The Double-Edged Sword Of Time!

It seems as though it was just a few months ago (certainly not eight months) that the New Year's celebrations were high and rolling on through the night. Ringing in the New Year in Las Vegas, NV is like no other place in the world....They make magic happen! Lights, cameras, celebrities of every movie and music genre, sleek cars, beautifully dressed people, nervous entertainers, and overwrought hotel and restaurant staff running wildly from one step to the next...and it never stops! There to is something else that doesn't stop...the clocks on the wall. Whether they can be seen or not - they keep ticking, just as they're doing now. Ticking with the sound that another year is heading toward its end. As a business owner, in regard to the clock's warning tick, where are you in the process of ending this year strong.

Coming into this year so many resolutions were made. New Day Planners rolled out and/or Google Calendars were already being filled in and shared. Business goals were developed, posted, placed on internal message boards, etc., and shot out across social media venues telling others (internal teams or external stakeholders) what to expect in this new year. Man, oh man, when that ball fell in Times Square in New York city, and equally, when those rocket-like fireworks flew into the air from atop the various roof tops of the over-glamorized casinos in Las Vegas, people roared with excitement, looking hopefully into their futures with great aspirations and gladiator-like invincibility to succeeding in their various industries.

The following days were filled with vigor and gusto to beat it down the track! With new cell phones, laptops, netbooks, tablets, and phablets, all the goodies from the holidays fell out at new meetings ready to go...Let's get 'er done!!!

Now, it's August. For most, we've just entered the second month of the 3rd Qtr of the year and nearing Summer's end. School bells are ringing, college kids are getting in their last weekend hangouts before it's back to dorms and books, and stalled vacation plans have left others irritable and looking to grasp any amount of time even if it's a trip to the mountains or beach - any outing before the whip cracks again is better than nothing at all.

Herein is where a business owner assumes responsibility and accountability for having used time wisely and advantageously. Here's where all those meetings either meant something and nothing (profited by them in some way or not). For all the agendas and meeting notes compiled, for all the webinars and seminars taken or not taken (but were seriously needed), for the website(s) that went up or taken down, for the blog posts that were forgotten or never written, for the marketing campaigns that were planned and should now be ready for execution, the clock on the wall tells all.

It tells:

1. Whether (or not) you heeded the advice of Influencers, Industry Leaders, and other successful corporate icons suggesting and recommending everything from starting up to starting over.
2. Whether some attended summer school while others went out to play and now hurriedly return to "throw" something at the marketplace.
3. Whether the patronage of every client and potential client is sincerely appreciated by their names already being in the Holiday card mailing list. (Oh, you did remember to plan, select and order the customized cards right?)
4. Whether the few remaining business networking events convening in your area will be attended by you and staff.
5. Whether fiscal reporting is accurate and stated fiscal goals are being achieved.
6. Whether strategy was developed and deployed (at the beginning of the year) that yields measurable results that can be proven and continued; increased. If the strategy set forth isn't yielding the desired results, why?
7. Whether the editorial content calendar...wait, there is an editorial content calendar, right? Press Releases? Anything that tells the public that you're alive and....
8. What tools, technologies, or staffing is needed to handle the workload in the coming months.
9. Whether the business is in proper position to hit the ground running with launched marketing campaigns before, during and after Labor Day week.
10. Whether or not you, as a business owner, have a clue as to what's needed to enter this last stretch before heading into the Fall and Holiday Seasons.

The clock is telling what businesses will finish strong. It will tell what businesses will finish poorly. The evidence of the clocks findings in the coming months, will be your visibility or invisibility in the marketplace. Time will tell all.

Here's To You Showing Up!

Kimetta
(The Living Consultant)