You’re Busy. But Are You Actually Moving Your Business Forward?

What I See Entrepreneurs Getting Wrong Every Day and What to Do Instead

I work with a lot of entrepreneurs. Here’s what I see them getting wrong every day and a few things to do instead.  

Focus

They’re focused on the wrong things. They get stuck in details that don’t really matter, changing a few words on a landing page, rewriting an email for the tenth time, or continuing to tweak something that hasn’t even been launched yet.

Yes, messaging is important, and you want to get it right. But if you never get it out the door, it doesn’t mean shit. Launch it. See how people respond. You can update it later based on actual feedback instead of what you think might happen.

Priority

This is in the same lane, but it’s a little different. Entrepreneurs prioritize projects and tasks that don’t actually move the needle in their businesses. They talk to vendors, sit in on unnecessary meetings, and handle administrative work when they should be creating content, connecting with prospects, following up, and delivering their message.

One meaningful connection, one invitation to a podcast, or one useful piece of content can be 100 times more valuable than a seemingly important administrative task, especially one someone else could handle.

Accountability

Here’s the thing. You’re probably not holding yourself accountable. You feel busy because you are busy, but you’re not necessarily moving forward. Without accountability, you’ll continue doing the things that feel productive while avoiding the things that actually create visibility, opportunities, and revenue. This can go on for years, even decades.

Do I sound like a bitch? Maybe. It’s part of my charm. 

If you ask me how I know these things, it’s because I’m guilty too. I still catch myself doing the same things. But once you see the pattern, it’s hard to unsee it. Then you can call yourself out and course-correct. If you’re having difficulty seeing it or consistently changing it, you probably need a coach or an accountability partner who will call you on your shit.

So, what should you focus on instead?

Speak to a specific audience

When you’re communicating with prospects, the closer you can get to their identity and experience, the better. If you’re an entrepreneur who works with businesses in beauty and fashion, speak directly to those business owners. Talk about the difficult customers, challenging vendor situations, staffing problems, inventory decisions, or landlord disputes you understand and have helped solve.

Specificity makes people feel seen. When someone recognizes their own business and problems in what you’re saying, they’re much more likely to believe you understand how to help them.

Turn your solutions into assets

If you’ve been in business for a while, you’ve probably created solutions for yourself that other people could benefit from. It might be a template for ordering supplies, a checklist for making sure a job gets done correctly, a customer-service script, or the unique way you organize your finances.

These solutions can become valuable business assets. Name them, brand them, protect them when appropriate, and use them. You can sell them, include them as part of a service, or give them away as a lead magnet to attract the right people.

We often overlook the value of what we’ve created because it feels obvious or easy to us. It may not be obvious or easy to someone else.

Tell stories

Share the stories of your clients’ evolution. Where did they start? What was getting in their way? What changed? Where are they now? Did they increase sales, add new customers, get featured somewhere, launch something, or finally complete a project they had been sitting on?

Don’t just talk about the solution or transformation. Talk about where the client started and what was happening before the transformation. This is where the prospect self-identifies. 

For example, I could tell you that my client now has streamlined offers, polished services, and a systematized onboarding process. That sounds good, but it doesn’t give you much to connect with.

The more meaningful story is that he was already a successful ghostwriter who had worked with hundreds of clients. He had thousands of followers on LinkedIn and an amazing children’s book creation service, but he wasn’t communicating clearly about everything he offered. He also had a large database of past clients and prospects, but he wasn’t reaching out to them with a regular email or newsletter.

That’s where another entrepreneur might stop and think, “Wait. I have a large database of people I haven’t communicated with either. That’s a huge asset, and I’m doing nothing with it.”

That becomes the moment of truth because your prospects aren’t thinking about you or your service. They’re thinking about themselves. They need to figure out how to get the book written, attract new clients, run successful Facebook ads, or finally feel like their business is moving forward.

Always be solving for the WIIFM: Clients and prospects want to know — What’s in it for me?

Create content that helps your prospects feel seen and understood. Show them that you understand where they are, and then how you can help them get where they want to go.