By Allen Woods
Founding Partner, Chief Vision Caster & Branding Gladiator
Sometimes, as much as you’d like to control every aspect of your company – your business doesn’t move at the exact pace that you’d like for it to. Whether you’ve sent over a proposal to a potential client, or you’ve done an interview with the local newspaper and you have no clue when it’s going to get published – there are times when you have to wait. And – let’s just be honest – waiting is difficult, especially for those of us who are always on the go. It can be a particularly nerve-racking time period if you believe that the unsigned contract from that client or unpublished article will signify an extreme shift in the growth of your business. But guess what? Stressing about it won’t make it happen any quicker; so in the meantime, here’s a few things that you could be doing while you wait.
- Examine, repair, and prepare.
While you are waiting for all of the stars to align, recognize that it’s a perfect opportunity for you to also get your affairs in order. Take out the time to check in with your web designer; this is the time to ensure that all of the content on your site has been updated. Your site design needs to accurately represent your brand and make sure the story of your brand is on point. You also want contact your hosting company to ensure everything is working properly on the backend so that the site can handle the increased traffic that you’re expecting to receive from the additional exposure.
- Check in.
Though this could be considered an extension of the preparation phase, I think that it’s really important for you to take the time to check in with all of your staff, partners and support system to make sure that everyone is on the same page. It’s essential that all of the moving parts of your organization know what their specific job functions are, and are ready to perform. Once the contract is signed or that article is published, you won’t have the time to try to figure things out… you’ll need to have your tank full and ready to roll as soon as you get the green light to take full advantage of this new opportunity.
- Get out of the kitchen.
Grandma used to say “a watched pot never boils.” Well, not my grandma, but somebody’s grandma (probably from down south – because southern folk have a monopoly on all the dope sayings). Either way, sometimes as we’re waiting, we have a tendency to just stare at the stubbornly cold water of our lives and wonder if it’s ever going to get hot.. And guess what? It will. Eventually. In due season. Sure, you could constantly check your email and phone with the anticipation of that update, call back or text message – and no matter what you do (or how much you obsess over it), it won’t happen any sooner. So use this time to stop thinking about what you’re waiting for and practice the art of relaxation. Fictitious southern granny would suggest that you walk away from the pot and find something productive to do while you wait. Just don’t go sit on her good couch.
Next thing you know, the wait will be over.
