August 26

5 Areas of Business Development

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Tim Clay and I were talking about the idea of separating business from pleasure a little while ago. The discussion was part of developing the 2010 Tax Guide for Home-Based Business.

We were working out our ideas to show people that the very idea of being able to separate business from pleasure is a myth. You just can’t.

Consider for a minute that Tim is an accountant and I am a writer. Who do you think has the more fun job?

Well, if you ask Tim, he’ll tell you he does. He likes being an accountant and gets an incredible thrill from being able to help people – whether it’s showing them how to set up a new business, or guiding them toward getting their best tax refund ever.

So Tim and I had this conversation, and I wrote the section about the myth of separating business from pleasure. Then I started reading a book Dr. Tim Reynolds recommended: The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson. That’s where I got the idea for there being 5 areas of business development.

Here are the 5 areas:
1. Develop Your Health
2. Your Personal Development
3. Relationships – of every kind
4. Your Financial Development
5. Developing Your Life Itself

Develop Your Health – how can you do well in business if you aren’t healthy? Good health is waht allows you to put in an extra long day once in a while, and cope with the constant stress of “being in charge.”

Your Personal Development – building new skills is second nature to most people today, and they don’t even realise it. Think about it…have you developed new skills using the internet? How about using social media or online video? Heck, even texting could be considered a new skill – one I definitely haven’t acquired.  😉

Relationships – It’s easy to think of business relationships because they’re usually “easy” to handle. You can always go home from your boss, avoid a noisy client, or work from home when your partner is being a pain. But what about those relationships at home? Can you really put your best effort into anything if you know your spouse is mad at you, or you’re fighting with your kids?

Jeff Olson puts relationships in the middle, too. I don’t know why he did it, but I put it there because I think relationships are the hub – the centre – of our lives. Whether it’s with a friend, your co-workers or your family, when a relationship goes sour everything else in our lives goes a little sour, too.

You know it’s true. How often have you asked someone “What’s bothering you,” only to find out it has nothing to do with you. Some other part of their life is our of kilter, and it spills over into everything else. Nothing else is going to work particularly well unless your relationships are in order.

Your Financial Development – YOu’re a business owner. Even if you’re the only employee, and you’re struggling to pay the bills, you’re a business owner. I know – I’ve been there, too.

My experience says that even when you’re flat broke, you should still pay attention to your finances. Notice that – “pay attention” – it doesn’t say fret or worry. Yes, avoiding the negative emotions is tough sometimes, but part of your development is building the skill of looking at where you’re going andletting your desire draw you toward that place.

Your Life Itself – This one sums up the others. How are you doing? Are you making an effort, getting a little bit right each day and being just that much better than you were yesterday?

I don’t know how many times I’ve heard something like: It’s not the destination, but the journey that counts. Okay, I get it, and maybe it’s a “chicken and the egg” kind of thing, but isn’t the destination the whole reason for setting out on the journey?

Why are you in business? Truthfully, I hope you have more of a goal than just making money. Don’t you want more free time to enjoy life, relax and experience good health?

Didn’t you get into business because it presesnted a challenge you wanted to rise to? Doesn’t succeeding and building a successful business mean the same thing as becoming a better person – more skilled and knowledgeabel?

And who would get into running their own business if they didn’t want to enjoy relationships? Everybody has customers and suppliers.

Finances – money – really comes at the tail end of all our reasons for being in business. We want to make the money – not because money is some kind of trophy – but because of what we can do with money.

Well, that’s my take on it. And this is Day 2 of the 31 day challenge.

The task today is to write a list post. Tell you what, I promise to get better with practice. 😉  In the meantime, pick up a copy of Jeff Olson’s book – The Slight Edge. I got mine from Amazon, and it’s worth every minute I spend reading it.


Tags

business development, Dr. Tim, Dr. Tim Reynolds, financial development, Jeff Olson, personal development, relationships, The Slight Edge, tim clay, Tim Reynolds


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