3 Things Small Business Leaders Can Control

July – August, 2022 Volume 17 — Issue 96

There are 3 things business leaders can control, even small business leaders. Yes, even when it feels like the world is going to Hell in a handbasket. Honestly. Right now, that is pretty hard to believe, isn’t it? It is no secret that much of the world as we knew it is out of control.

Supply chain issues are creating havoc with our ability to run our businesses. Shortages of everything from automobiles to baby formula, food products to building products and lumber are rampant. Even shipping pallets that products are shipped on are in short supply. Shipping is limited by shortages and costs of lumber, resulting in a very short supply of pallets.

Add in fuel shortages resulting in rising costs are affecting employee accessibility and product delivery. Sounds like the world is pretty out of control, doesn’t it? If none of these economic issues has affected your business, I’d love to hear from you. You are truly the exception if you are totally ‘in control’.

What can we do about making it through these staggering inflationary times? Average small business owners are not in a position to get state and federal laws and policies changed in their favor. Wish we were, but usually are not. We are too small to have a large voice in government halls. Or, we don’t have the millions big companies have to get politicians’ attention to the plight surrounding us. All we really have is strength and opportunity to make use of the things that we can control.

Why Small Business Leadership Should Exert Control.

I jotted down a quote some time ago from a webinar presented by a coach/consultant for course creators. It had been on the personal vision board in her office for years. Even she couldn’t remember who said it. Sadly, she passed away not long ago, taking her cheerful educational and motivational webinars. But I took copious notes and kept the quoted list of controls.

The quote stuck in my mind. It refers to not letting things you can’t control slow you down when times are tough. Instead, embrace and implement those three things that you can control. You will be less frustrated from thinking about all those things out of your range of control. It is better to concentrate on the things you can control.

Instead of feeling frustrated over uncontrollable issues, focus attention on things you have some level of control over. Your mood will be elevated and you will feel better about your ability to survive what is probably a temporary disruption for your business. Temporary can come in different ways: issues that will be short term, and others that may hang around longer than we like. Some may shut down what you have been doing for a long time. Others may present themselves as short term nuisances that can be dealt with quickly.

3 Things Small Businesses Leaders Can Control

Here are the 3 things cited from that Vision Board list that we can all control:

#1 – Control decisions about what things mean to you.
#2 – Control your decisions about what to focus on.
#3 – Control your decisions about what to do to create the results you desire.

#1 – Control decisions about what things have value to you.

What things did you want or need bad enough to start your own business? Was it to save enough to send your kids to college? Of, was as it to be able to move your family to a larger home in a better location? How about making enough money to take your family on a nice vacation each year? Perhaps it was a personal challenge to see if you could do it. Or, maybe you have a philanthropic desire to help a charity near and dear to your heart.

Whatever those important things were when you started out, it’s time to review them and analyze their importance to you now. Once identified, analyze them as to how important they are to you right now. And, how can you adjust that list to better fit your situation now and for the short term.

#2 – Control your decisions about what to focus on.

If you are trying to navigate turbulent times, odds are that your, and your customers’ pain points have changed. Maybe they only changed a little, or maybe the changes were massive. Massive issues can affect more than just one area of your business.

Make a list of where the pain is coming from. Have customers and sales dropped? If that happens, revenue will come to a screeching halt in many cases. How can you attract customers and help get more revenue coming into your bank account.

Reach out to customers to see how the recent disruptions are affecting them and develop a sales package to help them get back on track.

Perhaps you are overwhelmed with getting your business back on track. You need help, so don’t waste any time planning how you can strategically attract additional staff. Look to some of the less conventional hiring methods like bringing in contract staff. Or, look for freelancers to take part of your workload away for a while. Virtual Assistants can be useful too. Here are 50 tasks a VA might do for you.

#3 – You Can Control Decisions About How to Create Results.

This is where the rubber meets the road, so to speak. Once you have created a clear, organized list of what matters to you, move on it. You’re a leader and can control things through change. Prioritize the most critical issues. Develop strategy that will make the biggest impact in the shortest amount of time.

Your worst issues may be hiring help, adding new products, raising pricing or reaching out to existing and past customers. Don’t waste time – just get started. Look to the future and re-imagine your view of success. Don’t eliminate your original long-term vision. Just create a new short-term vision in place to get your firm out of the muck you are sinking in right now.

Wrap Up

It’s never a bad idea to try new things that could help you move forward in a stronger business structure. Get rid of the stress, frustration, depression and disruption. Don’t drag them along, weighing you down, waiting for things to change back to your comfort zone. That zone may never come back, so don’t waste your time waiting for it. Get started and don’t look back. Stay focused on repairing and improving your future.

When unforeseen changes occur, they can be extremely disruptive of everything you accomplished from the day you decided to start your own business. Don’t wait around to see if everything flips back to what you were used to. No time to waste finding a solution to new problems. Time to make order out of chaos. Get moving on developing new ways to address the disruptions. You are a leader; determine things you can control.