Your Dance Card
What is the status of your dance card?
“My dance card is full” means that your schedule is completely booked. Back in the day, women wrote their dance partners’ names on little cards they would carry around their wrists or in their handbags. This card had a finite number of openings, one for each song, and potential partners would hope their lady would favor them with a good one!
Whether you are jumping back into the workforce after a breather, recently promoted, or starting your own venture, you may find yourself inundated with LinkedIn messages from “coaches,” emails for meetings, solicitations for product/app demos, invitations for networking groups, etc., all requesting, at minimum, your most precious and nonrenewable resource: TIME.
Blasting my new venture with Breakaway on multiple social media platforms was the starter pistol that unleashed the masses. The flattery was, at first, an appreciated boost of confidence that fueled the beginning phase of my business development. The asks included zoom calls, office visits, lunches, happy hours, meet and greets; which, while fun and stimulating, all pulled me away from client work.
I do not need to advocate for coaching, networking, strategic referrals, etc…..they advocate for themselves just fine. All of them can help in developing your business by being the bridge between you and your future clients. Kudos to all the hustlers out there helping folks build their businesses.
With that said, keep your calendar sacred. Be mindful when scheduling your time outside of revenue-producing projects (i.e. client work). There are some Golden Gooses out there for your business, meaning they will lay fruitful eggs for you straight away, and those should be identified and cultivated. For example, since I offer businesses virtual CFO services, building my network of brilliant CPAs, financial advisors, and bankers is crucial since they sit in front of my potential clients all day.
Make a list of your Golden Gooses, and allocate time each week for meetings with those strategic relationships. Hold the line when it comes to time, and do not go over, because then you cut into your margin for revenue. For all those other demands on your time? Choose only the ones that truly excite you and, again, be strict with the time you spend with them.
Michelle Löpez
Founder / Advisor
We all want to belong, so being in demand draws us in. Make sure that when you schedule a meeting, that that time will be spent wisely and move you and your company towards success.