What Are Your Business Essentials?

This week I attended a parenting class that was wonderful.  What I didn't anticipate was getting so much insight into my own tutoring business!  She spoke of the powerful object lesson from Stephen Covey's book "First Things First".  Basically, a college class on time management was presented with a large mason jar, rocks, sand, and water.  The professor put all the big rocks in first and asked if it was full.  The class said, "yes".  Then he proceeded to add in sand and asked the same question.  The class responded yes.  Finally he poured water into the jar until it was full at the top.  "Is it full?" the profession inquired one more time. They  agreed with him.  He pointed out that if he had began with sand or water, none of the rocks would have fit.  We have to put essential things in the jar (our life) first.

As she read this story, I thought, "That is true with any aspect of life and applicable with my business as well."  I wrote down in my notebook, "What Are Your Business Essentials?"  I pose the same question to you today.  What items are you making top priority to ensure that your tutor business is successful?  Each person's "rocks" will be completely different.  I am going to offer up what I think my essentials are for my business to succeed.

1.  Be Prayerful

Earlier this year, I read Dave Ramsey's Entreleadership book.  This book is full of helpful insight and examples to make not only your business go smoother and be successful, but your relationships too.  As I read all that Mr. Ramsey had presented, I was hit most hard by the fact that I am not prayerful enough about my business.  The Lord does care about your business because He can reach His other children through you and your talents.  He desires to bless you with insight and success. Proverbs 27:23 says it beautifully,"Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, and look well to thy herds."  I also like Alma 34:20, "Cry unto him when ye are in your fields, yea, over all your flocks."

Let's take out the word flock and replace it with tutor business.  "Be thou diligent to know the state of thy tutor business, and look well to thy students."  See how personal the scripture becomes when you change that one word with tutor business?

I am impressed with Dave Ramsey's ability to pray and wait for guidance when it comes to business.   He seems to have an unstoppable momentum with his successful business.  He wanted to teach his team about this concept and he came up with The Momentum Theorem.  On page 82 he says, "What we discovered is that momentum is not random lighting strike, but on the contrary it is actually created."  Here is what the Momentum Theorem says:

I plan to have more  purposeful prayers and a renewed intensity for the welfare of my business.  I know that great things will come to pass if I apply The Momentum Theorem in my business.

2.  Keep in Touch with Teachers

I tutor a lot of high school students right now.  I am finding it difficult to keep in touch with high school teachers because they are so busy and have a large amount of students.  One of my students complained yesterday that after a whole semester, her teacher still doesn't know her name.  I plan on making communication between high school teachers better so that together we can help more students.  I've decided that I'll use primarily email, but if they do not respond, I will be calling them too.

3.  Promote More Often

One trap I have fallen into lately is not promoting my own tutor business enough.  I think it may because this blog keeps me pretty busy (which I love SO much) but I have been neglecting getting the word out about my Homework Clinic Wednesdays.  My plan is to get more involved with my community again and talk to my current students and their parents about the benefits of coming to my clinic.

4.  Study More

This year I am tutoring geometry and those proofs are really stressing my students out!  I want to set aside 20 minutes a day to study more about geometry so that I can build a larger tool box to help them conquer the beast that are proofs.

What do you think your business essentials are?  Please share them with us.