It’s National Small Business Week 2020!
National Small Business Week 2020
To help celebrate this week, and the vital role small businesses play in the local economy, here are some stats for you:
- A 2019 SBA survey found more than 30 million small businesses operated here in the United States.
- 40% of Small businesses are profitable
- After expenses, most businesses barely break even
- Younger generations are more likely to start a side-hustle than older generations.
- 99.9% of All American businesses are a small business
I got my start as a small business owner somewhere around age 10. I wish I would’ve known then how much I loved it. My mom’s boss needed help around his yard and I became his yard person. Every Saturday I’d rake leaves, mow the lawn, chop wood, and clean up debris.
My next small business came working at a tractor salvage yard working alongside my dad. From age 15 to 21 I worked every summer and most weekends helping farmers get their equipment running.
I’ve also spent time in franchise-owned small businesses, nursing home facilities, and owning my own LLC. My entire career has been in and around small businesses and their owners. Their commitment to not just meet a need for their family, but their community has always inspired me.
Recently, was having a conversation with a small business owner around some of their plans for future growth and expansion. The ingenuity, creativity, and innovation from the heart of this individual energized me. The world needs more of this, especially now.
Which is why 2020 has hurt so many people.
Planning for Quarter Four
There are, at the time of publication, 100 days left in 2020. Many of us, if not all of us, have had the craziest year we’ve ever imagined.
Celebrate! You have survived more than you ever thought possible.
Rejoice! You have found a new level of creativity, clarity, and calling.
Commend yourself! You have discovered grit, tenacity, and mental toughness much greater than you originally gave yourself credit for. 
And I want to encourage you to keep going.
The world needs you, your voice, your passion, your experience, your expertise, your product, and your smile.
With the next 100 days, you have a choice.
Quit now, with all you’ve already gone through.
-OR-
Push through and find extraordinary success.
Two weeks ago, one of my clients recently made a goal for 2020: to grow their business by 25%. They are clear and focused. We identified necessary tasks, potential obstacles, and the daily habits that would be necessary to make this happen.
Last week, when we checked in on that goal, they had already made significant progress.
Plant + Preparation = Success
A plan, plus the proper preparation, equals success.
Will you reach all of your goals in 100 days? Probably not. In fact, I hope not. Otherwise, your goals are too small.
But what could you accomplish in 100 days?
To lose one pound of fat a week (seven days), you must be in a calory deficit of 500 calories per day. This means that in 100 days you could lose more than 14 pounds. How much more energy would you have without 14 unnecessary pounds weighing you down?
If you sent three email requests for an introduction, in 100 days you could have up to 300 new contacts on your phone.
If you woke up thirty minutes early to read a challenging book, in 100 days you would spend an extra 50 hours in personal growth.
Each of these on their own would speed up your path to success. Combine some, or complete them all, and 100 days from now you will hardly recognize your current self.
If you’re already on that plan, stay the course. Voices will start to creep in telling you to slow down, veer off course, or distract yourself with the next shiny object. Ignore those voices. Use them as fuel and motivation that you’re on the right path.
Plan Ahead.
Think Boldly.
Act Courageously.
Live Successfully.