The Friday Habit

The topic of this episode of The Friday Habit is dealing with business envy. Everyone struggles with comparison and the temptation to be judgmental of yourself and others in the context of business, and when you are in the heat of the moment it can be difficult to see things from the right perspective. Even if you didn’t get that new client or promotion, you are doing better than you think you are. Here are four ways to help combat this business envy and get a better understanding of your own strengths and position in the industry:Reach out to that competitor – Send them a message or meet them for coffee to congratulate them on their recent success and start to build a relationship with them. Most likely, getting to know them and their story will help you learn a few things and will also set your mind at ease because you will see that they have had their fair share of difficulties as well.Avoid a scarcity mindset – There are more than 30 million small businesses in America, so if that is your client pool, there is plenty of business out there for you and all of your competitors. Focus on adding value to your potential clients rather than worrying that you won’t get any clients.Stay humble – Don’t base your worth on being the best. If you remain humble, you will not have as far to fall when something happens and it will be easier for you to get back up again.Focus on the long game – A majority of your business will come from the relationships you have built rather than the cold calls you make or the social media promotions you run. Be true to yourself and genuinely interested in others and you will set yourself up for a solid sales pipeline without much effort.Your action time after this episode is to think of someone you have felt jealous of and reach out to them.Connect with us:https://www.thefridayhabit.com/thefridayhabit@knapsackcreative.com https://www.instagram.com/benjaminmanleyhttp://www.benjaminmanley.com/https://www.brandvivamedia.com/

Whether you realize it or not, when you say “yes” to anything, you are saying “no” to everything else in that situation. On this episode of The Friday Habit, Ben and Mark discuss the wrong ways that people typically say “no” and the one right way that will be in everyone’s best interest. You could think of this like a financial budget, as described by several business leaders including Michael Hyatt, where overspending in one area will make you go into debt somewhere else. In his book, “The Power of a Positive No”, William Ury spells out the 4 ways that people say “no”, three of them wrong and one of them right: Accommodation – This is refusing to say “no” even though you should. Essentially accommodation means saying “yes” to something that is not good for you or you do not have the capacity for.Attack – Sometimes people overreact and so strongly say “no” that the other person feels attacked and damage is done to the relationship. This is unnecessary and definitely the wrong way to say “no.”Avoidance – Non-answers are common: “I’ll get back to you”, “Not right now”, “I’ll let you know when I have time”, etc. But this lack of upfront honesty will just lead to frustration for both parties involved in the end due to wasted time and energy.Affirmation – Ben calls this a “criticism sandwich” where you give them good news, then bad news, then good news again, cushioning the blow and providing them with twice as much good news as bad. This could look like affirming them, rejecting your participation in the project, and then providing a referral or suggestion for how they could move forward in another way.It is critical to the functioning of your business that you learn to set boundaries and say “no” to the things that are outside of your primary focus or would distract you from your main line of work. This week’s action item is to try the affirmation technique the next time you have to say “no”.Links:“Free to Focus” by Michael Hyatt: https://freetofocus.com/“The Power of a Positive No” by William Ury: https://www.amazon.com/Power-Positive-No-Relationship-Still/dp/0553384260 Connect with us:https://www.thefridayhabit.com/thefridayhabit@knapsackcreative.com https://www.instagram.com/benjaminmanleyhttp://www.benjaminmanley.com/https://www.brandvivamedia.com/https://www.facebook.com/Marklab2https://www.linkedin.com/in/marklab2/ 

If you are living with the “live every day like it’s Friday” mentality like Mark and Ben are, you know how this shift in perspective can boost your energy level and help you find the good things in each day, seeing every problem as an opportunity to do something right. This perspective carries over into many aspects of your working life and is especially pertinent to the implementation of effective meetings. Maybe you have never been a part of a meeting that you would define as “effective”, so here are 5 ways to alter the paradigm and make every meeting more productive:Have a goal for the meeting – Define the reason why the meeting is taking place and include a brief agenda and action items in the meeting invite so all participants are on the same page.Keep meetings small – Be intentional with who is invited to each meeting, only including those who absolutely need to be there. Identify the key stakeholders in the project or initiative and make sure they can be there, rescheduling the meeting if necessary.Avoid conference calls – When you can’t see each other, it is easy for people to get distracted and difficult to gauge people’s genuine reactions to things other people are saying. Instead, try to schedule in-person or video conference meetings when possible.Be present – Institute a rule that all devices should be in “do not disturb” mode and/or face down on the table to reduce the number of distractions. If you are not distracted, it is likely that the meeting will conclude faster and you will be able to get back on your devices quickly anyway.Clearly define the action items – At the end of the meeting, discuss the action items and delineate the responsibilities for those items to the appropriate people. Set timelines for these tasks and go ahead and set up the next follow-up meeting before you all leave the room.Your action items after listening to this episode are to define the purpose of your next meeting and split up tasks at the end of that meeting to see how much this improves the effectiveness of the meeting.Connect with us:https://www.thefridayhabit.com/thefridayhabit@knapsackcreative.com https://www.instagram.com/benjaminmanleyhttp://www.benjaminmanley.com/https://www.brandvivamedia.com/https://www.facebook.com/Marklab2https://www.linkedin.com/in/marklab2/ 

Based upon the book  "Profit First," Ben and Mark share the concept of setting aside profit for yourself first by simply creating different bank accounts (for operating expenses, owner's compensation, taxes and profit). Then, you put a percentage of what is made each pay period into each account. Each quarter, you change the percentages as needed. One of the many perks is it helps you assess reoccurring expenses more often. The four keys to creating stability include:Keep your overhead low – If you value a really nice office space, perhaps sublease part of that space to cover the expense for your own space. With spaces like WeWork and other coworking spaces, having a really expensive space should be lowest on the priorities.  Every time you hire someone, make sure they pay for themselves and then more- Make sure they for pay themselves, are the value of their work and there is a really good profit margin. Charge three times the service someone is offering but make sure you have enough work for them to do beforehand.  "Hire when it hurts," making sure your workload is consistently too heavy for a time period and and not just if you have extra money. You can also hire if you want to offer additional services that you otherwise wouldn't be able to offer. Create subscription based products/service – This helps with forecasting. There is a scare factor because you aren't sure how it's going to work. One of the perks is it eliminates proposals. Charge a flat rate for the same services every month, and you are, for example, an on demand content department. Offer subscriptions based upon the client's budget. It helps the client see you as a partner instead of "a doer." Once you have the stability and security, it allows you to really grow because you aren't scrambling to meet the budget each month, You know what is coming in and you can plan into the future. Pay yourself consistently as the business owner– Pay yourself consistently each month to give you a consistent baseline. Then, if needed make sure you have the ability to make an owner's draw.  If you follow the process, every quarter you will get a bigger bonus.Links to Books: Profit First- https://profitfirstbook.com/ Rework - https://www.amazon.com/Rework-Jason-Fried/dp/0307704513 Connect with us:https://www.thefridayhabit.com/thefridayhabit@knapsackcreative.com https://www.instagram.com/benjaminmanleyhttp://www.benjaminmanley.com/https://www.brandvivamedia.com/https://www.facebook.com/Marklab2https://www.linkedin.com/in/marklab2/ 

Too often, distractions invade our world and keep us from accomplishing everything we have set out to do in a certain timeframe. Whether you find that your distractions are of your own making or the result of those who work around you, hopefully you can find some good insights and action items in these 3 simple strategies for staying focused at work:Stick to a time management plan such as the Pomodoro technique – Block out some time during your day when you can commit 25 minutes to focus on one task with no distractions whatsoever followed by a 5-minute break. You can then evaluate whether you need to commit to another 25-minute session to that same task or move on to a different focused task, followed by another 5-minute break. There are many helpful apps and tools to help facilitate this focused time/break time balance, but the easiest is just setting a timer on your phone. You will likely find that by spending such concentrated time on a single task skyrockets your productivity and helps you do your best work.Wear noise cancelling headphones – In addition to the obvious benefits of blocking out ambient and distracting noise, wearing headphones sends a message to those around you that you are in focus mode and they should leave you alone. Mark recommends the Apple AirPods Pro in-ear headphones with noise-cancelling and Ben recommends the Bose Quiet Comfort 2 over-ear headphones.Set boundaries – If your workplace culture will permit it, clearly communicate with your coworkers and boss that you set aside certain times of the day for focused work. Perhaps block out time on your shared calendar so people know not to schedule meetings with or try to call you during those times and/or establish “open office hours” when those around you are permitted to stop by to talk to you.Links:Hourglass timers: https://www.amazon.com/OrgaNice-Hourglass-Sand-Timer-Productivity/dp/B01KFYMFYE/ref=sr_1_12?keywords=hourglass+timer&qid=1581472135&sr=8-12Connect with us:https://www.thefridayhabit.com/thefridayhabit@knapsackcreative.com https://www.instagram.com/benjaminmanleyhttp://www.benjaminmanley.com/https://www.brandvivamedia.com/https://www.facebook.com/Marklab2https://www.linkedin.com/in/marklab2/ 

Whether you find yourself constantly procrastinating or you are specifically avoiding a particular task, hopefully you realize that you can’t put it off forever and eventually you will have to do it. Why not just get started right now? Ben shares his 5 tips for beating procrastination:Think through the process – Create some space for yourself each week to consider your upcoming tasks and define the physical actions involved in each one. While having a task like “get better health insurance” on your list is specific, it is just unclear enough that you might not know how to move forward with it. List out the physical actions you will need to take to get better health insurance and then do them.Set the stage in advance – One great example of this is setting out your workout clothes at night so they are ready for the next morning and you have reduced the number of barriers between yourself and the gym. When you aren’t ready to do the whole task, gather all of the materials you need first and provide yourself with a friction-less jumpstart when you are ready.Reset your brain – Try one of these techniques for getting your brain back to a clean slate: 10 minutes of cardio exercise, a power nap, a cold shower, or working on the task for 15 minutes and giving yourself a break.Do a bad job on purpose – Put together the roughest rough draft just to get all of your thoughts out there and all of the content on the table. This gives you a great place to start.Think out loud – Verbally process with someone else why you don’t want to do this task or what is hindering you. They might have some helpful feedback as someone outside the situation and they can now hold you accountable for getting the task completed.Connect with us:https://www.thefridayhabit.com/thefridayhabit@knapsackcreative.com https://www.instagram.com/benjaminmanleyhttp://www.benjaminmanley.com/https://www.facebook.com/Marklab2https://www.linkedin.com/in/marklab2/ 

Main Topic5 Habits That Will Revolutionize Your BusinessLearn every weekLet others curate for youSubscribe to make it automatic (podcasts, emails)Capture new ideasWrite it down right when you think of itUse team messagingEncourage others to contributeDocument problemsExample: Taking too much time to quote small changes to sites turned into a membershipPerform a weekly reviewSchedule it on the calendarTalk through each of the ideas and problemsMake decisions and assign action itemsBlock off time to take actionThe goal is to block off one day per weekIf you need to, start with a half-day or even an hourAction ItemDownload our free guide to The Friday Habit System. It will help you establish the 5 habits we talked about today. That way you can start making consistent weekly improvements and revolutionize your business.Where to find BenBenjaminManley.comKnapsackCreative.comWhere to find MarkTwitter: @marklab2Website: BrandVivaMedia.com

Are you too busy doing work for your customers to make critical changes to your business? We’re here to help you set aside time every Friday to improve your business. So you can stop feeling behind and instead build a business that works for you.