An Expanding Small Business and Big Picture Thinking

Being small business owners, we tend to feel we need to do everything. And, for the most part, we do it all. But, when dealing with an expanding business, it takes us time to adjust to the growth in our own businesses. Our routines are off-schedule. We run behind.  And tasks can be overlooked and forgotten.  I know for me this is one area that I need to deal with now. I am grateful that my business is growing, but I need to manage my schedule a bit more closely.  So, here is how I dealt with my expanding business and staying focused on the big-picture thinking.

What does seeing the big picture mean in a small business?

If you do not know the phrase “big picture thinking,” I will give a brief description of what this phrase means for your business. When a person thinks and looks at the problems, new opportunities, and situations, they can ponder to figure out the best way to deal with them.

When your business is growing, the time you spend doing this can easily diminish. You can start to feel like you are riding a wave with no direction to reach the shore. So, let’s give you some direction!

Working smarter, not harder, in your small business helps you become more effective. 

I use the computer a lot throughout the day. So, keeping all my tasks on the computer helped.  I use my email /calendar software to help me manage daily tasks.  It worked great to break my time up for different clients (Affiliate Link) and projects. Until I realized that if I didn’t add the “other” tasks to make my business move forward and expand, they would never get done.  So, I started by adding weekly time slots to take care of the “other” tasks.

Think Like a CEO.

Then, one day, I was listening to a webinar, and the person said, “Think like a CEO. Does a CEO think only about day-by-day tasks?  No, they do not.”  At that moment, I realized I WAS the CEO of my small company.  I am not just the worker, but I am the visionary, too. So, I thought of what I needed to change so that the visionary had more presence in my life than the worker. Now, having some quiet time to reflect seems to work each week. It helps me look at the big picture to see where I am going with my business and see if it is on track with where I want to go. 

Create a Journal (planner) just for you!

I write in a journal each evening before the workday is done; it has helped me determine the focus on the next day and the coming week. The “visionary” activities were added not as an afterthought but as aforethought.  The list did not need to be complicated. Simple worked best. If I can’t get to the “visionary” activities by the end of the day, I can move it to a future date.

The journal has evolved as I use it. It now includes extra tasks for the blog, training information, social media, sharing on niche platforms, and client and admin tasks.

The journal is similar to a planner but is customized to my purpose and my goal.

I have been modifying and reworking this journal(planner) for years now, and it has helped me immensely to keep on track. Not everything gets done when I say it should, but it gives me a place to move forward to make the next day more organized and productive.  Try it for yourself and see if it helps you stay focused and get things done.

If you don’t have journals, I found one option below on Amazon(Affiliate). I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you if you click through and buy something on Amazon. Happy Shopping!

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Don’t neglect the morning wake-up advice.

As a small business owner, I found that when I am researching a new strategy or idea and don’t have a solution, the answers come first thing in the morning when I wake up. Keeping a journal or notepad near my nightstand helps me get the notes down and usually helps me refocus my efforts on the unfinished project or idea.

Now, with these allocated times in your week to do “big picture” thinking, you will be ready for the next step in your business evolution.

Below are articles I found about “Big Picture” Thinking. Feel free to click through and read more about this topic.

5 Strategies For Big-Picture Thinking

Are You Really Seeing the Big Picture?

If you are looking for help to see the big picture in your business, we offer Virtual Admin Consults, where we can talk through processes that may need improvements. Feel free to contact us and we can schedule an appointment.

Let’s continue the conversation in the comment section.  What do you do in your CEO role to keep the big picture going?  Do you have tips that work for you to see the big picture?  Please share below.