What aren't you doing anymore, that you probably should be doing?

[Steve B]

In case that doesn't make sense, what I'm trying to find out are the things you used to do when you first started your business and you went above and beyond because of all your enthusiasm and spare time, but don't do anymore for one reason or another.

I used to follow up by phone two weeks or so after every fence installation just to see how things were going. Sometimes I called back a week after that too. It was easy back then because I only did a couple installations a month. Until I hire one or two people, I just can't do it anymore, but I wish I could.

I also used to do all estimates in person. Again, there just isn't enough time in the day to do that (plus gas wasn't so expensive back then).

[KristineS]

I spent a lot of time building relationships in the industries in which our companies operate. I was on forums, I wrote multiple blog posts every day, I pitched story ideas to industry magazines. As we added more companies and got busier that stuff started getting squeezed out. I still write blog posts and I still visit forums but I do less of that than I used to do.

[orion_joel]

This may sound like almost the cardinal sin of business, but the one thing i have not been doing that i used to is marketing.

There are a number of reasons which maybe if i had continued doing marketing would not be the things stopping me doing it now. For example if i had maintained a good marketing campaign i may have actually not needed to get a job that has me working 40+ hours a week. Which in turn may have given me more time to do more marketing. Really though as it stands i have figure i have to do something just still having trouble working out exactly what i need to do though.

[Blessed]

Oh Joel you must market!

I understand though - it's hard to find time and money to do it when you're working lots of hours to make your personal budget work.

[orion_joel]

Blessed, i know i really need to market. I really have a few issue's with doing so at the moment though.

1. Is work, doing the hours i do at the times i do it leaves me with only a few hours during business hours to do anything, which really should be more then enough, but isn't for me most of time, i am terrible at managing my time when i have distractions.

2. I currently have not put in much time to get together a plan for any specific product range to market. Who to market to, what to market to them, and how to market it. While i do have some ideas i am yet to sit down and put it all together into a marketing plan. This weekend is actually looking like a good option for this as i am going to be finishing earlier at work then i have been use to and that is going to give me more hours that i wont be sleeping to do something about it.

3. Even though i have a network of suppliers and accounts ready to go, i am hung up between if i want to pursue the business i am in or something else. Uncertainty in your mind can have a big impact on your productivity and motivation towards other ideas.

[Leatherneck]

Steve this is a great thread too help remind us too may be sit back and take a look at where our business has taken us. Some times the simple things wee did are so important. Like remembering too send a post card or call a recent customer back. Even a customer a year or so ago would be really appreciative.

One thing I have found my self doing more often is spending more time on the computer. I used too spend a lot of time a coupe of years ago, but got away from. It helps me too stay motivated, even being in this forum and talking about mostly positive things, instead of listnig to a lot of negative from some of my compeitors in this business.

I also got my blog going which will be a great thing for my company once I get better at it and learn more about bloging.

The internet is going too be the way too go in my business. I have already seen a big change in more people in my business using the internet, so I want too try and learn as much as I can too stay on top of them.

Most of my compeitors wouldn't think of spending time on a forum. So I'm ahead of them right there.