Double Down

"Double down on what is working best." – James Clear, author of Atomic Habits.

Every week, I (and thousands of others) receive an email from James Clear called the 3-2-1 Thursday. It includes quotes and ideas from him and others he has found interesting or helpful. The above quote was a part of the email recently, and I paused to think about it.

In my practice, I often work with clients, especially new business owners who do everything they can to be successful. So much so that they don’t always know what is working and what is not. They land in my office to set up the financial end of their business and usually have questions ranging from taxes to marketing to payroll and are generally worried about what they have missed.

They report every mistake they have made or thought they have and will tell me how little they know about running their business. This is a direct result of doing too much.

There are too many small details in the life of a new business owner to attempt to manage them all. My advice to them, although simple, follows the idea James Clear presented in his quote. I tell them to capitalize on their strengths first, note what works, and push out.

Focusing on what is going well instantly boosts their confidence and gives them the extra juice they need to keep going. They also tend to remember why they started their business and that they indeed have what it takes to run it.