So much about success is a choice. You choose how hard to work, how much effort to put in and what mindset to have. Therefore, choose the behaviour that will make you a success.

I believe it is how you THINK that will be the single biggest factor on what happens to you and your business in the foreseeable future, closely followed by how you plan and what you do.

The Money Pyramid

Every single bridal store sits within this pyramid: some of you will be at the bottom, most will be in the 60% and some of may even be in the top 20%, and right now it has never been more important to move yourself into the top half of the pyramid. If you don’t, your own quality of life will have to change as the cost-of-living rises.

But Anna, I hear you cry, how do we do that when everyone is going to be spending less?

Firstly, you need a plan and complete clarity on what you want to achieve. Only if you know where you want to be in 12 months’ time, will you stand a chance of getting there. Having a plan, and a goal in mind, will make it so much easier to focus on the everyday activity that will move you forward. Your plan must be realistic, and whilst stretching, it needs to be within the realms of possibility. Setting yourself an impossible goal will only end in you becoming demotivated and losing focus.

Success is so much about mindset; having faith and belief in yourself that you can achieve the success, and most importantly, what success actually looks like for you, will help you understand what you need to do in order to achieve that success.

Try thinking in absolutes, black or white, yes or no…ask yourself ‘does what I’m doing right now move me toward my goal, is it going to help me achieve X next year?’ If it doesn’t, then stop, take a breath and get back on track.
Your destiny is in your own hands: be decisive and make choices that will drive your business forward.

Overcome the resistance around you and the voices in your head. Procrastination is the killer of many an entrepreneur’s objective, because they don’t act decisively and simply go around in circles. Prioritise what needs to be done and do it. For example, if you’re doing a reel for Instagram, don’t worry about making it perfect. Perfection takes time and putting something out there whilst the sound is trending, even if it’s not quite perfect, will have a far better outcome than waiting until it’s perfect and then being too late to the party.

Don’t create drama or dwell on unproductive situations, don’t take on too much and spread yourself too thinly by starting too many projects (this is where I definitely need to take my own advice!) and don’t be afraid to delegate and relinquish control of the things that you can rely on someone else to do. If you have a team, then use them to help support you. Share your goal and aspirations with them and help them understand their role in making that success a reality.

Now, I’m not suggesting that all your time can be spent growing and developing your business. I know only too well that much of it will be spent working in your store, paying your suppliers, serving brides, and dealing with admin etc, but get into the habit of carving out time to work on your business too.

Do it before everyone else is up, or at a time of the day that suits you, where you can put your phone away, close the door and do the work that will move your business forward, without distractions. Set this time aside religiously until it becomes a habit. Be sure to keep a record of everything that you have achieved in those sessions, so that you can look back and see how far you’ve come and the progress you’re making with every passing week.

How you think is also what matters. Keep your eye on the prize, be ruthlessly intolerant to those that waste your time, eliminate the distractions and make sure you’re not interrupted. This will determine and dictate what happens in your business next year, alongside clearly defining your goals and understanding what needs to happen in order for you to achieve them, both personally and professionally.

This may sound easy, but believe me, it isn’t. It’s hard! If it were easy, we would all have incredibly successful businesses. Staying motivated when times are hard is tough; not getting bogged down in the day-to-day things that need to be done in order to open your doors is tough. However, it is your mindset and the way you think that will be the difference between you unleashing your potential rather than you sitting here this time next year, still being in exactly the same position as you are now, or worse!

Final Thoughts

In conclusion: think positive, be decisive, take the necessary action and drive your business forward and perhaps this time next year, you will be celebrating your success. It is entirely in your hands after all - no one else will be doing it for you!