Begin With The End In Mind
If you have taken any sort of class on goal setting or business planing you have probably heard this phrase before. Basically it is about deciding what you want and then working backwards to determine which tasks are necessary to accomplish the goal and focusing on those tasks each day.
Gary and I have had many financial discussions in the last few months. Our income is great, but it is not the same as it was a year or two ago. Many of these conversations have been good and long overdue. I had a light bulb moment last week, though, and the phrase, ‘begin with the end in mind’ took on new meaning for me. About a year and a half ago when the market started to turn I had a personal assistant. In all honesty I held on to the assistant for 6 months longer than I should have. Why did I do that? For a number of reasons. I wanted to be good to my employee. I wanted to be positive and know that if I did all of the right things it would turn around quickly and all would be okay. The result, I am still paying on debt that I incured while struggling to pay her salary.
The lesson ~ in the heat of the moment it is often difficult to see what is truly going on and the effect that it is having. In beginning with the end in mind, however, going forward when I have an assistant again I will be setting parameters for myself BEFORE I hire someone. I will determine how much I am required to bring in each month in order to warrant the assistant’s salary. If my income dips below that for 3 consecutive months it will be time to lay off the assistant.
It may seem harsh but I believe that it is vitally important. I have seen many people struggling financially recently and in every case one of the biggest things that I have seen is people not responding quickly enough to rising debt and shrinking incomes. So set your parameters up front and stick to them.
Signup to receive Nicole's blog posts via email weekly:
Other Posts
Collaboration Over Competition, This Is Your Chance To Learn From The Best
What if you could stop over thinking how to run your business? What if you knew exactly what other agents do to attract clients? This is your chance! Season 2 of Secrets of Attracting Clients starts January 27th and I’m super excited for this years line up! We have 12 amazing sessions, all with ideas…
Read More
How Lowering Your Bar Can Help You Reach Your Goals
January holds a special mix of big dreams and deep insecurity for a lot of agents. If you find yourself toggling between the two – know that you’re not alone. We usually associate big dreams with big actions. So we make long to do lists as proof of our commitment to increasing our income. Often…
Read More
Success Secret: Do Less of What You Like and More of What You Love
This post was inspired by my good friend Valerie Garcia. She shared this note in her newsletter this week: Love by Jon Acuff Want a simle goal you can accomplish in 2025? Do less of what you like and more of what you love. I like watching Netflix. I love holding a book I’ve written…
Read More
Is How You’re Working Really Working For You?
Welcome to 2025! I love New Years Day – the feeling of a fresh slate, a world of possibilities available with 365 beautiful days ahead to create magic. As we embark on a new year, set goals and make plans here’s one question that’s worthy of pondering: Is how your working really working for you?…
Read More
Do All Things With Great Love
Do All Things With Great Love As we head into next week with Christmas and Hanukkah this feels like the perfect reminder. Whether you celebrate the holidays or not, next week can be a bit much. It’s easy to get caught up in a whirlwind of what you ‘should do’ or ‘have to do’. Before…
Read More
Wondering about 2025? Relax, You Already Have Clients Ready To Go, I’ll Show You Where To Find Them
Spoiler alert, you already have clients ready to go for 2025 – but you might not realize it yet. Right about now agents start looking to the new year wondering: Where will your clients come from? Can you do this again? What new marketing plans do you need? How much will they cost? Before you…
Read More
The Real Reason We Started Experiences vs Stuff for the Holidays
We’ve been doing experiences vs stuff with the boys for years. This year we are in Palm Springs loving the sunshine. It’s a tradition we all look forward to. We’ve gone all sorts of places: Maui, Boston, New York, Costa Rica, and Ireland just to name a few. On the last night, we pick a…
Read More
Action Plan vs Business Plan
Is it just me, or does business planning overwhelm you? I’ve tried doing a traditional plan over the years. One where you: Set an income goal Figure out your average price point and income Use that to calculate the number of sales required Break it down to how many referrals to convert to appointments to…
Read More
A Common Misconception About Mindset and Energy Work…
It doesn’t mean you’re happy all the time. Pretending that ‘it’s all good’ when it’s not isn’t helpful. I’ve been doing a lot of teaching around this in my masterminds lately, and it really hit home for a lot of people this week. Emotions are meant to be felt – all of them. They are…
Read More
The #1 Question Agents Don’t Ask, But Should
If I told you one question could lead to happier clients, and more sleep for you would you add it to your conversations? I’ve coached hundreds of agents, and every time I bring up this one question it ends up in a blank stare followed by – I never thought to ask that. Ready for…
Read More