Tips & Talk 85 – The Very First Question Every Time Should Be …

Hi there.

It's Sue and thanks for joining me for Tips and Talk

Day. These are bite sized topics that I pull from community

questions and things that I'm observing in the world of handmade

small business.

If you'd like to submit a topic DME over on Instagram

at Gift Biz Unwrapped.

Before we get started,

I'm gonna share a secret with you.

One of my superpowers is the ability to get an enormous

number of tasks and projects done each and every week.

I easily meet deadlines,

rarely forget to do something.

I know at the start of each day what needs priority,

attention and action type A personality.

Yes, and a follow through on the Kobe assessment,

which should have given me the clue,

but it wasn't until people started commenting to me that I

realized not everyone naturally knows how to do this.

It's the biggest single contributor to the growth I always see

in my businesses without spending hours and hours working either.

It's about focus and doing the right things efficiently.

Prompted by all the questions on how I do this,

I went about finding a way to help you perform at

a higher level too.

I analyzed my methods and formalized my process,

which is one many of my coaching clients now also follow.

You can use it too.

It's all part of a tool called the Inspired Daily Planner

made specifically for gifters,

bakers, crafters,

and makers.

Make no mistake,

this is not your ordinary planner.

First off,

it comes with a video explaining my productivity strategy and the

physical planner isn't dated,

so you can start using it the second it arrives at

your doorstep,

and that's not all included for each day is a motivational

or business building tip and plenty of space to capture and

book in time for to-dos scheduled appointments and all those ideas

that are now getting lost.

You can watch the video for free and then get your

inspired daily planner@giftbizunwrapped.com

slash inspired.

This one tip will save you an enormous amount of time

and your sanity.

It will give you purpose to your efforts or help you

catch yourself if your intended actions aren't even necessary.

This should happen every time you're about to embark on a

new project,

regardless of its size.

It could be huge like starting your business or small,

like adding a new social media platform or deciding on a

craft show to attend.

Before you take on any new projects,

ask yourself some version of this question,

Why is this an important thing to focus my energy on

now? Then you should have a specific and detailed answer to

that question that includes,

what is my intended result?

How do I expect things to be different once this is

in place,

and is the result worth the energy,

time or money that will be required?

By gaining clarity on why what you're doing in your business

is important,

you'll find that you can grow faster because you're devoting resources

to the right things and because you're using your time intentionally

and you know the why to your efforts,

there's less stress and overwhelm.

You're only working on things that you've consciously decided can make

a difference.

It also leads to thinking about how you'll monitor whether set

activity is bringing in the expected results.

I'm always amazed when I ask people why they're working on

this or that.

Most times there's no concrete answer.

I'll get responses like I keep hearing,

I should be on TikTok,

or I think it would be fun to redo my labels

in different colors,

or I'm going to be really productive this weekend and reorganize

my office.

While these things may or may not be necessary ever,

it's also a question of whether now is the right time.

It's so easy to be busy doing things that don't lead

you to your goals.

It feels like you're being super productive,

but there aren't any dollar achievements realized for the time that

you've put in.

That's because it's easier to do things you're comfortable with that

come naturally to you than work on projects that can move

the sales needle but are more challenging.

Then you fool yourself that you're working so hard on your

business, which you are,

but your sales don't increase.

Sound familiar?

With that in mind,

take a look at the activities you have lined up for

the next couple of weeks or maybe one you're working on

right now.

Are you able to give yourself an answer as to how

this project will impact your business positively?

Be mindful that project creep can come into play here too.

Obviously, preparing for an upcoming craft show is important and will

lead to sales and new prospects to add to your email

list, but what exactly are the valuable tasks?

By way of example,

here's what I'd suggest are productive and valuable tasks,

A dry run setup of your table so you ensure that

you have all the elements of a strong display,

particularly if this is your first show.

There's making enough product to sell,

creating a plan to collect email addresses at the event and

planning and practicing your checkout system so you're efficient and people

don't walk away because they've waited too long.

Here's what I suggest.

May not be productive tasks,

going out and buying a new tablecloth so you have a

backup just in case,

or redesigning your bag stuffers with different wording and logos when

the current one is just fine.

I'd say that sending out announcements to those who attended your

past shows is a much better idea and making a plan

for how you'll post on social media before and during the

show to prompt attendance would be a more valuable project too.

Leading directly to more customers at the shows and more sales

for you.

Get the idea here.

Make a note for yourself and post it somewhere where you'll

see it each day.

The note should read,

Why am I doing this project?

Consciously review your activities in this way and see the change

it makes in your life and the growth that you'll realize

in your small business.

That's a wrap.

I'm a get to the point kind of girl,

and this is what you can expect from these quick midweek

sessions. Now it's your turn.

Go out and fulfill that dream of yours.

Share your handmade products with us.

We want them and they bring us both.