When I joined the No More Practice Transformation Series I was in search of an opportunity to take my business to the next level. Thankfully this experience paid off, not just for me but my business, my vision, my team and my clients.
Here are my top four learnings from my Transformation journey:
1. Experience matters
My greatest learning was realising that I needed an experienced team around me. It was understanding that pulling people behind me and trying to build experience was not going to get my business to where I needed it to be in the timeframe I was looking for. I realised I needed to stop doing that and find people with life experience and the expertise in doing the roles that actually added value to my business. By having people who did not meet this calibre I was actually limiting my business and business growth. This was a big turning point for me and my business.
2. Make yourself redundant
It’s still early days at this point, but I’m now a lot more confident that my business is clearly on a path where I will no longer be the only person in the business actually writing business. I’ve got a very clear target to make sure that in 12 months I’m only generating 40 per cent of the business revenue. Through the transformation process I realised that I needed to be building a business that I could arguably be made redundant from. If you are going to run a successful business that is valuable you need to remember that it is not about you, it needs to be about what you are able to create and what impact you want to have. I know I can’t achieve my goal as a singular voice or a singular adviser in a business. For me having a growing team that is very clear on that message is really important, otherwise I won’t have the impact I wish to have.
3. Why did you become an adviser?
My mission is to improve the financial literacy of women across Australia – it’s a mission I hold dear to my heart and one I pursue each and every day. However, one of the most interesting challenges I faced was writing a eulogy for my business. To me, it was almost a liberating experience. It was about getting away from the traditional thoughts of a business vision and mission statement, and putting a complete focus on the legacy you wish to leave behind. This was probably one of the most valuable exercises for me and my business as it solidified my purpose and the direction of the business.
4. Don’t feel guilty about working on your business
All business owners I know have a wish list; a bucket load of goals or objectives that they would love to implement or achieve, if only they had the time. My experience with No More Practice forced me to work strategically on my business, rather than simply in it. It gave me the opportunity to sort through the things I know I needed to do, but often put off, to take my business to the next level. One of my greatest realisations was that you shouldn’t feel guilty for taking the time to improve your business.
Dominique Bergel-Grant is the founder of Leapfrog LIFE and winner of the No More Practice Transformation Series. If you would like the opportunity to go through a similar experience to Dominique join the 30 Day Business Challenge and gain access to the same experts as the series.
