Whether you’re already a seasoned business owner or an aspiring one, an important step in maintaining your success is to prune away the dead and clean up the messes as they happen.
It took me a long time before I implemented the concept that sometimes you have to cut away dead-weight so that others can get the nourishment they need to bloom and grow. Not only accepting this to be true, but to also make it a routine to review quarterly or monthly. Not everyone is an ideal match for you nor are you perfect for everyone -when it comes to your clients/customers, contractors, software, and network as well. Because there are some relationships that are not worth having, no matter what you’ve been told you should be generating from them. Unhealthy relationships not only drain our confidence but are also extremely hard on the health of your business and can detract you from what you really want. Good clients and profitability. Prune them away and focus on what is causing you joy, fulfillment, and success in both your personal and professional life. It’s ok to fire your own customers, friends, and sometimes even family members.
As business owners, we are resilient and understand that mistakes will happen; owning them, fixing them, and moving on without letting them shake us to our core comes with confidence in ourselves to overcome and win the battle against that same annoying little visitor knocking at the door. Sweep off the doormat and let doubt know you have nothing to hide and that there won’t be enough grime inside your brain for it to cling to.
Deciphering the weeds amongst the flowers
Saving yourself the heartache, expense, and trauma of working with negative clients sounds like the eye-opener you needed to push through to where the grass is actually greener. But how do you know what is beyond the norm when it comes to trying times? Well darlings, it’s learning to decipher who the weeds are amongst the flowing fields of flowers. Sticking with the visual, find comfort in knowing that there are much fewer weeds in this world than there are flowers – you will always have positive results with your ideal clients when you feed and water your beds enough. But back to the question at hand… how to determine those toxic tubulars from the rest?
They are never happy with your work | No matter how hard you try, how many hours you dedicate, these woeful weeds are never content with what you give them. Not only does this feel frustrating for you as the business owner, but depletes you from top to bottom. Sometimes these clients drive you around in circles for a while before returning to your original idea, claiming it as their own.
They abuse your time and energy | Many times these creeping charlies are hiding under their cloaks as energy vampires, not only absorbing all of your time but your energy too. Energy vampires disrespect your time by asking for things around the clock with the expectation of an immediate response. Their disregard crawls past your personal and professional boundaries when they don’t take “no” for an answer.
They don’t pay on time and/or consistently | This statement speaks for itself… if the behavior becomes a habit, it’s probably not going to work in your favor.
They make excuses for themselves | Working with customers is many times a collaboration and even if your business doesn’t demand too much back and forth, there are still plenty of times you’ll need something from them in order to do your job. Weeds regularly make excuses for their absence, their inability to provide what you need, and many times even try to peg their lacking back onto you.
They don’t listen to any of your professional wisdom | There’s nothing worse than feeling completely dismissed in your own field of expertise; clients worthy of being cut don’t take your work seriously, instead claiming themselves all-knowing and mud puddles out of your projects.
Watering what matters
Now that you have some criteria to help spot a weed invasion, take them out by the root. Once removed, you’ll have so much more time to water what matters most in your life: the clients that are blossoming, your passion, commitment to your professional artform, and your life outside of it.
Keep the soil rich and be proud of who you are and what you do; you are an expert in your field and the master of your own domain!
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