What To Do When You Have Nothing To Do

This is for those that have a tough time staying busy or struggling to know what to do with their time. Something I was taught when I first got into the business was “If you put in 40 hours a week of real work, you will see success”. This means putting in the real work, not just sitting at the office chatting with your friends or scrolling through social media. So many self employed individuals find that the freedom of being self employed ends up causing them to not treat their business as a real business that needs work to succeed. They do not put in the work it takes to build a business to the point that they can step away and still get paid (I’m not here yet, but I am working toward it). It takes commitment, hard work and time.

My challenge for you is to work the full 40 hours a week for the next few months, and see how it changes your business.

*If you do not want to work a full 40 hours a week that is fine, but set a goal for the amount of hours per week you are willing to dedicate towards your business and stick to it. Remember, it’s real work not just being present, but actually working.

What To Do When You Have Nothing To Do:

For those of you who struggle finding things to keep you busy throughout the week, here is a list of things that I recommend starting with to keep you busy. As you work through this list, you’ll find other things that can be added that fit your own needs, but all these things will help grow your business, and separates you from the ones that might not be willing to put in the hours it takes.

FOLLOW UPS

Follow up with cold leads
Call past clients (Just check in, don’t ask for business. Build relationships)
Call referral partners (Just check in, don’t ask for business. Build relationships)
Prospect referral partners (Warm or Cold, just call)
Handwritten note cards. (Tell someone you are thinking of them, or thank someone for going above and beyond)

Marketing

Videos (Record, edit, post)
Social Media Post (Create multiple. Some for now and some for later)
Brainstorm Topics (Create a list of topics for future marketing ideas)
Flyers (not just create, but where will you take them? Who is your audience?)
Learn New Techniques (FB Groups are good sources for ideas)
USP/UVP (Unique Selling/Value Proposition) Create one

Networking

Go to Industry Events (meet people and build relationships)
Join a networking group or Chamber of Commerce (attend meetings regularly)
Go to events based around your hobbies (Build relationships)
Introduce yourself to more people (I still struggle with this)
Set meetings with prospects and referral partners. (Remember to follow up)
Host events (such as a happy hour or lunch & learn)

Systems & Tools

Learn about a new program or tool that can help your business grow (Schedule a demo if necessary)
Ask friends or colleagues if there are any tools to learn more about
Review programs you already have (Learn another benefit. Improve upon it.)
Cut programs you don’t need (streamline and declutter your business)

Education

Learn about new guidelines or scenarios (Reach out to other professionals to discuss creative scenarios)
Do research on struggles your or consumers have. (Find solutions)
Go back and review deals you lost (What could you have done better?)
Find ways to say yes more often. Learn new creative ways to help.
Realtors - CAR has tons of educational content to sharpen your skills
Lenders - Mortgage Insurance companies have tons of educational content
Continued education (Are you up to date on it?)

CRM
(Client Relationship Manager)

Start using a CRM (if you don’t already have one)
Organize CRM (Make sure leads are in correct status, or workflow)
Improve CRM (Update, Add, and Create Workflows)
Learn new features available
Integrate with other tools/programs (API, Zapier, etc)

Improve Online Presence

Does all your online presence match? NAP (Name, Address, Phone Number)
Local Citations (Maps, and search rankings)
Create new business accounts on different platforms (Google, Yelp, etc)
Website (Create one)
Update Website (Is it still relevant?)
Improve Website (Add more value)
Website SEO (Optimize Website)
Social Media Time. Comment, message, like, etc on prospects or referral partners posts (Be careful not to waste too much time here) (Also be genuine!)

Finances

Organize/Track Business Finances
Create Profit & Loss
Create Balance Sheet
Review expenses (cut unnecessary expenses)
Find an app to help track this stuff (Hurdlr is one included with your CAR membership)

Business Overview

Analyze /Track your business. Where do you get most business from?
Do you want more business from that source? If yes, can you scale/increase it?
Where do you want to be in business? (Now, 1 year, 5 years, etc)
What’s holding you back? (Find the problems in your business.)
- Skill - Do you need to fine tune your skills?
- Will - Is it lack of motivation or desire to do certain tasks?
- Systems - Do you need to setup or improve the systems in place?
Gameplan solutions to the above problems
Strategize new and creative ideas to improve your business
Meet with team, broker, colleague, etc to review ideas
What are you specifically great at?
What are you not particularly good at or don’t enjoy doing?
Can you delegate any of these things you have struggles with? (Hiring or create systems do things you can't or do not want to do?)

Hiring

Consider hiring someone to help
Part time, full time or one-time?
- Part time - some help throughout the week (Follow ups, clerical work, etc)
- Full time - enough work to work 40+/- hours a week
- One time - Hire for one job such as building a website
In-Person or VA (Virtual Assistant)?
What tasks can you take off your plate (be generous, you aren’t the only one who can do what you do 😉)
Be willing to train. Slow down to speed up!

I would love to show you more and teach you the details on any of this information. If you would like to schedule a one-on-one meeting or a phone call to learn more, please complete the form below. Let me know which topic(s) you would like to learn more about.