One of the most common frustrations amongst business owners is that they know they need to be focusing on strategy, vision and big picture - but can never seem to find the time to actually do it.

There’s always more pressing things to action first. Calls to make, emails to respond to, a report to review, a client to keep happy, a staff request or issue etc.

There’s quite literally 100’s of things vying for your attention at any given moment. 

And it’s not because you don’t know that you need to be making more time for strategy and big picture - you do.

And that’s what makes this even harder - because you can feel the stress building up in you when you know you need to be getting to something but you aren’t.

So it’s not a question of awareness - you have that.

It’s an issue with priorities.

“What you focus on - grows”.

There will literally always be something you can focus your attention on - but is it a priority? Will it actually make a difference and move your business forward...

Business growth is what we're all striving for.

We want to be able to look back over the months and years and feel really proud about what we've created and how far we've come.

We want to feel like it's all been worth it. The hard decisions & conversations, the big hours & big weeks, the sleepless & restless nights - we want to be able to look back on all of this and feel really proud with what we’ve achieved.

But what happens when we're working really hard, doing all the 'things' - and the growth never comes?

When you’ve been at the same point, plateaued in your business for months, years or even decades?

That's tough. That's frustrating. That's defeating.

It can be downright demoralising.

If this is you - if you’re feeling like you’re putting in the hours and the work - but you’re not seeing the results - it’s probably because you’re still hanging on.

Hanging on to the small things. 

Hanging on to doing the tasks that you know you shouldn’t be doing and won’t act...

Most founders and business owners haven’t thought about their exit strategy from their business.

They either put it off because they don’t want to think about it just yet or they genuinely get consumed with the day to day running and building of their business that it gets forgotten about.

There are plenty of stories of business owners leaving this decision until it’s too late and not giving themselves enough time to properly plan for their exit. 

This leaves them with very few options and they either sell for a much lower value than what their business is really worth or they just shut the doors, turn off the lights and walk away.

To me - that’s such a wasted opportunity, when some planning, a good strategy and consistent effort can have you realising maximum value for your business when the time comes to hang up the boots.

Planning for your exit from your business needs to be thought about now and planned for now as this informs the strategy that you put in place now. 

One opti...

The clients you work with can make or break your business.

It's a bit like walking on a tightrope – get it right, and everything falls into place; get it wrong, and it's a mess.

Picking the right clients is like unlocking the door to great revenue, happy teams, and projects that light you up. On the flip side, picking the wrong ones can mean less profit, a frustrated team, and a foggy business path ahead.

Right now, there's plenty of work on in our industry. It's an excellent opportunity for us to be a bit choosy about who we work with, a luxury we don't always have. 

It's also important to recognise that some of your current clients, though good in the past, might not be the right fit for where you're headed in business. 

Choosing the right clients is a process, not a snap decision. You can't just drop everyone and start afresh, especially when there's work on the table.

It's more like a game plan, a slow shift toward clients that match where you see your business going.

Now, t...

I’ve been learning to surf on and off now for about 2 years.

I love being in the water but haven’t been able to commit to the consistency because of a few pesky injuries.

The last 6 months my body has been feeling really strong and fit and I’ve committed to consistently just getting out in the water and practicing.

No stress or frustration about the outcome. I don’t care whether I catch 1 wave or 10. I don’t care whether I fall off or stand up. 

Just committed to the process of practicing, being the learner & enjoying the journey.

And this morning a bunch of stuff just clicked. And it became really fun.

I’m by no means a pro surfer or catching 6 foot barrels 😂 But I could really see the compounding effects of just turning up every day and putting the work in.

The same is true for business.

We often want the outcome to be immediate or that any effort we put in will be guaranteed to pay off.

Unfortunately neither is true for business.

We put so much pressure on ourselves for th...

Here we are! The start of a new year.

I hope you had an incredible break and are excited about the year ahead and its opportunities for you and your business. 

Ever wondered why this is the only time of the year that most are actually setting goals, thinking about the changes they’d like to make and what they want their future to look like?

For some - it’s because it’s a new year, new me, this year will be different etc etc blah blah…

But for most - it’s because you’ve actually had a decent holiday and you’ve actually allowed yourself to relax and think about something else apart from the looming deadlines every week and the pressure of having to deliver all the time. 

There’s a reason why your best ideas come to you when you’re in the shower, at the beach, on a bush walk - or on holidays.

It’s because you’ve actually stepped out of the logical, get stuff done part of your brain and have allowed the creative side of your brain to step forward and have its say.

So why then, do we...

Wow, what a super interesting year! Right?!

If you're like a lot of the engineering industry right now you're still madly running around trying to get things finished and wrapped up before the Christmas break. 

Things work wise are likely to be quite intense and busy right up until Christmas this year and then you'll be jumping right into family get togethers, parties and the holidays which also can be quite full on.

Today I'd like to remind you that it's incredibly important for you to create some space in all of the craziness and intensity of work and life to really reflect and evaluate the year you've just had.

Before you can look to 2024 and the year ahead, it is so important to evaluate the year that’s just gone - including its successes, failures, lessons and themes - before you think about next year and your goals and how you want things to be different. 

You really want to understand what happened this year, why it happened and how to improve for next year.

I'm now going ...

Are you feeling the weight of your business resting solely on your shoulders? Are you stuck in the never-ending cycle of constant decision-making and firefighting, leaving little time for your businesses growth and strategic vision? If this sounds all too familiar, you might actually be the bottleneck hindering the growth of your business.

The Bottleneck Conundrum:

It's a natural evolution for a business owner to initially be the sole decision-maker and driving force behind every aspect of the company. However, as your business expands, clinging to this control actually starts to hold you back. Whether it's the fear of letting go, the need for perfection, or the desire to be at the centre of everything, being this bottleneck is stunting your business's potential.

As a business owner, it's easy to fall into the trap of believing that only you can ensure that everything is of the highest quality & that everything needs to come through you. The truth is - this mentality leads to burnou...

Well here we go - we're into the run into Christmas! What a year!

What I notice at this time of the year is that leaders and business owners start to get complacent and take their foot off the pedal.

It’s been a hard and full on year - I know. But if you want to finish this year strong AND set the start of your 2024 up right - then you have to keep going.

This is where consistency matters.

It’s the little things you do every day that really matter and allow you to build momentum - and momentum generates results!

Watch and listen for those little voices in your head that tell you things like:

• “It's been a hard year - just take the rest of the year slowly.”
• “Don't worry about following up that client / proposal / opportunity - leave it until the new year.”
• “I can't be bothered having that hard conversation with a team member or client - I'm tired and don't want the angst.”

Use your calendar to your advantage here. This way you are physically creating the time and the space i...

I used to be amazing at delaying, procrastinating, justifying and not taking action on the big things that I logically knew would move my business forward.

Seems weird thinking about it now because doing those very things has single-handedly been the reason behind my business growing 5x this year.

As I look back on this year (and we’re not quite done yet), it’s incredible to think that we’ve now helped 50+ business owners grow their revenue, shape their business plans and their goals for their businesses future, gain the confidence they need to take their business to that next level as well as meet and make friends with a whole bunch of other incredible business owners along the way.

There is a saying “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, the second best time is today.”

This is a mantra that I constantly remind myself with when I find myself delaying, procrastinating or putting off taking action on those (in my head) scary and big things that I know will move my business...