There’s a knack to everything and that knack is the same for everything too.
For me, that knack is illustrated in every question that starts with the word “How”.
For I immediately think of this sentence, “How do you eat an elephant?”
And the answer is “one bite at a time”.
And that’s the knack to everything. One bite, one step, one action at a time, and you’ll get to whatever, wherever it is you want.
I was recently asked the question, “Jane, how can I build a sellable business”, and my answer was, as you’ve probably guessed, “one step at a time”.
But is it really that simple?
It is if you know the steps required to take you from here and now to there, then.
Of course, the way forward will differ, depending on you and your business, but the steps will be the same regardless.
At a super high level, these steps are:
1. Identify where you ‘want to be’ in life
This is about more than your business; it’s about you and your ideal life. What do you want, when do you want it, how much do you want it, why do you want it, and critically, how important is it really? Clarity here will help you gain motivation, inspiration and the desire to build your business and will keep you going through the tough times. The building of your business becomes your focus and the results are what you want from life.
2. Consolidate ‘where you are now’ in business
Take a good look at where your business is right now, using where you want to be as your map point. For instance, say you want more time away from the business but you currently do all the daily planning and work allocation, then it’s obvious you’re going to need a manager to do that work and release you from its responsibility.
3. Identify the gap
This lets you see difference between what you want and what you have. Now you have something to work with. As in the example above, you see that you need increased revenue to pay for that manager role and you need to plan recruitment and ongoing training for the person who eventually steps into it.
4. Plan and work the gap
Now that you know what the gap is between where you are now and where you want to be, you need to plan the progress. I always say, ‘Plan your work then work your plan.’ A sellable business will run without you being present so you need to build a robust system, one that works no matter who is working in it.
5. Sell the business
That’s it ready for sale – you have a business that works without you having to be there, now you can go live the life you identified in stage 1!
This is a fairly simplified, high level overview, but that doesn’t change the fact that if you are serious about getting your ideal life through your work and your business, then these are definitely the stages to work through. That’s another key word, work! It doesn’t just happen but if you work on it, it can and it will.
How to Build Yourself a Sellable Business
There’s a knack to everything and that knack is the same for everything too.
For me, that knack is illustrated in every question that starts with the word “How”.
For I immediately think of this sentence, “How do you eat an elephant?”
And the answer is “one bite at a time”.
And that’s the knack to everything. One bite, one step, one action at a time, and you’ll get to whatever, wherever it is you want.
I was recently asked the question, “Jane, how can I build a sellable business”, and my answer was, as you’ve probably guessed, “one step at a time”.
But is it really that simple?
It is if you know the steps required to take you from here and now to there, then.
Of course, the way forward will differ, depending on you and your business, but the steps will be the same regardless.
At a super high level, these steps are:
1. Identify where you ‘want to be’ in life
This is about more than your business; it’s about you and your ideal life. What do you want, when do you want it, how much do you want it, why do you want it, and critically, how important is it really? Clarity here will help you gain motivation, inspiration and the desire to build your business and will keep you going through the tough times. The building of your business becomes your focus and the results are what you want from life.
2. Consolidate ‘where you are now’ in business
Take a good look at where your business is right now, using where you want to be as your map point. For instance, say you want more time away from the business but you currently do all the daily planning and work allocation, then it’s obvious you’re going to need a manager to do that work and release you from its responsibility.
3. Identify the gap
This lets you see difference between what you want and what you have. Now you have something to work with. As in the example above, you see that you need increased revenue to pay for that manager role and you need to plan recruitment and ongoing training for the person who eventually steps into it.
4. Plan and work the gap
Now that you know what the gap is between where you are now and where you want to be, you need to plan the progress. I always say, ‘Plan your work then work your plan.’ A sellable business will run without you being present so you need to build a robust system, one that works no matter who is working in it.
5. Sell the business
That’s it ready for sale – you have a business that works without you having to be there, now you can go live the life you identified in stage 1!
This is a fairly simplified, high level overview, but that doesn’t change the fact that if you are serious about getting your ideal life through your work and your business, then these are definitely the stages to work through. That’s another key word, work! It doesn’t just happen but if you work on it, it can and it will.
Jane
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