This was me two weeks ago.

For days I’ve been putting stuff in a dedicated spot, taking away, putting back, changing one dress against another…

I’ll be going on holidays :-)

So.Super.Excited!

Any other year this would be like “oh yes, we are going on holidays next week – we have to start thinking about what we are taking…”

But this year?

After being locked into my home (and pretty much into my office) for the last 7 months, it feels even a little unreal to be going on a long drive, crossing borders and staying in another country.

With COVID rates jumping up in some European countries again (and travel warnings issued) we even might have to undergo 14 days quarantine when we are coming back…

And you know what?

I’m celebrating every part of this holiday!

(sneak peek of our awesome location in beautiful Tuscany)

The preparation, the trip itself, the stay in a remote organic vineyard, crazy yummy Italian food & cappuccinos.

And maybe even being quarantined upon our return (it’s not like it is so different from the last 7 months anyway and I’d have my hubby around for 14 days #greatoutlook) …

But we are also setting ourselves up for minimum stress: remote area, drive in our own car and Dean is all set up to work from home if we are quarantined (did I mention I’m working remote full time all the time?).

Why am I telling you this story?

Often my clients are so focused on just working on the fun stuff, neglecting important business duties that aren’t fun.

Are you getting uncomfortable because you can relate all too well?

Is your business lacking traction and you find yourself being worried about things that should be done but pushing them away?

Problem is: This makes your business fragile, susceptible to heavy setbacks and keeps you from growing.

Today I want to give you a few questions to ponder on and see if you are neglecting important tasks:

• Do you have a plan on how you want to grow or stabilize your business?
• Are you aware of current changes in laws and regulations? (Big thing when doing business with EU citizens: GDPR – fines are heavy)
• Do you have time set apart for sales & marketing?
• How do you use your CEO time?
  Do you delegate things that can be done by anyone?
• How do you follow up on leads, past prospects and clients?

If you just work on getting a little bit better every week in these 5 areas, you will be far ahead by the end of this year.

PS: One of my clients, Daniela, surprised me with the following statement in our client follow up interview:

“You make the difference between being a skyrocket sent to outer space supported by Houston and fireworks sent out to please for a short moment!
I realized that you had planned ahead and prepared for the next step before I was half-way through it. With Houston as my base I could literally blast off and do my thing. But whenever I encountered a problem you were there to help, because you kept the overview and were prepared.”

(funny enough she did not know that I am a huge SciFi fan – and couldn’t know that I felt like Captain Picard when she said that)

Photo by Christiane Mohr