As the ONO company’s opportunities continue to expand and grow, I am doing more business with other Family First Entrepreneurs. It’s very interesting to notice the shift among us to be focused on survival over abundance. Now believe me, I get the survival deal. ONO is growing, but my other two businesses are struggling in this economy and they are acting as motivational anchors. Cash flow is down and capital is hard to come by.
The strategy I have employed in my businesses is to focus on survival while leaving the door wide open to abundance. I make sure that my family’s basic necessities are met, as first priority, but I also leave room for time and energy devoted to my home run ball. I stay pumped, knowing I’m cooking a feast while serving pork and beans as appetizers. Without the feast, my motivation to do either, well, pretty much disappears.
Here are a few things I do to keep my eye on the ball.
1. My creative juices flow when I am hatching the next phase or strategy to take my big plan to the next level. I keep these juices flowing by having people around me to bounce new ideas off of. I can last for days from the energy boost I get after an engaging brainstorming session. I then use that energy to push through the action to make it real. Many plans can be moved forward with one hard push. Keep yourself motivated and excited by surrounding yourself with positive, supportive people.
2. Set aside time devoted to survival and abundance in appropriate ratios. Right now I am working on basics of survival about 70% of the time, but I still keep 30% devoted to the big picture. You should do the same. Set times daily to be working toward your home run ball. It’s both motivating and profitable.
3. Maintain a healthy balance of work and family. Don’t let your work time creep into your family time. Instead, use the ones you love as a motivational factor will keep your work time efficient. Family is my number one motivator. I work so that I can create more time to spend with my family. I know that my work time is limited so I make sure that time is not given up to nonproductive activities.
4. When survival is at stake, sometimes you have to be content with sharing the profit. Be willing to joint venture or partner in order to take away some of the capitol and time pressures. If your idea is good enough, someone will be willing to devote time and money to the cause for a piece of the action.
A core skill of great entrepreneurs is the ability to have multiple balls in the air. Most of the time, one venture is providing for the basic necessities, while the other has a chance to sail over the left field fence. If you are finding yourself in survival mode right now, carve out even 30 minutes a day and devote it to something abundant. That energy will amplify and it will have an overall positive effect regardless of results. Go for it, but remember, always keep family first.