THE RIGHT INGREDIENTS Natasha Donerson President/CEO, Success Unlimited, LLC 2840 Summer Oaks, Ste 103 Bartlett, TN StrategicBusinessSuccess.com ….FOR THE SUCCESSFUL ENTREPRENEUR 1

Success Cookie Recipe 2 Vision Business Plan/Strategic Plan Marketing-Sales Focus Manage Money Wisely Team Please make sure all ingredients are present before mixing and proceeding to bake

The Strategic Mindset ® Process Reality Check… Who am I? How am I doing? What changes in beliefs and behavior are needed to seek desired results? 3

Why Did I Go Into Business? ____________________________________________ 4

Human Nature – The Challenge Over time, we tend to become consumed by non-essential stuff (clutter) – Distracted by details and low-priority, low-value activities We waste our time and talents on the wrong type of work We become so busy being busy, we lose sight of what is most important to us in our business. We start to lose focus, miss opportunities, adopt bad habits, get in comfort zones, and make excuses Clutter and lack of clarity reduce our effectiveness, productivity, income and joy 5

You Are 100% Responsible Good, bad and ugly, your business is what it is and how it is because of you – period ! You must change beliefs to change behavior You must re-engineer your mindset and escape old habits – you must get strategic You must try new strategies and approaches You must work less in your business and more on your business and life 6

Top 5 Traps for Owners Technical Tendencies – being a technician; working in the details of the business; working a job, not running a business Busyness – confusing activity with accomplishment; working on low- value stuff; never slowing down to think & plan Ineffective Leadership & Delegation – thinking and acting like and employee; being a doer, not a leader Inadequate Business Systems – processes are not fully developed & documented; no operations manual Growing Business Complexities – as the number of customers, transactions and issues grow, pain will follow How Many of These Traps Are You Currently In? 7

Painful Mistake You cannot run a healthy business on just your technical expertise. Technical expertise alone is never sufficient to properly manage and grow a business. Instead: You should focus on the entire business, not merely the technical work of the business You should develop your leadership and management skills – work on your business You should learn to leverage your people and systems 8

Where Should I Focus? What business am I in? _______________________ What should be my chief role? _________________ __________________________________________ What priorities should I focus on? _______________ __________________________________________ 9

10 Strategic Business Concept If everything is important, then nothing is. -- Unknown

The Solution Starts in Your Mind Want greater freedom, flexibility, and fulfillment? The answer is not to shift into higher gear; it is to shift mindsets Elevate your focus, thinking and acting to a strategic level – work on your business, not so much in it Learn to do the right things instead of doing things right – effectiveness vs. efficiency 11

What is a Strategic Business Owner (SBO)? A SBO embraces leverage -- greater results with less time, effort & headaches -- works smarter, not harder Focuses on the entire business, not just the technical work of the business Thinks and acts like a CEO, not an employee – strategic mindset and priority management system Develops business plans, procedures and policies Excels at leadership, not doer-ship Leverages marketing and other peoples talents Learns to let go – trust their people & systems 12

What A SBO Is Not Micromanager Perfectionist Control Freak Jack-of-all-trades Workaholic Dictator/screamer Ill Do it Myself Martyr Hands-on Technician A Strategic Business Owner is NOT a: 13

Employee CEO/SBO Working inWorking on TacticalStrategic DoingLeading Work a jobBuild an Asset DetailsBig picture Role playerHead coach ReactiveProactive TechnicianArchitect Doing things rightDoing the right things Day-to-dayLong-term view Working hardWorking smart Shift gearsShift mindset 14

Results Based Environment Create a working environment where: Activity is not confused with accomplishment Business is not confused with Busyness Effectiveness (doing the right things) is valued more than efficiency (doing things right) Action is prized over excessive analysis Results are expected, excuses not tolerated Working smarter, not harder, is the goal 15

Become Strategic Effective (doing the right things vs. doing things right) Focused (clarity & simplicity) Productive (achieve more in less time) Successful and happy (a healthy balance) Aware of your true self and situation (burn off the fog) Strategic in your thoughts & actions (thinking more, working less) 16

Driving the Success Natasha Donerson Success Unlimited, LLC 2840 Summer Oaks, Ste 103 Bartlett, TN StrategicBusinessSuccess.com ….of Women & Minority Entrepreneurs 17