Here’s to a healthier business! Ten things to say NO to!

It’s OK to say no! Really! Yes!

Here are ten things you SHOULD say no to. Will make your business totes more healthy! Some of these are a bit tricky the first time you do them but they get easier with practice! Promise!

Ready? Here you go. Repeat after me:

“I’m going to say NO to…..

1. Doing work for FREE.

If you want to, by all means donate to charity. But don’t be misled by promises of ‘great exposure’. People rarely remember who donated the cake/dress/massage….

2. Making/selling stuff that customers don’t seem to want.

Gah, it’s super- disappointing when no-one seems to want your stuff. But it happens! And it’s just a sign that you need to change your thing a little bit. I heard a story the other day about a lady who was struggling to sell her arty stationery. On a whim she made a few felt animals, displayed them on her website and, woosh, more sales in one week than the whole of the previous month! So if you’re in struggle-city with your product, stop doing it and have a go at something else. You might be nicely surprised!

3. Customers who bully me.

There are some unpleasant folk around. If one of them becomes your customer and treats you badly, send ‘em packing. You will always be better off spending your time finding nice new customers than pandering to the nasty ones. Seriously.

4. Customers who are high maintenance.

There’s customer service and then there’s high maintenance! And it’s OK to say ‘no’ to some of those high maintenance ‘demands’. Really, you don’t HAVE to say yes to everything. If it’s super-tricky or very costly for you to do just give your customer a firm but friendly NO.  [Y’know there are some customers who will keep pushing you until you say NO. True!]

5. Projects that aren’t going to help me reach my income goals.

You’re running a business, you need to make money, you have to be a bit focussed. It takes a bit of discipline but you’ve got to say no NO to stuff that doesn’t help you make money. Even if it’s fun. Gah!

6. Things I really hate doing.

If there’s part of your business which you really don’t like doing, pay someone to do it for you! Yes! Outsourcing is not a luxury, it’s a necessity. Doing stuff you hate is super-draining. It leaves you unable to do the stuff you should be doing. And that’s not good for business is it?!

7. Faffing around!

Some of us are faffers! You’ll know if you are! Enough said!

8. Doing LOTS of projects at the same time.

It’s kinda fun to have a lot of things on the go. But not great for business. It’s always better to do less and get it done well. Yup. Less IS more.

9. Discounting my prices

Ages I wrote an a post about how everything goes wrong when you start to discount. Don’t do it. Be strong. The right customer WILL pay the right price.

10. Ideas that don’t seem to be working.

Sometimes an idea just doesn’t want to work! Yes? Then leave it alone! You can always come back to it later. Maybe it just needs time to infuse. Maybe it was just a crappy idea. If it’s worth doing it will bubble back up again. But it’s very liberating to say NO for now!

Fancy an “I’m saying NO to…. Printable?!

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