Loading...
Answers
MenuWhat are some daily rituals and habits that have been effective for you in producing results in your business?
This question has no further details.
Answers
1. Differentiate Between Days to Produce and Days to Create
I pre-schedule which days (and time blocks in those days) will be for money making activities (literally those activities that are directly linked to income generation such as being on stage and speaking, in a room with my clients, closing sales, etc) versus those where I'm creating content, generating new business ideas, networking, developing marketing materials, etc. This allows me to focus on both working in it and working on it.
2. Keep a Digital Voice Recorder With Me at All Times (with a spare battery!)
Ideas seem to pop up all of the time - and I used to be a "write it down" guy who ended up with a pocket full of scrap papers and post it notes. Now I just talk the idea through and record it. At the end of the week I transfer the audio files to my pc, listen to them (using a media app that lets me play them at 2x speed) and transcribe my notes to a google document.
3. Planned Days Off - No Business Allowed
Being an entrepreneur takes energy. So "charging your batteries" is critical. Do things you love outside of working (even if you LOVE to work). Personally I take the day off and go fly fishing 1-2 days per month. It does wonders for clearing my head, relaxing me, and getting me prepped and ready for the week to come!
These rituals and habits are things you will benefit from starting to do TODAY. You'll not only be more productive, you'll find greater joy in what you do (and have less stress). For more tips - let's talk.
Rising at sunrise and committing to writing for a minimum of 30 minutes. Stream of consciousness writing brings up a variety of new ideas and helps solidify goals be it for the day ahead, month or long term. Having a short and long term personal goal list (on hand and easily referred to) is inspiring and keeps you focussed on the big picture.
I had/have a bunch! It really depends on your specific goals though.
Get up early, visioneering, eating healthy food, using my calendar which creates freedom and many others.
For me it is to get up early every day and start working on really important things, not just spending time doing some admin stuff (which is, to be honest, a way of relaxing while postponing difficult things).
Secondly, it is to finish all issues that I start. The worst for me is switching permanently among several issues and not finishing any of them. The reward of having something finished is very motivating for me.
On a little bit of a different note, I'd add that getting a good night's sleep and making room in my day to work out for an hour or so dramatically increases my productivity. Not necessarily my total hours - but my highly productive hours.
Assuming that you're in a position where your results are generally limited by your own abilities, if you can work things so that you have 3-4 1 hour blocks in which you do nothing but focussed production you'll likely find yourself far ahead of the pack. At that point, feel free to give yourself those other "working" hours back rather than using them to twiddle your thumbs on a keyboard.
Planning and scheduling my day the night before - you cant jump in the car for a road trip without an idea of where you want to be that night
Eating good food - You are what you eat, if you eat crap you will feel like crap, you think like crap and you look like crap. (shameless plug: snack on AMRAP Refuel Bars - check on amazon.com)
Light AM workout - Just something to move the blood and start the brain.
Read - I'm super dyslexic and cant read, but listen to 50 audio books per year (at 5AM to 6AM while foam rolling)
Solution focused - If i think of a problem, within 60 seconds i switch my thinking from problem based to solution base "what am i going to do to fix this?"
Evaluate my day - each night I ask my self the following questions, and keep a short log (take 3 minutes):
What three things did I do well today?
One thing I need to do to improve tomorrow?
How will I make the needed improvement?
Rate 1-10, priority one (family) process goal completion
Rate 1-10, priority two (business) process goal completion
Rate 1-10, priority three (personal) process goal completion
Rate 1-10, am I solution focused (think solution within 60 seconds of problem).
Rate 1-10, was I accountable today (discipline / integrity ).
Rate 1-10, 100-sec mental workout every AM and PM (gratitude, visualize, what I am going to do in the next 24 hours to make it happen)
Work strategic plan? Yes/no
Weekly Goals - Set them on Monday, Review them Wednesday, Rate yourself on Friday
I can keep going ... but need to get to work! Good luck and check my goodread page, read any book I give a 5-star as those I plan to read again in the future.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/8212497-ron?shelf=read&sort=rating
Related Questions
-
Whats the best way to find commission sales reps?
This is not my specialty, however, I have been in your position many many times -- maybe this will help. If the product is in-tangible, then look for JV partners on the Internet. Try to find an expert that deals with these JV opportunities (like me). If the product is physical, then look for sales organizations that have networks of sales people across the country. You do the deal with the organization and the independent network of sales people sells your product. It's a sweet setup if you can negotiate a margin that works for everyone. Hope that helps - Cheers - NickNickolas PassigNP
-
I have this social media idea,but no coding skills. How do I get someone to do the coding (cant afford to pay them) and not give away half of my idea?
Dilip was very kind in his response. My answer might be a bit on the "tough love" side. But that's for you to decide. My intention, just for the record, is to help you (and those like you) on your path to success. And that starts with having a viable philosophy about entrepreneurial-ism and business. And I'm going to answer this because I get asked some form / version of this question very frequently from newcomers to entrepreneurial-ism. The scenario goes something like this: "I have a great idea. It's amazing, I love it, and I just KNOW it's gonna make me a ton of money. But I have no money right now so I can't afford to (fill in the blank with things like "to build it / create it / market it / etc" or "to hire the required staff needed to work in my business to sell it / develop it / etc"). And I don't want to tell anyone about my great idea because I'm worried someone will steal it and make MY million / billion dollars. But I can't afford to legally protect it either... So how do I launch without the skills to personally create the product AND no money to hire anyone else to do that either??" The answer is ... You don't. Look - let's be honest. All you have is an idea. Big deal. Really. I'm not saying it's not a good idea. I'm not saying that if properly executed it couldn't make you a million / billion dollars... But an idea is NOT a business. Nor is it an asset. Until you do some (very important) initial work - like creating a business model, doing customer development, creating a MVP, etc - all you really have is a dream. Right now your choices are: 1. Find someone with the skills or the money to develop your idea and sell them on WHY they should invest in you. And yes, this will mean giving up either a portion of the "ownership" or of future income or equity. And the more risk they have to take - the more equity they will want (and quite frankly be entitled to). 2. Learn how to code and build it yourself. MANY entrepreneurs without financial resources are still resourceful. They develop the skills needed to create what they don't have the money to pay someone else to do. 3. Get some cash so you can pay someone to do the coding. You'll probably have to have some knowledge of coding to direct the architecture of your idea. So you will likely still have to become knowledgeable even if its not you personally doing the coding. (This is not meant to be a comprehensive list of options... And I'm sure some of the other experts here on Clarity have others to add - and I hope they do) To wrap up - Here's my final tip to you that I hope you "get"... It's FAR more valuable to have an idea that a very specific hungry crowd is clamoring for right now - One that THEY would love and pay you for right now - Maybe even one they'd pre-order because they just have to have it - Versus YOU being in love with your own idea. [Notice I didn't say "an idea that some as-of-yet-undetermined market would probably love"] I wish you the best of luck moving forward.David BermanDB
-
How do you make money to survive while you are building a business? What are some quick ways to make money with less time commitment?
I love this question. If you have to work on the side while building your business, I recommend doing something you absolutely hate. That keeps you hungry to succeed on your own. You'll also typically save your energy for the evenings and weekends where you'll want it for your business. Don't expect to make much money at your "other job" but you can work it to pay the bills while you build your business. This approach also forces you to build incrementally, and it keeps you frugal. This is not necessarily ideal. Having a bunch of money set aside sounds nice and luxurious, but not having the resources puts you in a position where you have to figure it out to survive. I love that. I started my business eight years ago on $150 and today we do a million a year. Don't wait until you have the resources to start safely. Dive in however you can. And avoid shortcuts. Don't waste your time scheming to make bigger money on the side. Do something honest to live on and create a business that drives value.Corey Michael BlakeCM
-
My startup just failed. What could I start to "immediately" generate $1,000/mo?
The quickest path to cash is almost always consulting. Be very specific about what it is you can offer. Don't just offer "business consulting". Find a niche and serve it. Reach out to your network, including friends and family and ask if they need or know of anyone who might want to hear about what your consulting has to offer. That will be way faster than trying to go at it from scratch or cold calling. If you call 100 people in your network this week, you will have a consulting gig within 3 weeks. Good luck, and let me know if you'd like advice on entering a digital marketing/lead generation consulting niche. I've grown from zero to $8,000 of monthly recurring payments in the last 40 days! DaveDave RogenmoserDR
-
How much equity should I ask as a CMO in a startup?
Greater risk = greater equity. How likely is this to fail or just break even? If you aren't receiving salary yet are among 4-6 non-founders with equivalent sweat investment, all of whom are lower on the totem pole than the two founders, figure out: 1) Taking into account all likely outcomes, what is the most likely outcome in terms of exit? (ex: $10MM.) Keep in mind that 90%+ of all tech startups fail (Allmand Law study), and of those that succeed 88% of M&A deals are under $100MM. Startups that exit at $1B+ are so rare they are called "unicorns"... so don't count on that, no matter how exciting it feels right now. 2) Figure out what 1% equity would give you in terms of payout for the most likely exit. For example, a $10MM exit would give you $100k for every 1% you own. 3) Decide what the chance is that the startup will fail / go bankrupt / get stuck at a $1MM business with no exit in sight. (According to Allman Law's study, 10% stay in business - and far fewer than that actually exit). 4) Multiply the % chance of success by the likely outcome if successful. Now each 1% of equity is worth $10k. You could get lucky and have it be worth millions, or it could be worth nothing. (With the hypothetical numbers I'm giving here, including the odds, you are working for $10k per 1% equity received if the most likely exit is $10MM and the % chance of failure is 90%.) 5) Come up with a vesting path. Commit to one year, get X equity at the end. If you were salaried, the path would be more like 4 years, but since it's free you deserve instant equity as long as you follow through for a reasonable period of time. 6) Assuming you get agreement in writing from the founders, what amount of $ would you take in exchange for 12 months of free work? Now multiply that by 2 to factor in the fact that the payout would be far down the road, and that there is risk. 7) What percentage share of equity would you need in order to equal that payout on exit? 8) Multiply that number by 2-3x to account for likely dilution over time. 9) If the founders aren't willing to give you that much equity in writing, then it's time to move on! If they are, then decide whether you're willing to take the risk in exchange for potentially big rewards (and of course, potentially empty pockets). It's a fascinating topic with a lot of speculation involved, so if you want to discuss in depth, set up a call with me on Clarity. Hope that helps!Ryan DravingRD
the startups.com platform
Copyright © 2025 Startups.com. All rights reserved.
