What’s Your Number?
In my opinion, one of the reasons women avoided going into business was the idea that business is all about “Bottom Line”, which they thought, meant … MONEY.
I have to admit, for many years I also had this notion, that business is all about money and I didn’t want to associate myself with such an occupation.
The New Economy has changed the game of business completely and due to that I find myself enjoying business much more. The focus today in business is not one bottom line, but three bottom lines, meaning, the focus is on People, Plant and Profit.
Once you realize that your focus is not anymore just on the money it becomes easier to do business. You realize that you have a bigger reason than just making money, which makes it easier for most women that I know.
This notion of “business is all about the money” has a side effect, which is going to harm you even when you realize that it isn’t.
Even when you realize that business is done today for a bigger reason than the money, and you should have a higher purpose for your business, the habit that was developed due to the resistance of doing business for money, will sabotage your business even today.
Do you know what that habit is?
It’s the habit of avoiding looking at numbers!
I don’t know about you, but I had fear of numbers ever since I was a young girl. I believed I’m not good in numbers, due to the fact that I wasn’t that great in Math.
Truth to be told, I sucked in math. Ever since then, any time, you will mention numbers to me my brain will fog and I will be dazed out…
Does that sound familiar to you?
I found out, after writing my book “Financial Independence for Women” that many women have the same experience. I even had a brain specialist explaining to me that women brain “reads” and understand numbers differently than men. Not better, not worse… just different.
Having said this, you need to realize that THIS IS NOT A VALID REASON not to look at numbers. It might sound like a good excuse, but it’s just an excuse not a reason!
As long as you will avoid looking at your numbers or have a resistance to money you do not have a business, you have a hobby! The difference between a business and a hobby is… In hobby money goes OUT, in business money goes IN.
The question is how would you know the direction your money is flowing if you are not focusing on the numbers?
I can hear some of you saying… “I know it intuitively”, or “I have a feeling that it is around…”, all this is avoiding to look at the results.
The hard fact results are the numbers, not feelings, not intuition. As long as you resist looking at them, you will be flying in the dark.
Numbers are the best way to define your goals. Numbers are the best way to measure how far or close you are to your dreams. Numbers are the best way to check where you are compared to where you wish to be.
Numbers are not “good” or “bad”. Numbers do not define whether you are a success or a failure; numbers do not say if what you did was great or lousy.
Numbers only show… numbers, YOU give the interpretation to them.
The numbers will only show – THIS IS WHERE YOU ARE.
Imagine driving your car without a dashboard, would you be able to know haw fast you are driving? Imagine wanting to reach a specific place, which you’ve never been to and trying to get there without a map, road signs or a navigator? Would you be able to do that?
Same thing goes to business. Without numbers it’s like flying a plane in the dark without any dashboard or indicators… That leads to danger and crushing very quickly!
No matter what is your purpose of your business, whether it is helping people, saving the planet or having profits or better all three of them, you need to have numbers that would define for you ARE YOU THERE? Are you fulfilling the potential of your business by reaching those targets?
You need to start defining numbers that would tell you if you are on the right track towards your goal.
You need to start finding our what are those important numbers for you and for each action that you take have a look at the results if they are leading you towards that direction.
Here are a few ideas of important numbers that you should have on your dashboard:
Number of clients,
Number of referrals,
Number of prospects,
Number of clicks on your ad,
Number of phone calls you get,
Number of email requests that you get,
Number of Likes on you FB,
Number of followers on your Twitter account,
Number of expenses account,
Income, turnover, revenue, profits, how much tax you pay etc…
If any of those words you don’t even know what are they and what is the difference between them – YOU ARE FLYING IN THE DARK
Start setting the important numbers for your business and start setting out systems that would track those numbers on a daily, weekly and monthly results – to get you to where you wish to get
Now I’m curious…
What numbers would you focus on in your business?
Share it with us in the comment box below - What would be your success numbers ?
As a thank-you gift I will send you an invitation to my new Webinar in the series of Women Do Business Differently
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Have a magical week! Vered
