Greetings Floor Dealers!

Many floor dealers got their start as installers who then went on to open their own stores, only then to discover that being a great installer and craftsman is only a small part of the success formula.  Because they lack the knowledge of direct response marketing and business systems, they wind up in a business that has them enslaved to 50-70 hour work weeks, working weekends, and being completely burned out.

Fortunately, you have taken steps to avoid or escape this trap.  As you participate in the Inner Circle Club, you will continuously gain insights and wisdom on creating an Ideal Business, Ideal Lifestyle, and avoiding the stress and burnout that comes with having a business own you rather than the other way around.

With that in mind, here are 5 keys to avoiding burnout.

  1. Always use written systems.  The opposite of this is “winging” it day by day with little-or-no defined process.  This leads to the store being owner-dependant, makes training a long, grueling ordeal, and increases stress.  By implementing the World Class Installation System, and learning the principles that govern it, you will take control of your business and avoid burn out.
  2. Delegate.  Personally doing the repetitive, day-to-day tasks that are necessary to run your business will grind you down.  Even if they don’t require much physical energy, they still require mental energy.  Think of your mind as a battery that needs recharging.  At the beginning of each day you have X amount of mental energy.  By “spending” this energy on mundane, daily tasks, you burn up mental energy that would be better spent on marketing and other more profitable tasks.
  3. Work on your business, not in your business.  This means delegating most or all of the day-to-day activities that take place in your store.  (Again, the World Class Installation System makes this possible.) This frees up your time to work IN your business: i.e. plan your marketing, implement systems, guide the course of your business “ship.”
  4. Use time blocking.  This means setting appointments with yourself in your calendar to accomplish very specific tasks.  I’ve advised doing this to make room for the “Big Rocks” of the Rapid Launch, but it’s also a powerful way to manage the rest of your calendar.  For example, let’s say you want to develop referral relationships with Realtors, block out several time slots each week to work on that project.  If you are still doing some of the in-home visits yourself, block out the times each week designated to that task.
  5. Recharge.  Take at least a day each week where you completely get away from your business and do things that have meaning purpose and value for you.  (As you implement these systems, you’ll eventually be able to take more days off, but do this for now if you’re not already.)  Also, when you go home for the day, leave your work behind.  You might think you are getting more done by burning the candle at both ends, but it soon catches up to you and you become LESS productive.

By implementing these 5 keys, you’ll be well on your way to creating your Ideal Lifestyle.  Always remember: progress, not perfection.  These can take time to implement—think in terms of a 12-month transformation—but along the way you’ll experience successes, and for each incremental step you take forward, you’ll feel an incremental reduction in your stress and burnout.

 

To Tons Of Customers!
Jim Augustus Armstrong is The “Coach”

Jim Augustus Armstrong is the President of Flooring Success Systems, a program that equips dealers to double their profits, cut their work hours in half and beat the boxes! Many dealers have totally transformed their businesses and their lives for the better after joining Flooring Success Systems.
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