You can listen directly here. 

Do you ever feel like you are 'busy'? Doing 'stuff'?  Not knowing where the time goes, then looking back on the day and asking, what have I actually achieved?

 

This is a common trait amongst business owners, we are often caught in the 'doing' and 'in' the business. Over the years, I have worked with business owners to get stuff done and seen incredible results.

 

I share with you my 2 top tips to help you 'get stuff done'. You will be surprised about what they are and the special news I have for you.

 

Oftentimes we dream about growing our business, today we are taking action.

Show Transcription: 

Announcer: Welcome to Travel Agent Achievers! The place to learn how to grow your travel business and have fun with it. Join Roslyn and her guests as they walk you through proven steps to a fulfilling and profitable business. 

 

Roslyn Ranse: Hey there!  Welcome back to another episode of travel agent achievers. 

 

I'm your host Ros.  I have a slightly different special episode for you today and it’s for those that really want to make a difference in their lives and their business. I know you are out there and you are ready to take action. 

 

Today we're talking about setting some goals and being accountable for them. It may sound boring, however, stick with me, because I make these topics anything but boring. I love being able to contribute to helping make dreams happen, both in my own travel business, with clients, but also with colleagues in Travel and helping you build the business of your dreams, in a FUN way! 

 

Life is too short to be boring. 

 

Saying that and promising NOT to be boring … you ask …  so, what is a goal? 

 

To me, it is as simple as having something written down that I want to achieve. Something specific, that I can measure and has a time frame on it. Three things. Simple. 

 

 

• Specific

• Able to be measured

• Time frame to finish it 

 

When setting a goal, what I ask is for REAL goals, not fluffy and certainly not vanity metrics. I don’t care if it is getting 2 new clients or 200 new clients. My team knows that it has to be achievable, specific with accurate details. Not ‘wishy’ washing like “I want to grow my business” and anyone that works with me knows that if they say I have had 200% growth in the last 1 month, yay - that’s awesome, but I want specifics to share the REAL number, not the vanity number. Vanity meaning that you grow by 50 people, not by 100%. Be real. Be proud. 

 

You know what I mean, we grew 100% on Facebook last month. Reality - I went from 5 to 10.  

 

So why should you have goals? For me having a goal is something to work towards and for momentum.  If I don't have a goal myself then things can become stagnant. You will always find an excuse for why something else has to happen, why do you need to go and put another load of washing on. Just being ‘busy’ busy action may keep you on your toes, but is it an action that progresses you forward? You may have a different opinion to me, that’s ok. We are all busy. I just want to see results.  

 

I know from experience that when I work ON my business, working towards goals I have set, so much more can happen so much more can get done, working IN the business is normal day to day work. We all have to do this and we all have to work in our businesses in order to make a change. Setting a goal to even spend an hour a week working ON the business to make a change in a bigger light, that’s what you are aiming for. As your own business owner, or even if you are an employee, you can make a difference. You can move forward, you can achieve the dreams you want so badly to become a reality. 

 

I just had a call with a girl I know. She plowed through her ‘goal’ list and what she wants to achieve in the next 3 months. I could hear there was more going on in her voice and when I asked her to take a breath, she cried. 

 

There was just TOO much! 

 

Once we broke down all the things she wanted to do and all the things that she needed to do - notice the difference here, she was calm, able to get things out of her head and walk away with a plan to take action on a specific item, instead of trying to do ‘ALL’ the things that she felt she had to do in the business. 

 

I can get like this too. Overwhelmed and not knowing how to move forward. There can be SO much to do and what feels like not enough time to do it all in. Everything is urgent!

For me, a good cry, a brain dump - you know writing everything in my head out on a piece of paper and having 5 mins to breathe, can help and does help me. I then move on faster than the overwhelm took to get to that point. 

 

The point in case? 

 

Have specific goals and don’t deter - unless you really have to. 

 

Be specific, make them measurable and remember each step forward you take is a step you will be grateful for in 6-12 months' time. 

 

I have many colleagues, friends, and associates who, when you make a phone call to them and you say how are you going, the first thing that they'll say back to you is to think “I'm so busy”. 

 

Would you agree with me? 

 

We are all ‘busy’. But this isn’t about being busy. 

 

It is about taking action and being responsible for that action. 

 

Being able to celebrate the wins and share with others when things get tough. 

 

We all have the same amount of time, we all have a Monday to Friday or a 7-day week schedule. We all have exactly the same 24 hours in a day. 

 

My question is why is it that some people move faster and further in their business than others?  Why is it that some people just keep doing the same thing and feel as though they're always stuck?  

And why do we always compare ourselves? 

 

Today's episode is about Accountability and Goal Setting. Making sure you are one of the people that keeps moving forward. If we don't have a goal we’ve got nothing to work towards right? 

 

If we don’t have a goal, we will keep going around like a mouse on a spinning wheel. You’re going to be on the same treadmill, day in and day out. Your legs are moving, though you're not actually ‘growing’ your business. The way you want to. 

I want you to achieve great things I want to see huge success in everything that you do. Not just your business, but life. We only live once and I want you to be able to say, I loved that I did that. I don’t want you to have any regrets. 

  

In the last 6 years, I have worked with and been around hundreds of entrepreneurs! One common factor I have seen in order to progress your business forward is accountability.

What is accountability? 

 

For me and in my experience, it's having somebody to talk to whether that is a small group or a large group. Having a cheer squad, but also someone to call you out. Tough love, but nurturing at the same time. 

 

These ‘Accountability’ groups have come in many shapes and sizes. The point though is action. 

 

Those that have worked called each other out, those that haven’t worked have turned the accountability into a social club, or limelight lovers. 

 

That wants to be the one shouting everything from the rooftops and basking in the sunshine. 

Now a bit of self-promotion is ok. And celebrating your wins is a MUST! 

Bragging, not a love of mine. 

Sharing how you have achieved something or helping others is what makes a group successful.

 

I have a 3 Step Plan When Setting Up An Accountability Group 

 

#1 — You all have to agree that this isn't a social chat it's about business and that you're there to set goals and work towards achieving them. 

 

#2 — You need to show up!  If you want in, you have to make the commitment.  

You need to be there. Be present. 

Hear others. Listen. 

Offer support if you know how to. 

 

Everyone has their own path. If you can’t make it one time or a couple, that’s ok. Life happens. 

#3 — Be prepared. Know where you are at, know what you want to achieve and what you are struggling with or need help with. 

 

Focus on one thing until complete. 

 

However, if something isn’t right, it turns out not to be the path you want, be nimble and flexible enough to make changes. 

 

Bonus, #4 — Failure is ok. Falling over is ok. 

If you don’t achieve a specific goal in a timeframe you set yourself (some people will be overachievers and others don’t want to push themselves) either path is ok. 

 

But if something doesn’t work. It’s ok. You have TRIED. 

Being in business isn’t always about everything being perfect. 

 

You need to get “scrappy” sometimes to make things happen. (Shoutout to my good friend Christina from Sparrow Travel Media) whom I shared a lovely bottle of red wine with and I kept the bottle. “Scrappy MF”.

 

When I work with groups of people for accountability, we have a structure. 

 

We all know what needs to be achieved over the next 90 days. We all understand each other's businesses. We announce what are our ‘wins’ are from the previous time we caught up and we also talk about how we are going and what our goal is for the next time we catch up. Our Action PLAN is what we have printed and on our desk. We carry it with us. 

 

We make the commitment to get stuff done. We say what we have done, what we are proud of and also what we commit to doing by the next time we meet up. With a snapshot of what our goals still are. 

 

If you like apps and want something that is easy to use and you can keep with you … I highly recommend you download the “90 Day Action” app by BRiN Global. See the link in the show notes. This is a very simple app that you put in your goals for the next 90 days and then each day or when you want to, you add your progress. I LOVE it for numbers. Sales for instance. 

You add that you want to achieve a target by a certain time. Then track it, add your bookings in and ‘Money in the bank’ as this is the number you should record. 

 

If you want tips on how to know what these numbers are, please go and check out podcast  Episode #4 — Understanding your Numbers, KPI’s and WHY you are in Business or Key Performance indicators you need to set for yourself. It is GOLD! 

 

So now you know what an accountability group is. 

 

So why should you have one and why should or do you need accountability? 

Well - you can answer that one yourself. Some people don’t. They are natural self-starters, don’t need a pat on the back and just make life work for them. Awesome. Go them. 

 

That’s not me and I don’t think that's really you either. (If it is, go you!) 

 

Being in business for yourself, who do you have in your corner at the end of the day that gives you a virtual or a real high five for selling a $5,000 or $50,000 holiday? 

Anyone? 

Or is that something that the people around you think is normal? 

 

The majority of business owners I know are generally surrounded closely by people that love them dearly and want them to succeed, but they just don’t ‘understand’. 

 

They ask questions instead of giving you a whoo hoo! They say ‘oh that’s cool’. Or ask something like. “I’m guessing that’s a good thing? Or is that a bad thing.” 

 

As I said these people love us and want nothing but the best for us, in the majority of cases, but when it comes to business owners and people around us that ‘get it’ those people aren’t always in our close-knit circle. 

 

And that’s ok. 

 

If you haven’t had this and want it, awesome. If you are happy with the way things are, this is also ok too. 

I would like to encourage you though, to start surrounding yourself with supportive people, people who will pump you up when things are down, people who will walk you through and stand by you when you need a shoulder or someone to see the light at the end of the tunnel. 

 

Someone to commiserate with you when a piece of tech is driving you insane, or an airline has canceled seats and you are in the midst of trying to resolve someone's best trip yet. 

 

You need people around you that get it. 

 

As a group - you can move mountains. You can have a larger impact on the industry you are in. On the community around you, share in ideas and even though we all have different businesses, we all have something to learn. This is one of the things that will help you become a better consultant and also a better business owner. 

 

Structure. An Accountability group needs structure. This is one of the things that makes accountability groups work. The difference between fluffy feel-good stuff and the nitty-gritty let us get stuff done.  

 

Accountability groups need a leader. One that will keep things on track and also a plan of what everyone can relate and work towards. Not the same goals, but the same pattern. 

 

Like - What 5 things would you like to achieve over the next 3 months? Everyone knows 3-5 things they would like to do. So this is the same plan I am talking about. 

 

You may want to work on a new website, updating blog posts, preparing 2 months of social media ahead of schedule. Put together a marketing plan for a big promotion that starts in 5 months time, getting new staff uniforms or updating and refreshing your office. Re-doing some branding or focusing on getting some of your group trips booked. 

 

You get what I mean? There are so many things you CAN do, you just have to choose a few to focus on. 

 

There are some groups that even dish out consequences if you don't achieve what you say that you're going to do! I have a good friend of mine who recently undertook a program which at the end of it required an exam. 

She had 2 months to complete the exam at the end of the course. And this was a serious course. At the end of the course all exhausted, she met with her group. 

 

They asked why she hadn’t done the exam yet? She gave ‘excuses’. Well this didn’t sit well and the group knows each other really well. 

So they set her a challenge. 

 

If she didn’t complete the exam in the required time frame and stop putting it off, she was to make a sizeable donation to a group that was against her personal values and beliefs and had to make it public that she was doing so. 

 

Now for her, it wasn’t the money that she was to fork over, it was the fact as to WHOM it had to go to and to publicly admit what she had done. This was enough for her to get the exam done and now she is able to step up and work on boards of organizations. 

 

She is an incredible human and also one you set a challenge like that and she will get stuff done. 

 

Now that isn’t for everyone. And that’s ok. For me, when I made a commitment, one of my team members said, ‘if you don’t then, you have to make a donation to Hands Across the Water Charity. This is a charity I love and donate to yearly and regularly. I have even cycled across Thailand with them and raised with my husband close to $20,000 so far. 

 

Well, that wasn’t a deterrent, however, it was my pride that kicked in and I didn’t want to let the team down. I messed up twice and had to pay the fine. :-) 

 

However, I learned my lesson to ensure that the goals I set were realistic. I am not superwoman, and I settled into a rhythm. 

 

Remember - I'm not saying you need something that you really don't want to do. :-) 

 

On the flip side, I do believe that if you do achieve your goal, you should try and reward yourself. We don’t give ourselves a pat on the back so I will encourage you to do this!  When talking with a group of entrepreneurs recently, part of the group was a lady who has three children! She runs a business and works 7 days a week. 

 

She is the main consultant.  

She set herself a goal and said if I achieve this goal in the next three weeks then I'm taking myself to the movies and I'm going all by myself! 

 

This was the perfect reward for herself. Not only was she able to take some time out and switch off her brain, but she was looking forward to a little bit of peace and quiet and relaxation. 

 

A reward is different for everybody and it's totally up to you what you choose to do.

 

It absolutely lights me up when I hear people achieving their dreams and goals and what they have set out to do. Hearing the successes and challenges people face day to day in business and how we can work together to achieve great things. I love hearing when someone smashes a target. I get so excited and so uplifted.  

 

“A rising tide lifts all boats” I believe this is really true.  If there are groups of people working together to achieve their dreams, encouraging and supporting one another, learning and sharing this is one of the greatest feelings I can have and I know if you are a part of a group that does this you will also. I don’t surround myself with negative people, I am a positive person. 

 

If I get upset or annoyed, it doesn’t last long and I have usually forgotten about it and moved on quickly. 

 

There is no time to waste in life. 

 

Haven’t we all see too much ill health, sadness, and struggles? We only live once, let’s get out there and make something of the life you were born to live. 

 

I'm going to do something that I have never done before. For listeners of this “Travel Agent Achievers” podcast, I am opening up a very special Facebook group just for you around this topic. We are going to kick this off today - Wednesday 3rd September and I am going to keep it open until December 2019. 

 

I want to see people in this group setting goals and working together to achieve them. 

 

This is going to be the “Achievers in Travel accountability group” and I am on a monthly basis going to check in on everybody in the group on a live Facebook chat and see how you're going with your goals. I am going to help you step through any of the challenges that you're having and be there to cheer you on when you may not have somebody.

I'm also going to share my own goals and I'd love for you to share with me yours as well let's keep each other accountable. So to join this special group, check out the show notes, or log onto facebook and search for “Achievers in Travel Accountability” 

 

You all know that I believe that there is plenty of business to go round and we just need to be better than the consultant that might be sitting next to us or down the road and if you're listening to this podcast that is already you.  You are the Achiever in Travel because you want to make a difference not only to your clients but also to your family, your friends, your business, and to yourself. 

 

So right after this episode finishes, I want you to go to Facebook, type in “Achievers in Travel - Accountability”  and there will be a Facebook group. We will run a ‘challenge’ in here and also work on your goals for the next 4 months. 

 

I’m super excited and do hope you become part of this group where we can get stuff done. I could use a very different term there but I won’t. 

 

I'm going to help you over the next few months to choose the goals you want to achieve and work on breaking them down and setting up a plan that you can work on to smash out and celebrate in the coming months as we head into a new year and be ready to go for 2020. 

 

I have years and years of experience working with entrepreneurs. Being part of business mentoring groups and leading teams of people through challenges.  It is one of my greatest honors to be able to help you and help those around us in the travel industry that wants to make an impact on their business. 

 

We will be talking sales, will be discussing marketing, finance, human resources. You name it, we will aim to cover it there. 

 

Once a month as I said I'm going to jump in and we are going to do a Facebook live accountability chat. If you want, I will also set up some spreadsheets we can jump in and add your goals in their check in with us, with myself and my team because we are here to help you achieve your goals. 

 

I am super excited that we can do this together. Helping you get stuff done. You may be having trouble with social media. You may want to get some systems in place in order to get some new staff on board. 

You might want to set up a marketing and content campaign?  

We will sit down and we'll work out what is going on. What your goals are for the next 3 months and we will work together in order to smash them out.

 

Now if you want to have some consequences I say yep - go for it. However, I also want to ensure that there are rewards in there for the things you achieve. These are going to be self rewards and consequences. 

 

Let’s do this. You can head over to facebook now. Make sure you ‘like’ the Travel Agent Achievers facebook page and then also request to join the ‘Achievers in Travel - Accountability’ group. 

 

I am pumped guys! Let’s do it. 

 

Have an awesome rest of the week. If you have any questions or feedback, please feel free to email me at [email protected] or shout out on Facebook or Instagram 

 

Don’t forget to share this podcast with your travel industry friends if you know of anyone wanting support and also thank you for your reviews and subscribing as well. I love it when my own subscribed podcasts hit my app. I’d love to have you get first access to Travel Agent Achievers too. So go on. Subscribe now. 

 

Talk soon, everyone! Bye for now

 

Announcer: Welcome to Travel Agent Achievers! The place to learn how to grow your travel business and have fun with it. Join Roslyn and her guests as they walk you through proven steps to a fulfilling and profitable business.