January is almost history! How is it going? Are you on top of everything with targets set and working your plan? At this point in time how do you feel about personal cloning? Would you like another set of your own hands and brain power to do some of the heavy lifting? Perhaps someday.
These days in the YOU economy, many people have fired their bosses and gone into business for themselves to fulfill their own dreams rather than building the dreams of others. This is certainly progress toward independence. For those of you who have made the leap I ask, are you building a business or a job?
Before you answer that, here’s a quick history lesson. In the U.S. of the 1930s, one farmer could raise enough of a commodity to feed only himself and three other
consumers. Between 1943 and the late 1970s, agricultural research, development and automation created a “Green Revolution” that resulted in a notable increase in grain production in developing countries. The Green Revolution was based on years of painstaking scientific research. When it was deployed in the field, it yielded dramatic results nearly doubling wheat production in just a few years. Between 1960 and 1984, as the Green Revolution transformed agriculture around the globe, grain production increased by over 250%. The extra food produced by the Green Revolution is gene
rally considered to have averted famine in India and Pakistan; it also allowed many developing countries to keep up with the population growth that many expected would outstrip food production. Today one single farmer feeds about 155 people… 39x what they could in 1930. The farmer of the 1930’s created a job for himself. Because of the Green Revolution, farming can be a business based on systems, automation and duplication.
Ask yourself:
Can you automate your business to work even when you aren’t working? What would have to happen for you to be able to work a fraction of the time and see your income stay the same or even grow significantly?
If your business requires you to be present 100% of the time you should consider building another income stream that can become passive and residual. Build your own Green Revolution to diversify your income and your options.
As a solopreneur, it is imperative to our financial success to create systems that leverage our time or diversify our efforts into another income stream. Once your business is able to sustain itself you no longer have a JOB. You have built your own Green Revolution.
So I ask again, are you building a Business or a Job? Find ways to systemize your work and outsource tasks that are not directly related to income-producing activity. I recently heard a tip from consultant, speaker and author Nancy Gaines, suggesting that whatever you plan to make this year, divide that number by two and take off 3 zeros. You should outsource any task that you can pay less than that
amount to free up your time so you can focus on your strength zone and the income generating activity. For example, if you plan to make $100,000 this year, divide by 2 = $50,000, drop 3 zeros = $50. That is your line in the sand and tasks that can be outsourced for less is money well invested.
Another option is to diversify your income by adding a direct sales model like many other entrepreneurial icons such as Paul Zane Pilzer, Stephen Covey, David Bach, Seth Godin and Warren Buffet just to name a few. Some of these direct sales companies have systems in place that begin and carry on with a very part-time investment. However, with consistent attention, the returns can grow exponentially. Here is a link to a quick video based on Robert T. Kioysaki’s Cashflow Quadrant. I think you will find the numbers quite intriguing.
So, until they fully develop and approve personal cloning, your best bet is to create your own Green Revolution by building your business with duplicatable systems
and/or grow an additional income stream so that when you want to slow down, take time off or eventually retire, the system can continue in your absence as will the income. If you would like to have a conversation about adding a direct selling model that can complement your existing business while cutting business expenses & gaining new customers, I invite you to reach out so we can connect.
Brenda Ridgley www.brendaridgley.com