The A to Z challenge and writing about woman entrepreneurs. You may read the previous posts here.
O is for Opportunities
An organized person will find more opportunities than others. The old saying that "opportunity knocks only once" is quite true. When the right opportunity comes to you and you have not prepared for it, you will lose out. No matter what your business goals are, you need to keep taking incremental steps towards it every single day.
Every business owner knows that staying organized is important, yet it's also very time consuming. This brings in the temptation to do things later, which leads to the disorganization which derails your chances of making hay when the sun shines. Sort through your checklist of things to be done. Is it growing without you making a dent in it? Then you are just inviting trouble.
Looking for opportunities to grow your business should be an ongoing effort. It should also not take too much of your time if you organize your requirements. The first thing to do here is get rid of the clutter. There are many things that you have held on to for a "later date". If it's not of any obvious use to you right now, it can be shelved. Your resources and materials should be easily accessible to you.
Take for example the story of a handmade cold process soap maker. There is a period of six weeks from the creation of the soap till it is cured and ready for sales. There has to be proactive action for this entrepreneur. The production of soaps needs to be increased three months before hand so that the stock is available in time for the holiday season.
Even if the exact opportunity to increase sales is not known, the soap maker can anticipate the sale of gifting options during the holiday season. By staying on track and organizing the inventory well, she will actually make a good profit during this time. So ensure that you are ready for the visible opportunities as well as the hidden ones headed your way.
If you are the kind of person who is always running late to everything, it's a clear sign of being disorganized. Begin by getting clarity about what you need to get done each day. Then delegate all the tasks that can be done by someone else. You can't take advantage of a business opportunity if you are stuck driving your children to their classes at the same time, or cooking for the family or running grocery errands. This doesn't imply that you shouldn't be responsible for these errands, but rather that they do not need your personal attention if you can employ a trustworthy person to do them for you. Which in turn frees you up for more time to devote to your business.
The Exercise
What You Will Need: A little bit of reorganizing to ensure that you are prepared
There are three areas that you need to look into organizing to be open to taking advantage of new opportunities. The first is your life space, the second your work space and the third is your own self. Here are some suggestions on how to make constant improvements.
For your lifestyle use a calendar to keep track of all you need to do. Make your goals time sensitive. Have a To-Do List, and make sure you follow it. Procrastination equals death in the business world. Keep moving forward.
For your workspace, take out the clutter and organize it. Get four bins and label them Trash, Recycle, Donate and Belongs somewhere else. Now empty out all your drawers, cupboards and stuff on your desk into thye bins. You will be left feeling so much light!
For your self, ask a simple question. When an opportunity presents itself at work, how do you react? With pleasure or with dread at the tasks that you will have to do to seal the deal? If the pleasure no longer exists, as an entrepreneur, you are headed for disaster. Think of why you began the business, and see if the reason is still as important to you today.
Sometimes you need to take a step back and figure out what exactly you want to focus on. In the beginning one tends to take on any opportunity to grow the business, but as you establish your name, and your brand, you need to narrow down what you offer to your clients. Streamlining your business processed is a good to get organized and ready to handle the next opportunity.
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