When I ask you if your VA business is successful, how do you measure that?
Some of the common ways people measure success are: how much revenue they are bringing in, how profitable they are, how many clients they have.
And we always talk about growing. Growth. Building our business.
It can kind of be daunting to always talk about growing.
That’s why when I learned something new this week, I wanted to make sure to share it with you.
Dan Sullivan and Ben Hardy are the authors of a great book called The Gap and the Gain. We recently read it in my business book club.
The concept is super simple, but so amazing.
It’s this: when we talk about success, we measure from where we started to where we ‘eventually’ want to go – the big dream. And that can feel really far away if you have a 5- or 10- year goal. Sullivan calls this the Gap.
There is a big gap between where you are and where you feel you should be.
That’s not a fun feeling. It doesn’t feel very successful, that’s for sure.
But if you measure where you are right now with where you began, that’s what he calls the Gain.
How far have you come? What have you learned? What successes have you experienced? Who have you helped?
Those are things worth celebrating. Where you are is always further than where you started – and when you realize that, you can celebrate it.
Yes, we always want to be moving forward – but don’t forget where you are right now, and everything you’ve done to get here.
“The way to measure success is backward against where you started, not against your ideal.” – Dan Sullivan
That’s measuring The Gain.
Success is very much about your mindset. If you feel like it’s an uphill battle to get where you are trying to go, that can put a lot of pressure on you.
But if you really look at where you started from, and where you are now, you will be able to identify areas where you have experienced gains.
Maybe you are a more confident business communicator.
Maybe you have nailed your rates.
Maybe you gathered some testimonials from great clients.
Maybe you found a group of amazing ideal clients.
Maybe someone has referred you to a colleague.
There are so many things that you can look at to remind yourself of how far you have come.
And when you remember that (or measure it), your confidence soars.
And when your confidence soars, that means good things for your business.
You may discover a renewed energy for networking or follow up.
You may make that decision to raise your rates or package your services.
You might decide it’s time to really grow and explore bringing in subcontractors.
There are many things that you can do moving forward when you are in a good space mentally.
Mental resilience needs to be nurtured every day, and looking at your Gains (not your Gaps) is an excellent way to do it.
Try it – I’m doing it, and I find that I’m happier every day because I am choosing to focus on the good things I have done. You can too!
If you want some regular help with recognizing your gains and successes, our Inspired community is the place for you. The Inspired Action VA Mastermind is a tight knit group of professionals who are getting things done in our businesses because we have the support we need to do it. It’s a (very) low-cost, high-value coaching alternative. If you are struggling through your VA business, check out this group to see if it’s the right time for you! Our next session starts in just a few weeks.