The Dangers of Avoiding Change for Small Business Owners

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The Dangers of Avoiding Change
Three Keys to Help Make Change Easy
By Victoria Munro

Many business owners today are faced with the challenge of too much to do and seemingly insufficient time in which to do it. It is easy to become overwhelmed—there is always a lot to do and it all seems to need to be done NOW!

As an entrepreneur you may need to wear the many hats of CEO, receptionist, sales manager, marketing director and janitor all rolled into one, so you can quickly lose focus and become snowed under. It’s easy to get caught up with the busyness and just do what we’ve always done. But in order to maintain our sanity, increase our efficiency and live balanced lives while growing our businesses we need to step back, take an objective look at our situation, and make some needed changes.

To stay competitive and grow requires innovation and that inevitably means change. As Charles Darwin said, “It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.” Change is vital for our survival and growth, but often presents our greatest challenge. Developing new habits isn’t easy—old habits, however unproductive, are comfortable and usually demand little thought or effort. Staying in the status quo may be easy, but it probably won’t get you where you want to go.

Easy Keys to Make Positive Changes
Below are three keys that have helped me to make needed changes.

1.	Keep Your Eyes on the Prize Take some time to clearly define where you ultimately want to take your life and your business and why. Ask yourself what you want your life and your business to look like in the future. Conceptualize it—see it, feel it, smell it. Think about what you want to be remembered for. In order to achieve this, note down the changes you’ll need to make.
2.	Consider the Price Weigh the costs and the rewards. Reflect on what these needed changes will cost you personally. You may have to reach beyond your comfort zone—perhaps learn new technology, work in unfamiliar markets, brush up on skills you haven’t used lately or do things you don’t especially enjoy. Be realistic and understand the price you’ll have to pay to change. Also consider the possible consequences of failing to make these changes.
3.	Commit to the Process Write a step-by-step plan to reach your goal. It needn’t be complicated, but it needs to be documented. Now, commit to work your plan. It helps to share your plan with someone else and ask him or her to hold you accountable to make the changes and do what you’ve committed to do. It’s also encouraging to celebrate your successes, even the small ones, together.

Keep your eyes on the prize. Recognizing and remembering the potential payback to you and your business of making these changes is key—the What’s in it for me? factor. Focusing on these benefits often provides the motivation and self-discipline we need to make the effort and stick with our new habits. I encourage you to take your time, your business and your life seriously—take responsibility for your own success by making necessary changes.

About the Author: Victoria Munro is co-founder (along with husband Dave Block) of Make-it-Fly® LLC, a company dedicated to creating success for small-business owners through creatively designed programs and tools. Victoria has started and run nine different businesses. To receive FREE business success articles with tips to help you with your business, sign up for their award-winning ezine, “In-Flight Refueling,” at: www.Make-it-Fly.com, and receive a free copy of the eBook, Get More Done in Less Time: 101 Quick and Easy Time Tactics & Tips.

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