Stop Making Excuses
Nearly 40 years ago, pioneering budget airliner Laker Airways went bust. Despite going bankrupt, Freddie Laker proved to the world that you CAN take on the big boys, challenge the status quo, and achieve what you set your mind to.
Laker had one clear vision: to fly ordinary people, make it available and affordable.
Laker revolutionised the travel industry with his unique Business Model: an airline that would operate like a railway where customers would turn up, buy a ticket and pay for meals and extras as they travelled.
Laker connected with people. On the day of going bust, despite planes having to turn around mid-air, and with a further 5,000 passengers stranded, the public phoned in asking if they could donate money to save the firm.
I’m not suggesting you become the next ‘maverick’ or set out on a mission to change the world tomorrow.
Today’s message is simply a reminder that YOU CAN succeed by taking stock of your mindset, your focus, your market position, your bottom line… then taking action.
The biggest excuses I hear time and time again from business owners are:
“I don’t have the time”
We all have the same 24 hours a day; it’s how we use that time. Have you tried planning out each week with 90-minute slots dedicated to specific activities?
“I can’t do that”
Nobody is superhuman, but we can all seek to learn. We all have access to books, courses, technology, colleagues, networking groups, Masterminds, go-to-experts, mentors etc. that we can invest time and money into. Or you buy that skill in because you cannot be the owner, MD, HR officer, accountant, and marketing dept 24/7.
“I’ve had bad luck”
I don’t believe there is such a thing as bad luck in business. Many people ‘hope’ things work out, but we all know hope isn’t a strategy. And, yes, everyone makes mistakes, but it’s how we learn from them that’s important.
“My industry is different”
It’s our experience from working across 65+ industries, that it doesn’t matter what industry you’re in. If you’ve established the right environment with the appropriate structure and team, you have a clear vision with a defined path to reach that, and have alerts in place, then you’re set-up regardless of who you are and what you offer.
“I don’t have the energy”
Business is hard enough, but if you no longer love what you do then it’s a thousand times harder. If you’ve lost your mojo, you MUST take some time out to remember why you set-up in the first place; why you left that ‘safe’ job to take that big exciting step to do it better and with you in control.
This week, think about the last time you said:
“But I don’t have…”
“I can’t ….”
“My business is different though”
and how could you have answered this with a growth mindset?
BW,
Martin
Martin Norbury
The Scalability Coach | Britain’s Top 10 Adviser 2018 | Author of #1 bestseller I don’t work Fridays | Ex-CEO of a PLC
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay