Meetings: The surprising way entrepreneurs waste time and money (and how to make them more productive)
Jan 15, 2024
Have you ever been part of time-wasting meetings as an entrepreneur? (Cue eye-roll!)
Whether they are virtual or in-person, meetings can be a huge waste of time and can be an obstacle to growing your business if you are not intentional.
There are ways to make sure your business meetings are always productive for you and your team.
Here are 3 ways you can be intentional about protecting your time as an entrepreneur when you schedule meetings.
Before You Schedule The Meeting
“There are 3 questions you need to ask before scheduling a meeting.” Kim White
- Is it necessary?
- Is it team building?
- Will it help you to sharpen your ax before you go and do something?
Sharpen your ax? What does that mean?
In Dale Carnegie’s book: How to Win Friends and Influence People, he says you shouldn’t go into the forest to try to cut a tree down with a dull ax.
We all want to go faster in business, but if your ax is not sharp, that's when a meeting is helpful and productive. When you use that time to sharpen your ax before you go off and do the job, it can be very valuable.
But if you've already got a sharp ax and you're just sitting talking about the sharp ax then that business meeting is a complete waste of time.
When you stop to ask those 3 questions before scheduling meetings, you will be able to protect your precious entrepreneurial time. Being intentional is how you have productive meetings and keep growing your business.
Manage The Meeting: No Contests Allowed
Remember what the purpose of a meeting is. You want your team to get together, gather information, brainstorm, put things on paper, make action plans, and discuss things openly as a team.
Show-and-tell does not live in productive team meetings. They are a big waste of time for your whole team.
You have to be mindful of your budget and how much it costs you for everyone to be at that meeting.
“Show-off sessions are not productive.” Kerry Zarb
And as the team leader, remember that you also shouldn’t call meetings from a place of showing off yourself.
Watch out for contests within your business meeting where everyone is competing for talk time or the best idea, instead of brainstorming together.
Everyone wants to be the smarty in the room, so remember that managing your meeting is another way of protecting your time and growing your business the right way.
To “Meeting” Or Not To “Meeting” ... That Is The Question
If you trust someone in your leadership team, you don't need to be at all the business meetings.
Delegating is one of the best ways to protect your time, grow your business, and be more productive. (You can read about 4 delegation skills for your business in our previous blog)
“When you're an entrepreneur and you're building an empire you have to watch where the beans are going.” Kerry Zarb
Sometimes attending the meeting will be a waste of your time if you can be making more money for your business in that hour. The time vs money balance is an important one if you want to grow your business. (Listen to podcast episode 6)
Your business does not need more meetings about meetings. It needs you to slow down and be intentional about the kinds of meetings you have so you can protect your time and your business can grow.
Are you ready to join a community of entrepreneurs who are serious about being more productive in life and business? Join our Groundwork Brigade - a place to move the needle forward with other like-minded entrepreneurs, and build a business that you love.
If you missed the conversation between Kim and Kerry on their podcast Buckets and Boomgates, you can catch it here.
To connect and find out more about Kim or how to create a sexy business for a sexy life, you can reach her and the My Sexy Business Team at www.mysexybusiness.com
And to connect with Kerry Zarb go straight to her website www.kerryzarb.com and you’ll find her there!
