Does Your Business Even Lift, Bro?

A while ago I read a fitness article by Men’s Fitness titled 8 Worst Things a Beginner Can Do at The Gym. The article emphasizes that

“(workout) beginners need the right information from the start so they can get maximum results—without injury, distress, or too much wasted time.”

Understanding that I’m not a health coach and this isn’t a fitness blog, what does that article have to do with business?

Well, it turns out the fitness tips listed on the preceding article can be applied to your business and will help you maximize results, without injury, distress or wasted time. Doesn’t that sound like something business owners may find useful? If so, here’s the tips and how they apply to business:

1. Following the Routines of The Pros.

While there’s nothing wrong with picking up your favorite bodybuilding magazine or visiting your favorite IFBB pro’s website to learn how your hero trains, don’t try to copy what they do at first.

There’s nothing wrong with emulating industry leaders and borrowing from their best practices, however, remember that even the industry giants started at a lower scale than what they currently operate.

With that said, don’t be afraid to compete especially when your competitive advantage allows you the flexibility to maneuver as quickly as companies can.

Borrow from their best practices and make them your own. THAT is what can set you apart  others.

2. Skipping The Warm Up

In business, I equate ‘warm up’ to drafting a business plan, complete with marketing efforts, and a SMART (Specific, Measurable, Action-oriented, Reasonable, Timely) goal.

You wouldn’t jump straight into a workout without first warming up the muscles and getting the blood pumping would you? As such, you shouldn’t jump into running and launching a business without doing your due diligence and preparing for the hard work ahead. Another benefit to completing the Business Warm Up is because it allows you to identify weaknesses, strengths and alternate ways to accomplish your milestones.

3. Avoiding The Basics

Most commercial gyms carry a vast array of fancy machines that hit every muscle group from a variety of angles. There’s nothing necessarily “wrong” with these devices, but beginners tend to rely on them for almost their entire programs.

Technology and information are beautiful tools that enable small businesses to compete against bigger and established organizations. But, does your your business NEED all of those fancy tools? Are you putting all of your eggs in one basket? Are you trying to compete in every market (stretching yourself thin) when your core customer may only be residing in a selected few?

For example, social media presence. In which (if any) social media platform  does your business best fit? If your customers are on Instagram, why are you spending time and resources on Twitter, Facebook, SnapChat, LinkedIn, etc.?    

4. Going Too Heavy, Too Soon

If you wait to launch the perfect product or service, at the perfect time, with the perfect version, I’ll argue your company might’ve  launched too late. Instead of taking on too much too soon, create a roadmap with smaller mini-goals and mini-missions that support the overall goal. Going too heavy too soon can lead to disenchantment and ultimately failure to reach your objectives.

5. Overtraining, No Rest

On the complete opposite side of the spectrum is working non-stop with no rest. In order to prevent your business and  from being burnt out, you have to schedule time to relax, rest and allow your employees to do the same. As a business owner one of the lessons I’ve had to learn was to know when to stop working. As a self-proclaimed workaholic, I feel like I can always get something else done. This is a strategy that’s unsustainable in the long term, and I’m learning to schedule not only fun time, but ways to rest in a productive manner.

6. Training What is Fun, Ignoring What’s Not

We all have parts of our businesses we love, and parts we rather do without. Just like working out at the gym, we have our favorite muscle groups, or workouts to perform. Neglecting or ignoring the ‘not-fun’ parts your business can put your business in a vulnerable position. Do you enjoy accounting? How about advertising? Do you enjoy cold calls and sales? How successful would your business be if you chose to focus only on what’s ‘fun’ and not what’s necessary?

7. Picking The Wrong Partner

In the gym, picking the wrong partner can lead to missing workouts, performing at less than optimum performance, and ultimately failing to meet your goals. Your business partners can be employees, associates, vendors, and anyone contributing to the business. As you can imagine, just like a bad workout partner can harm your performance, so can picking a bad business partner harm your company and fellow employees.

An article by inc.com titled “3 Characteristics of a Great Business Partner” suggests traits your potential partners should have are Integrity, Work Ethic, and Vision and Values. Do your business partners and fellow employees share your goals and vision? What traits are important to you?

8. Being Impatient

As a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practitioner, I’ve watched fellow martial artists become impatient in their own progress and ultimately quit. Often times people don’t quite all of the sudden. They will miss training sessions, go through the motions and not give 100% during training, and ultimately stop showing up. Just like martial arts and/or your favorite  gym, failing to enjoy the journey and staying the course can lead to feelings of unfulfillment and quitting.

Remember those mini-goals we touched on tip #4 above? Celebrate those victories and work towards chipping away at the obstacles and challenges placed before you.

How about you, do you have any gym, workout or sports tips that translate to your day to day business life? Please share with us by commenting below or hitting us up on social media. We’d love to hear your take!

Until next time,

~Viva!