9 Game-Changing Secrets to Create Business Longevity in 2022
When you start your own business, you’re not usually doing it for a few week, months, or even a year.. You’re usually starting a business because you want to experience great success for years to come!
The true secret to success lies in not just setting the business up smartly from day one, but in also taking the time to align the “head” and the “heart” of your business. Tending to both can provide great clarity.
Let’s dive into exactly what we mean and how you can do just that.
Taking Care of Your Head:
The business tasks and plans that fall under the “head” are the practical and logical pillars of your business. Try thinking about them as fundamentals your business needs to have in place to operate.
While most of these should be done before you get in business, we all know life happens. Now is the perfect time to make sure you’ve checked off all the boxes on this list!
Set up your business legally. It’s time to file that paperwork for your EIN and official business name, license, and registration (as it applies to where you live).
Open up a business checking and savings account. No matter who you talk to for financial advice for your biz, they all recommend that you keep your business finances separate from your personal ones. See more financial tips here!
Shop for business insurance. Determine the kind of insurance you may need for the type of business you run and get it all squared away.
Start outlining your operating procedures (SOPs). As you begin to write these, determine exactly what needs to be done to keep your business running. While you work on them, you may even realize some tasks you could easily outsource!
Determine your management software. This is where you can track contracts, projects, and send invoices. Don’t forget a task management system. Pick what you want to use and get it all ready to go! It will make keeping track of all of your tasks so much easier. We love Honeybook and Asana on Team US!
For most of this, none of this stuff is super fun, let’s be real. But it’s critical for your business to have a strong foundation to build on. Take the time now to work through the “boring” tasks and you’ll thank yourself later.
Taking Care of Your Heart:
Ah, the heart of your business. When you hear “heart,” it’s easy to understand what we mean. We’re talking about the emotional, purpose-fueled side of your business.
These are the goals you think about late into the night and that motivate you every single day you show up in the office. Dreams are great, but taking the time to write out your goals and determine how to make them happen is priceless.
When you’re ready to focus on the heart of your business, here’s what we recommend:
Make that vision board, sister! Don’t overthink, just create. Cut, glue, tape, print, write: whatever it takes to get your ideas on paper is what you need to do. Having a visual representation of what you’re working toward is so much more motivating than a daydream. (And it helps rewire your brain to support your vision!)
Craft your mission statement. It sounds super scary, but it can start out simple: write down what you do and why you do it. When you’re struggling or having a bad day, being able to look at the why behind your business will help you get back on top.
Think about your timeline. Goals are sometimes intimidating to write because we want them to be perfect. Instead, try to think about what you want from your business in a year, 3 years, or even just 90 days. Now, you can break down what you need to actually do to make those goals a reality. Laying out a timeline like this can bring so much clarity to your to-do list.
Identify outside priorities. Life isn’t just about running a successful business. Take the time to lay out what your other priorities are: family, friends, travel, faith, learning to knit. Whatever it is that fuels your heart outside the office is important, too. Make sure that whatever plans you build for your business accounts for your well-being needs, too.
Once you’ve really taken care of both the head and the heart of your business, it will be much easier to tackle each day as a business owner. The head keeps us straight, while the heart keeps us dreaming.
We really need both in order to strive toward the greater vision we have for our businesses and for ourselves. Understanding our needs - both emotional and foundational - is how we create a business built for longevity.
If you want more guidance on how to balance the head and heart of your business so that you can truly thrive, sign up for Le Liftoff, a weekly email series filled with stories, tips and resources that will help you grow your business without burnout.
