Down Time

This time of year is, traditionally, a very quiet time for a lot of businesses. 

While consumers reign in spending after Christmas, and as credit card bills land on door mats across the country, shops struggle to get people willingly parting with their cash, restaurants resemble ghost towns, and hotels slash their rates in order to keep going. 

Panic often sets in. 

Will it ever pick up again?

Dogs treat down time rather differently. 

Down time is an opportunity to recuperate, to get ready for the next adventure. It's an opportunity to go at a slightly different pace. Time to wash paws. Time to cuddle. 

As a business our traditional down time is December. It becomes, comparatively, quiet. Clients don't phone as much. There's less work to do. The pace of work is quite quite different. 

We use that time constructively. We tidy the office, sort out boring things like insurances and new photocopiers. We research (and implement) new tools and processes. We sort out the filing and set up the new files ready for the new year. 

It's a hugely productive time of year for us. 

Of course, having client work to do is much more commercially productive. But we recognise that sometimes you have to grease the wheels and we make the most of that time. 

Dogs do the same. 

So the next time you experience the seasonal dip, don't panic: plan. 

Plan to get some important jobs done. Plan to have a good clear out and clean up. Plan to make the most of it. 

It's just as important as what comes next. 

Never Give Up

Tenacity is one quality which I firmly believe both dogs and entrepreneurs share in abundance. 

I'm lucky enough to have two rescue dogs, both with very different (and slightly mysterious) starts in life. 

Molly was found starved and abandoned in a local park and (luckily) taken into kennels to be given a second chance. That's where we found her, a skinny quivering wreck of a dog. Scared, hungry and timid. 

Toby was rescued twice. His first rescue team split up and ask their friend to dump him back at the pound. Facing death row for a second time in his life, he was extremely lucky to be picked out by a charity rescue team, passed into an assessment foster home, before coming to live with us. Depressed, deflated and, quite understandably, suspicious of people. 

But now it's a different story. Molly is the centre of everyone's universe (or so she likes to think). Confident, caring and sociable, she's got her own little office routine going on, moving from desk to desk, ensuring everyone keeps in line. 

Toby has come out of his shell enormously. Less suspicious, less likely to keep his own counsel and his personality continues to develop daily. He's a cheeky wee chappy. 

So what's my point? And how does this relate in any way to business?

Well, in simple terms: they never gave up. 

Sure, they had a few people and organisations who helped both of them along the way, but both dogs have determined not to let their past blight their future. 

Both dogs work hard for our love and praise. They are prepared to put in the effort, they know they will get the rewards. 

But just because they've failed before does not mean that they are not afraid to try again. 

How many entrepreneurs give up? Far too many. 

Doubt ourselves? Undeniably.

Worry about the future? Wouldn't be human otherwise. 

But the successful ones NEVER give up. Even when the going gets tough. Even when it seems ridiculous to carry on. Even when hope is all but lost. 

They believe and they never give up. 

Because, just when you think it can't get any worse, something always comes along. 

Always 

If you don't believe me, ask Toby and Molly. 

A Different Direction

We decided to walk the same way, a different way, today. 

You'd think we'd re-discovered the world. 

All we did was go on the walk backwards (not literally, technically speaking: in reverse) but it was a whole new game. 

Trees look different from the "other" side. The scenery has changed. The people we meet has shifted. And it all smells so interesting.

We can sometimes get stuck in a rut in business, doing the same things day in, day out, going the same way, talking to the same people. 

Just by varying the approach, even slightly (same route, different direction) we can get a new perspective on things and make our lives so much more interesting.

When was the last time you got stuck trying to solve a problem? Why not come at it from another angle?

When was the last time you varied your route to work? I try to change mine every few days - just for fun. 

When was the last time you sat down and re-planned your week? 

Cancelled meetings that you don't need? 

Set up meetings that you never have time for? 

Put some time aside just for thinking and exploring ideas?

Coming at things from a different direction is an essential business skill. It makes things more interesting, gives a fuller understanding of your competitive environment, opens up opportunities you'd never noticed before and, generally, keeps things fresh.

So go on, get your nose to the ground and change direction.  

Get There First

Our dogs get along nicely, but there's no mistaking their competitive instinct when it comes to one important thing: sticks. 

You can be walking along nicely, enjoying the scenery when WHAM! a stick appears. 

Not just any stick. THE stick. The MUST HAVE stick. 

And they'll both lunge for it, prepared to fight for it if necessary. 

The moral of this story: if it's important, get there first. 

So many business people become complacent in their hunt for the proverbial stick. Complacency sets in gradually. There are sometimes sticks everywhere. Often enough to go around. So we don't fight for the stick. We're certainly not prepared to lunge for it. We let go of that competitive instinct, and it's not good for business. 

But dogs know that competition is healthy. That's why, in a crowded woodland literally full of sticks, they instinctively pick ONE and go for it, pitting themselves against each other. 

One wins, the other doesn't. But one thing's for sure, they'll never lose that instinct. 

When was the last time you lunged for a stick?

Go on, try it. 

Attitude is Everything

Out of Reach? No Problem. There must be a way....

When it comes to doing the same thing day in, day out, our dogs have got it covered. 

Fundamentally their day consists of a combination of eating, walking, sleeping and repeating. Not entirely unlike us humans. 

But what I have always admired about our dogs is their unfailing positive attitude towards this "groundhog" day approach to life. Even when they are feeling below par, there's no stopping them. 

Every day they start afresh. Excited beyond comprehension to see us emerge from a night's sleep. Ecstatic about us serving up the same breakfast as the day before. Euphoric about going on the same walk as earlier that same day. 

Life, from a dog's perspective, could not get better. 

They love it. 

It has always struck me that developing a business takes a similar tenacity in the ongoing maintenance of attitude. And believe me it's hard. It took me fully five years in business before I really got mine under control, by which I mean I can choose whether to give in to negativity or rise above it. 

That's been partly down to experience, but mainly down to blooming hard work on my part not to let my emotions get the better of me, or to learn how to refocus that negative energy in a positive direction. 

Fall "below the line" and it takes monumental human effort to pull yourself back up above it and move on. 

Molly and Toby do this naturally, without even thinking. They never doubt, for even one minute, that the leader knows what they are doing, and that they are off on some major adventure which they are truly going to enjoy. No fear. 

How much more effective could you be in your business if you could harness and increase your positive focus? 

How much better would your day be if you went at it, head on, with your head held high and your tail (metaphorically speaking) wagging? 

I know that whenever I feel things are getting on top of me, Molly and Toby put it all back into perspective:  It's just another adventure. Sure, it might be a bigger challenge than normal, but it's still an adventure. 

Let's take it on!

Business Inspiration from Man's Best Friend

It's a new year and I felt like a bit of a new writing challenge. So here it is. 

I have two dogs and a small business based in Perth, Scotland. 

Running a business is hard. There's no doubt about that. And nowadays it's harder than ever. Finding entrepreneurial inspiration is a continual challenge. 

Like many entrepreneurs, over the years I've had professional coaches, business advisers, life coaches, business mentors, friendships with fellow business owners, read countless business books and business blogs - the list goes on. 

But despite extensive engagement with some of the country's most successful people, I still get some of my greatest insights into running a successful business, unusually, from my two furry friends: Molly & Toby!

So I felt it was time to pass this canine wisdom on to others. And thank you for taking the time to read this. 

Enjoy!

Tricia

PS. If you are looking for something a bit more serious, you can check out my other blog: Nobody's Business But your Own