Because you are busy running a business, there's not enough time in the day to accomplish everything you would like. But thinking about what you would like to do will help you move toward business tasks that should be taking up your time (if not a day, at least a few hours).
That's why we asked a panel of thirteen successful entrepreneurs the following questions:
Q. If you had to devote an entire day to one task, what would that task be and why?
Their best answers are below:
1. Experiencing the Real World
Sometimes we get stuck behind a desk, in meetings, on the computer or on our phones and don't get to experience what's happening in the real world. Walking the streets and experiencing what other people are experiencing across all walks of life is the best way to get my creative juices flowing.
- Alex Frias, Track Marketing Group
2. Reviewing Marketing Materials
As a startup grows, it's easy to grow the number of slide decks, one-pagers and other marketing materials that customers and partners need. When it comes to updating these materials, it's usually a one-off process. If I had a day to do a comprehensive review of all of the materials in one sitting, it would be beneficial to consolidate materials and see how each can be improved, too.
3. Planning
If I could take one day to do one task only, it would be to do comprehensive strategy and planning for the forward motion and growth of the business.
- Darrah Brustein, Finance Whiz Kids | Equitable Payments
4. Writing
Writing not only clears the mind, but it also provides numerous opportunities for learning. Entrepreneurs who archive their experiences are shown to be faster learners and more successful. Taking the time to journal my experiences always helps me decompress and reflect on past events.
- Tyler Arnold, SimplySocial Inc.
5. Talking to My Team
I’d love to spend a day doing nothing but talking to everyone on the team. I'd receive their input about what’s working, what’s not working and which feature or process they would love to put in place if they could advocate only one thing.
6. Growing Social Media
I would devote the day entirely to expanding our social media marketing strategy. There are several new social sharing platforms out there that my organization hasn't had a chance to try out yet, and I'm really excited about the potential for more business growth.
- Andrew Schrage, Money Crashers Personal Finance
7. Completing Pending Projects
I would resolve outstanding issues with undivided attention and participation of all parties involved. It’s incredible how much a project can be delayed when not all people are on the same page and contributing to the resolution of a problem. It can be anything from the internal implementation of a new product or service to the kick-off of a project for a new or existing client.
8. Working Through Strategies
Big-picture thinking is woven throughout everything I do every day. Unfortunately, I don’t always have enough time to focus on strategy with no interruptions. If I had a free day, I would sit down with my executive team with a clear agenda to focus on the big question of how best to continue to serve our clients and grow our business.
- David Ehrenberg, Early Growth Financial Services
9. Meeting People
If I had an entire day, I would fill it with meetings with a horizontally diverse group of influential people. Most days are task-oriented, but often, the days where you get to sit down with other successful people lead to the most game-changing outcomes.
10. Designing Projects
I would dive into a white paper or infographic. I genuinely love pulling together an informative design project from start to finish. It's so satisfying to end up with a great-looking, functional piece of work. I love those people-pleasing projects that you can put personal touches on. The end result is a piece of you.
- Maren Hogan, Red Branch Media
11. Configuring Sales
It would be to monitor and measure my sales pipeline. At the end of the day, it’s all about revenue and sales. The problem with most entrepreneurs is that they don’t take enough time to understand the math in their sales process. If you have a full day, then do it. You’ll be amazed at how much you learn and how you will be empowered to directly affect the bottom line.
12. Networking
In business, opportunities come from relationships. If you’re going to spend all your time doing something, spend it meeting and talking to other people because those people know people and those people know people. So many opportunities come from people you know, people you connect with and people you build relationships with.
13. Interviewing Customers
If I had an entire day to do just one thing, I'd spend it talking to our current customers. I'd ask them about what's working well, what's not working well, which team members of ours have provided outstanding service and what their current pain points are in their businesses. Any time I'm able to have an in-depth, one-on-one conversation with a customer, I always learn something.
