As we begin to close out this year and get ready for a new year, I wanted to bring something to you guys that has actually been on the website for quite a while.
It often gets overlooked because it’s not super exciting to talk about. It’s not some new and fancy marketing tactic that’s going to get your phone ringing off the hook. It’s not a new Instagram trick to help you go viral. Nope.

This is a list of my top 12 success strategies that I’ve relied on in building my business over the years.

Before we dive in, let’s talk about knowing vs practicing.

When you hear me talk about this stuff, especially if you’ve been in business for a while, you may have the thoughts pop up that sound something like this . . . “yeah, yeah, I already know that” or “this is nothing new” or “everybody knows that”. I’ve been guilty of that too. So, I’m going to challenge you to clear your head of all that trash and really think about the things I’m bringing to the table today because there is a big difference in knowing about something and actually doing something.

I can read all the books in the world about training for a triathlon and know all the things, but until I actually do the durn thing, then no, I don’t know for real about training for a triathlon.

Experience is what brings us success not knowledge. So with that, let’s get into my top 12 success strategies for running a strong business.

Oh, and real fast . . . I have all of these in a pdf workbook for you if you want to download it & brainstorm the ways that you will put these strategies to practice in your own life & business.

You can grab that at www.seniorstudiosuccess.com/strategiesforsuccess. It’s kind of long so I’ll have a link in the show notes for you as well. You can always find those over on the website at www.seniorstudiosuccess.com/podcast.

Start your day by prioritizing YOU.

Create a good morning routine, something that focuses on YOU.

Get up & workout, even if it’s a quick 10 minute workout, some stretching or yoga. Set aside a few minutes to journal or write down what you are grateful for.

Take some time to stop & pray if you are missing that in your life.

But take care of your body, your mind & your heart so that you can continue to do this thing you love!

I’d choose between 8-10 goals to set for the year. Too many could paralyze you and keep you from taking action or just the opposite, exhaust you.

2. Plan ahead.

Sundays - Plan for your week. And schedule by priority. Personal things fill up the calendar first (sports practices, doctor’s appointments, date night, workouts, etc).

Schedule in some downtime too. It’s important to have white space on your calendar. Don’t fill in every single minute of it with an appointment or task.

And then block off your work hours & specifically what you will do or focus on in those hours.

Afternoons - Before you leave your desk, have a plan for the next day so that you can get right to work when you sit down at your computer the next morning.

You don’t want to walk into an office or sit down at your desk completely lost. Having a daily plan in place will give you so much more confidence in your business & will keep you from just opening up Facebook to see what everyone else is up to.

Evenings - Be sure everything is ready for the next morning (lunches, backpacks, shoes, your workout clothes, your bible & journal if you have a quiet time).

Episode 005 was all about setting up some good morning & evening routines. That’s been the most popular one yet, which surprises me & excites me at the same time. A successful morning starts the night before, so get those routines in place.

3. Have a dedicated workspace.

Even if this is just a little corner in a guest bedroom, make sure you have one place that is all yours that you can go to and concentrate each day. It will make a world of difference in your mindset and in your productivity. If you have the luxury of an office, clear out the clutter. Do you really need stacks of old notebooks laying around? The broken toy your toddler brought you that you still haven’t super glued back together? Piles of junk mail? Clean it up & clear it out. You’ll be amazed at what a clean space can do for your productivity.

4. Set & stick to your boundaries.

Boundaries are absolutely vital to set in both our personal lives & in our businesses. They protect us, just like that baby gate protects a toddler from falling down the stairs. We have to put up our own baby gates. People will move into the space we give them. So those boundaries, yes, will protect you from your clients, but they will also protect you from YOURSELF. The issue is that we know how to take down the baby gate. You can’t do that. Once you’ve set your boundaries, you have to stick to them.

Have normal work hours. Do not answer work phone calls, emails or direct messages from social media outside of those hours. If you do not want to work in the evenings, if you do not want to take sessions on the weeknights, then don't. It's as simple as raising your prices (even doubling a session fee) to move clients to the time slots you want them to be in.

It can also be as simple as explaining to them that nights & weekends are reserved for your family time. Your best clients will respect that. If you answered no to any of these questions it’s probably best to put that particular goal on the back burner for now. You can always revisit your goals. Nothing is permanent here!

5. Prioritize & categorize your tasks.

I keep a running list (in Trello) of all of the tasks I need to do. Then I separate them by the type of task (calls, computer, errands, etc). And if it’s something specific I need to do on a certain day I have daily lists too. This has helped clear my head so much by not having everything jumbled together or on post-it notes or different apps everywhere.

6. Eat That Frog.

This is the phrase and book title to Brian Tracy’s famous book. It essentially means do the thing that you are dreading to do the most first thing that day. Once you do that, it can’t get any worse. And you don’t spend all day thinking about it and putting it off. Just do it and move on with your day!

Now this can mean different things to different people. Maybe there is an email you are dreading to write. Write it. Maybe you have to get an order out the door. Process it. Maybe there is new patient paperwork that has to be filled out before you can schedule an appointment. Fill it out & send it in.

It can also mean just working on your business. Of course, if there is that big thing you are dreading, then do it. But I like to use this first block of time in the mornings (if I don’t have a session) to work on a project in my business. That quiet, dedicated & focused block of time can be so productive. So before life starts throwing things at you, get in some work on your business.

7. Outsource & delegate what you can. At work & at home.

Running a business that supports the family means that the family pitches in to get things done. It’s all about a team effort. And if everyone understands the WHY behind the chores it’s much easier to get everyone on board.

Give the kiddos some chores to do around the house. They can sweep, vacuum, take out the trash, feed the dogs, empty the dishwasher, and yep, wash & put away their own clothes!! Hire maids once or twice a month. Seriously, depending on the size of your home & the area that you live in, that’s maybe $150 - $200.

How many clients do you need to handle that? And how many hours of your life would that give you back so that you can either put that time towards marketing or just some good family time. Same thing goes for lawn maintenance. Maybe even a laundry service if you want to throw that in.

There was a time in my life when I did that. I had 3 boys, 2 of them in sports, and a little one running around. I was running a full time business & managing our home while Dad worked mostly out of town. I couldn’t keep up. Sometimes you just have to let go of some things. You don’t have to do it all!

Spend the money to save the time. Don’t spend the time to save the money. Hire a virtual assistant to handle tasks that do not need your direct attention. Do you need to answer every call & email? Do you need to be the one to handle payments? How about releasing galleries or sending welcome boxes?

Maybe even posting to social media, although I would be careful & very strategic with outsourcing that one. And definitely outsource your editing. The point is, again, you don’t have to do it all.

Get some help & do the tasks that are required of you & that make you money. That’s one of the big reasons we’re in business, right?

8. Eliminate distractions.

This is huge. Turning off social media and email notifications on my phone was the best thing I could have ever done for my productivity.

I've even been known to delete Facebook, Messenger and Instagram from my phone at times.

Those platforms are simply tools for our business. They are not our businesses. In this digital world, I think that sometimes is forgotten. We cannot let these platforms dictate our days. If you do, you will not get ahead in business.

The new iOS update has a focus mode to turn off notifications. Use it!

Go into Facebook & get into your notification settings. There is SO MUCH noise you can turn off. I don’t want to know every time somebody likes a post or my business page.

Yes, that’s nice. But it’s not so urgent that I need to be updated on it throughout my day. Get rid of the unnecessary background noise you guys.

9. Schedule one admin (no client) day a week.

Think of this as catch up or maintenance day. Done weekly, you won’t get behind and stressed about all of the little things there are to do.

I like my Monday mornings for a little planning, catching up and doing all the admin things that may have piled up the week before.

And I’ve actually started to block an entire week off my calendar each month for content creation. You may not need that sort of time for your business, maybe just a day or two. But with the podcast, business coaching & the studio, I definitely needed it. And it’s been glorious!

10. Take time to recharge & refuel.

This goes back to having some white space on your calendar.

Make yourself stop to eat lunch, watch a 30 minute Netflix show (just because) or go for a walk to get some sun. I love to pop in my airpods, turn on a good podcast and just get outside to move my body in the middle of the afternoon.

Get some natural vitamin D & clear your head. It’s so good for you!!!

11. Schedule your power hour each day.

Everyone needs a daily Power Hour. I talked about this extensively in episode 007.

Be sure you go back & listen to that one if you want all the details. But this is essentially one hour a day set aside when you handle all of those daily tasks that have to be done - answering emails, voicemails & DMs.

I like midday for this. You could also use this time for setting a timer to engage on social media as well.

12. Turn your phone to DO NOT DISTURB at night.

Easy enough, right? Maybe not, but do it consistently to see a difference. Maybe even at an early hour in the evening if you need to. We have to shut down and get good rest! Get all the noise out of your head before you lay down, shut it off & let your mind just be so that you can get a good night of sleep & be ready to go the next morning.

When all else fails & you can’t seem to get ahead, stop, take a deep breath & remind yourself of your why. The excuses & the reasons why you can’t do it this way or that way will start to fade away. Your why is bigger than all of that crap in your head. Remember that you guys.

Ok y’all. I’d love to hear from you over on Instagram. Send me a DM to let me know which of these success strategies you’ll be implementing starting this week! You don’t have to wait until the new year to set up some good habits.