Written by: Tracy Palmer, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
“The Time Is Now!” or “It’s My Time!” These are recognized as statements we make to indicate that something can’t wait or be delayed any longer, or this is my right now opportunity. But unfortunately, in most cases, they have just become phrases we use to pump or hype ourselves up, only to remain in the same place that we have always been! We are notorious for taking phrases or slogans all throughout the year to try and convince ourselves that we are going to do better than the year before, the month before, the week before, or even the day before.
Let me pause and throw this disclaimer in by saying that I am one that strongly believes in the power of positive words and faith-filled affirmations, but I also believe that “For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith (or faith-filled words or affirmations) without works is dead.” James 2:26. What does that mean? If we don’t have actions behind what we are believing to happen in our lives, then the words that we say are useless and meaningless and have no power to produce anything tangible or life-giving. Whew!
Let me be totally honest and transparent… I have used the phrases “it’s my time” or “the time is now” a few times in my life, especially at the beginning of a new year, to strongly declare that whatever losses or disappointments I had in the past concerning my business venture were over and this time it was going to be different. But as the months went by, I realized IT WAS NOT MY TIME, or THE TIME SURELY WAS NOT NOW! Why? Because I did not take the necessary steps to make sure that the vision was properly executed
(or in simple terms – I DIDN’T HAVE A PLAN!) Year after year I had the vision, the dream, the goals, and even the faith to believe that my business venture would finally take off, but I had no strategy or plan in place to successfully execute the vision! I had to realize that even though I may have the vision, it was still necessary for me to inquire of God for the knowledge and wisdom on how to develop and execute a plan to carry out that vision. The Bible says in James 1:5, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”
As time went on, I eventually gained the knowledge and wisdom necessary to turn my vision into a sustainable and profitable business venture. I now can share that information with others through my workbook called “Execute Your Vision!” One Page Business Plan Workbook.
There are 4 key components I believe every entrepreneur (especially a new one) should focus on when creating a successful strategy for their business venture:
Determine your future goals, know when you want to achieve those goals, and identify your target audience and how you can impact them. Answering these questions will help you develop a solid Vision & Mission Statement.
Identify various ways that you can monetize your vision, then set your revenue goals. Make sure you know how to accurately price your services or products and create an operating budget. These are important steps in developing your objective and Making Your Business Profitable.
Now you need a plan of action in order to reach prospective consumers, turn them into customers, reach your financial goals, and achieve a sustainable competitive advantage! Creating A Marketing Strategy will definitely help you do this.
Finally, it’s time to take a deeper look within yourself to point out your personal strengths and weaknesses as well as recognize pain points that may affect your business growth. Addressing Personal Challenges plays a major role in how you grow and develop your business.
If you do these four key steps, I believe you will set yourself up to truly be able to say, “It’s My Time” or “The Time Is Now!” But let me also give you a little spiritual encouragement to help carry you through your journey as you are creating a plan of success for your business:
ABANDON YOUR DOUBTS
One definition of abandon that really leaped out to me is “cease to support.” So how does one abandon their doubts? You must be willing to no longer accept or support your feelings of uncertainty and fears. Doubt has a way of paralyzing you and keeping you from moving forward in life. Doubt will eventually leave you faithless, hopeless, and destitute, or without.
When you have a vision or dream, you have to fully embrace and willingly accept what that vision or dream can become. Just because the road to seeing it fulfilled may be difficult at times, that doesn’t mean that success won’t happen for you. Proverbs 16:3 says, “Ask the LORD to bless your plans, and you will be successful in carrying them out.”
REMAIN FOCUSED
Being focused means that you have clear goals and objectives and what you do is dedicated to achieving those goals and objectives. When a person is focused on something, they're paying attention to it. For example, when your eyes are focused, they've made the adjustments needed to see clearly. Proverbs 4:25 says, “Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you.”
MANAGE YOUR EMOTIONS
This is pretty self-explanatory. If you don’t control your emotions, you will always find yourself unstable and all over the place. One minute you love your business and want all that God has for you, the next minute you say forget it and this was a mistake! Keep those emotions in check so that you don’t end up sabotaging your vision unintentionally. Proverbs 25:28, “A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls.”
Tracy Palmer, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Tracy Palmer is a Transformational Business Coach that has over 25 years of extensive knowledge and experience as an accountant, tax preparer, and small business development consultant. After providing years of bookkeeping and tax services, Tracy began to find herself developing more of a passion for coaching new entrepreneurs on what was necessary to begin their entrepreneurial journey. Through UBS Financial Wellness Services, LLC/GTTR with Tracy Palmer, she provides strategies & solutions that will help them to develop a plan of success to ensure sustainability, profitability, scalability, and longevity. Tracy also finds joy in using Biblical based principles to empower and inspire entrepreneurs with messages of hope and encouragement as they deal with the ups and downs of entrepreneurship.
Besides being a Transformational Business Coach, Tracy is also an author, content creator, podcaster, talk show host, and owner of "Getting To The Root (GTTR) Network,” a premier online media network.
