Ken DavyJan 24 2018

How to stay determined and focused in 2018

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Elvis Presley famously coined the phrase “taking care of business” to ensure that, despite the limelight and hysteria surrounding his success, he and his team never lost sight of the importance of doing a good job, efficiently and profitably. 

I want you to consider if you are really “taking care of business”, or just drifting along. Have you planned how you will develop your business and its profitability in 2018; or are you simply dealing with whatever happens to cross your desk?

Perhaps you started the year full of enthusiasm and determination to challenge yourself by setting meaningful goals and dynamic New Year resolutions. Yet now you find that, even before the month is out, you are slipping back into drift mode.  

Why I want to challenge you is not simply because I am certain that every adviser reading this column has the ability to increase their business by a minimum of 20 per cent during 2018; rather it is because demand for your advice has never been higher, nor more needed. There are currently more opportunities for you to help your clients prosper than for a generation and if you do not put in the effort to help them, who will?

If you made any New Year resolutions, I urge you to revisit them at the start of each day so that you can focus your actions on achieving them. Surely if they were important to you a month ago, it is worthwhile putting some effort into making them a reality. If you do not have clear goals, I challenge you to switch off the computer and phone and spend just one day thinking about what you would like to achieve this year.  

Write down the goals that, if achieved, would make you feel good about yourself. Confucius said: “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” Now is the time to take that first step followed by a second, so that when you reach December 31 2018, you can be proud of what you have achieved.

Taking care of business is only one aspect of success, however. Maximising your potential in business is good for you and your clients, and invariably makes achieving all your other personal and family goals that much easier.

Ken Davy is chairman of SimplyBiz