with our children, who have immature brains.
Leaders build strong teams by increasing awareness of the things they pay attention to. This requires a deliberate change in what we typically do at home. Parents tend to spend energy focusing on all the things our children can’t do. We don’t just do it with our kids, we do it with other adults too. It’s such an ingrained habit that we can find ourselves repeatedly asking our partner to do things like unload the dishwasher, and when they don’t we feel resentful. If our default position sounds like this:
“You always leave clothes lying around” or “You never put the bins out” we are leaning towards this negative habit.
When we do this too much it causes disconnection and weakens the team.
Parents tell me all the time “I would say good things if I could find anything good to say.” I’m going to challenge you to look harder. There are things that are going well. Turn it around and find ways to build connection.
When was the last time you said this?
“I like the way you helped me carry in the shopping bags without me asking you, that was so helpful.”
or
“I loved the way you took out the rubbish without moaning.”
Maybe you think I just don’t have time to do this. I am a busy person running my business and people just have to do it. The problem is that when we keep on doing it the way we have always done it, we are going to get the same results. It’s not only ineffective, it drains us and we won’t have as much energy for work either.
Research on negative and positive interactions in relationships by John Gottman from the Gottman Institute shows that in order to feel good and be motivated, we need to hear five positives to each negative comment. This is known as the Magic Ratio. Outside of conflict discussions, successful couples had an even higher positive-to-negative ratio—20:1. Having a ratio below 5:1 within conflict became one of the many potential divorce indicators found in the Gottman research. So, when it comes to helping things go more smoothly at home can we afford NOT to pay attention to what is going well?
The choice to pay attention to what we want to see more of is a deliberate one. The more we pay attention to what is going well the more cooperation we will get and the stronger our team will be.
You can learn more about the effective strategies Justine uses with her clients here: https://gtgparenting.co.nz/
