“You can’t have your cake and eat it too.”
Does anyone else think that’s just dumb? Why on earth would I want cake if I can’t eat it?
So why do we believe that we can’t have both? It seems to me that life is pretty good for most of us… Sure, it has its challenges, but there’s no reason we can’t enjoy some cake.
Here’s the catch: you just have to bake it first.
In other words, you can have the business you want, if you’re willing to put in the work.
In other words, you can have the business you want, if you’re willing to put in the work. Click To Tweet
But imagine if you went to all the effort of baking your cake, but did so on a whim and with no recipe or measuring devices. There’s a very good chance your cake won’t look or taste like what you had in mind, right?
Yet I see businesses being run in this fashion every day.
The leaders put a whole lot of time, effort and money into it, stir it up real good, and fire up the oven as hot as it can get so the cake will bake faster… and they wonder why they’re left feeling burnt out, with nothing of value to show for it.
So here’s what you have to put in to build a sweet business:
- Set clear goals, in writing. This is the picture on the outside of your cake box.
I recommend having a BHAG (10-30 year goal), 3-5 year goals, 1 year goals, and 90-day goals. - Outline the steps needed to achieve those goals. The cake box doesn’t come up with a separate recipe book. It’s all right there – a clear vision (the picture), and a few simple steps to follow. Similarly, keep your business action plan simple – on one page, even. Think in 90-day sprints.
- Have communication and accountability systems in place. You are the CRO (Chief Repetition Officer) of your business. Be relentless in communicating the goals to your team, ensuring every person knows how they contribute to the goal, and that there is accountability to doing their part (yourself included).
Leave out one of these key ingredients, and it will affect your end result.
(Once when I was 11 I forgot to add the flour when baking cookies. Trust me, my “customers” noticed. My mom still teases me about it to this day.)
It takes a combination of the chef, the recipe, the system and tools to pull it all together.
Once you follow those steps in sequence, by all means, eat your cake. Celebrate it. Share it with others. Sell it. Duplicate it. Profit on it.
