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Day 3: Efficient Action

Megan Mcdonough

Frequently Asked QuestionsYesterday, I wrote about my webpage for the Training the Trainer program. Well, it’s not done yet. Didn’t I warn you about the never-ending nature of marketing communications?

Today’s task will be easier, though (she said, with a hopeful smile on her face).

I frequently get e-mails from people who are interested in attending the course. They usually have a question or two they want answered before they register. These questions are helpful clues as to how and where my marketing communications can be improved (see Day 2 for more on that topic). That’s why, whenever I’ve answered those questions, I save the responses in a special folder in Outlook.

Today’s job was a quick one: take those e-mails and update the “Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)” page on my website. All I had to do was copy and paste the questions and answers into a Word document. Sure, there was a little tweaking and cleaning up, but the heavy lifting had already been done.

I sent the finished document on to my wonderful webmaster Julie and she uploaded the changes right away. Julie is a neighbor, a good friend, and a hard-working business owner. I love our working relationship, which makes the implementation of all this much easier.

Which leads me to pose a question: do you have the support you need?

It is critical, I think, that we recognize two things: most small business – even those with a healthy bottom line – have cash flow issues. Growth demands cash, and that cash doesn’t always come in before it goes out again. That’s why it’s important to have your accounts receivable – the money people owe you – paid on a timely basis.

There’s another, sometimes contradictory truth: you cannot do it all on your own. You need help – even if it means paying people to help you when cash flow is tight. I remember when I first started my business back in 2000. I hated the bookkeeping and had to force myself to do it because it had to get done. But I was a major witch (with a B) when it came time to enter receipts, create a profit-and-loss statement, and pay bills.

There was only one part I enjoyed – and that was sending out invoices!

I told myself I would hire a bookkeeper when the business had the “extra money.” Guess what? In those early days, it did not feel like I would ever have the money. Eventually, I realized that the time I was spending on the books (as well as the mental energy I was sucking up moaning, groaning and complaining) could be much better utilized doing what I do best. So I hired someone to do the books, and I focused my attention on building my business. That was a much better recipe for success than forcing myself to expend my energies on work that I hated doing.

Trying to do it all yourself is an exhausting, hopeless endeavor. It takes a team to build a business. Is there a small piece you can hire out? Is there a task you can trade for yoga classes? Where can you get the support you need? Where do your skills add the most value in your yoga business? What are you doing that someone else could do so that you could free up your time to add more value?

Oprah said, “Energy is the essence of life. Every day you decide how you’re going to use it by knowing what you want and what it takes to reach that goal, and by maintaining focus.

I wonder what the world misses out on when we force ourselves to focus on tasks we “should” do instead of doing the work we are called to do.

What incredible things could happen if we only stopped “shoulding” ourselves?

Take the Challenge:

[tags]Megan McDonough, training the trainer program, yoga business, business marketing consultant, 21-day yoga marketing challenge[/tags]

Author: Megan Mcdonough

People with big ideas face a constant challenge: how to transform that vision into a new and better reality. Whether it’s change in your personal life or success in your business, vision needs action (and rest) to manifest.

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