Ep 40. The Stern Truth: Navigating Through Challenging Times: The 3 D's!

I’m going to get real with you. Businesses are struggling right now. Brick and mortars are having a challenging time with their sales. You have probably seen how the economy is struggling, and you’re experiencing that struggle too.

Or maybe you’re thriving. That’s awesome, and I really applaud you for that. Small business growth is something to be proud of.

In this episode, I talk about the three D’s that can get you through those dark times and even through the good times. These three D’s are really what makes a business owner mindset.

Desire – the deep drive to be a success in your business. Determination/dedication – the commitment that works with the desire. Decisive action – taking the actions to move forward.  

Okay, maybe it’s more like four D’s, but the point is, they all point you forward. Owning and running a business is not linear. There are ups, there are downs, and there are times when you’re stable. 

Dig into these D’s again and again, not just once, to help you get you where you want to be in business.

I’m inviting you to be a guest in our next Momentum Accountability group, starting October 20th. This group of incredible business owners meets twice a month. Email me at marshall@marshallstern.net or go here for more info: https://attractwell.com/MarshallStern/page/momentum 

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Book your complimentary business blindspot assessment with me here: https://attractwell.com/MarshallStern/landing/breakthrough-session

I encourage you to reach out with feedback, topic suggestions, and share your own entrepreneurial challenges.

Get in touch in the comments or head to...
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Email: marshall@marshallstern.net

Transcript

[00:00:00] So today, in today's episode, we dig down deep into what so many people are trying not to talk about, and that is the poor economy that we have, or the challenging economy that we have. Today's episode's all about navigating these challenging times.

[00:00:18] But I want to mention this before I forget. I want to invite you to become a guest at our next Momentum Accountability Group. You'll hear it more in the episode. Information's down below. Stop being alone in your business. Surround yourself with other entrepreneurs and other business owners. Just come check it out. Become a guest. That's my invitation to you. My other invitation actually, is to grab a piece of paper and pen and listen to the three D's we're going to talk about in today's episode.

[00:00:47] Enjoy.

[00:00:53] Hi, I'm Marshall Stern and I've spent over 35 years leading and growing multiple small businesses. I know firsthand the struggles of entrepreneurship, feeling isolated, lonely, overwhelmed, and feeling like you have to do it all by yourself. I've been through multiple recessions, and I have felt the highs and the lows. I've been there, and I get it.

[00:01:14] This podcast is here to change that every week. I will bring you straight talking advice, real world strategies, and honest conversations about what it takes to succeed in business without the fluff, the gimmicks, or the sugar-coated. If you're ready to stop spinning your wheels and start making real progress, then you are in the right place. 

[00:01:36] This is the Stern Truth. 

[00:01:40] Welcome back everyone to another episode of the Stern Truth Business Unfiltered. Okay. This is what we're going to talk about today. I've noticed in the past few, I would say months, especially the past several weeks, more and more business owners are struggling. I know the economy in a lot of places and a lot of industries is struggling, and us as business owners, as entrepreneurs are having to navigate through these challenging times.

[00:02:10] Now, don't get me wrong, there are some people out there that are thriving in business and that's awesome. There are a lot of people who are not and they are struggling. So this episode is for those of you who are not where you want to be in your business, you might be struggling right now financially. You might be struggling to get clients.

[00:02:33] Maybe you have a lot of clients, but you're not making the money, the profit that you want and need to earn. And I've been there, okay? I have over 35 almost, I hate to say it, close to 40 years in multiple businesses, and I've been through the recessions, I've been through the dark times, I've been through the good times.

[00:02:57] Obviously I've been through a pandemic and I have found that there are three D's we are going to talk about today. Three D's that can make a huge difference for you. And there's some other tips I'm going to give you along the way. Mindset is, is really so powerful for us. You've heard that before. Our thoughts affect our actions, right?

[00:03:20] Not just it, the words we think, the words we speak. Yes. They affect how we show up. So wherever you are, whatever stage of business you're in, and whatever's going on in that business, whether you're a solo pioneer or you have a team of employees, but things are not going to plan. I want you to look within yourself, and I want you to write down these three D's and take inventory.

[00:03:50] Take stock as to where you are with these three D's. The first one is desire. My friends, if you want to make it in business, there has to be this deep desire to do so, and I know when we get through these difficult times, we're going through these difficult times. That desire can fade. Without desire, the rest of it is not going to come.

[00:04:15] The next two Ds, which we're going to get into in a second, will not happen. Because you have to have desire. You have to figure out a way to shut out so much of the noise that's out there, change things up. There's different strategies that you can do, which we talk about in whether it's our one-to-one coaching or in our Momentum group program, but it's up to you.

[00:04:40] That's the Sstern Truth. It is up to you to do it. Now, there's certain things you can do to help you, but you have to dig down deep and find that desire. So question you can ask yourself or I'll ask you right now, is the why. Why did you start your business in the first place? If you are lacking in desire right now, and we're going to talk about this in future episodes, I'm going to go deeper with that desire in a future episode.

[00:05:07] But if you are lacking in this desire, and I've been there, trust me, we need to revisit our why. The why we began our business, the why we are in business, what is our mission? Because when we go through these difficult and challenging times, we can lose that or forget it. So we need to revisit that because desire is the foundation for everything.

[00:05:32] Once you have that desire, that burning desire then goes to the next D. We're going to talk about here briefly, and that there's two D's. They're kind of the same, but different. I'm going to use two different words here. Determination and dedication. You have to be determined and dedicated to what you say that you want to growing your business, to becoming a more profitable business.

[00:05:59] To building something special, you have the desire. It's a lot easier, but then desire alone won't do it. You have to be determined and dedicated, committed to doing it every single day. Now, don't get me wrong, there are going to be some days where it's going to wave – you're going to waver on it, right? There's some days that are just, you just wish the day would just end, or the day didn't happen.

[00:06:24] Okay, put that day beside behind you and let's move forward. Get back to the why. Get back to the desire which will help you become determined and dedicated to doing the things, which is the next step, which is decisive action. That's the third D. When you are determined, you're dedicated and you have the desire, that's well and good, and you need that, but then you have to take action on it and you have to decisive action.

[00:06:52] When we're overwhelmed, when we're feeling alone in our business, we have no one to turn to or we feel like we have no one to turn to. We do a little bit of this, we do a little bit of that, or sometimes we just get so overwhelmed that we don't know what to do and we don't do anything. So my friends, two invitations for you today.

[00:07:09] If, and you are, you are struggling in your business, whatever the reason is, and you're kind of confused and overwhelmed and the desire isn't there and you're not feeling determined or dedicated. You're probably not taking decisive action or the right action. I invite you to come check out Momentum.

[00:07:28] There's another invitation in here as well, but come to check out Momentum. Momentum is our group coaching and accountability program, and just come as my guest. We have our next session on October the 20th. We have them two times a month. Come in as my guest, meet some other amazing business owners, be around other business owners.

[00:07:47] Maybe it's not Momentum for you. Maybe it's another support group of business owners, which is what Momentum is. Surround yourself with people who will help you, help guide you, help you and in different industries than you. Don't get stuck in your own industry because we get myopic if we're all marketing strategists and we're in a group with all marketing strategists, there's power to that, or all bookkeepers and in a group with all bookkeepers, there's power to that.

[00:08:16] But there's also power with being with entrepreneurs and business owners in different industries because they see things differently than you will. So find a group, find your people, surround yourself with other business owners. Momentum's a great place for it. So if you're interested in that, I'll put the link to our Momentum group down below.

[00:08:35] But you can just simply email me, which my email is in the link as well, marshall@marshallstern.net, and we can get you set up just as a guest. No commitment whatsoever. The second invitation I have for you, whether it's me or someone else, find yourself a coach or a mentor. Find someone who will help guide, you even if it's in one call.

[00:08:57] So my invitation to you, if we have not spoken before or we haven't spoken in a while, reach out to me and let's have a chat. Let's see if we can get you unstuck from where you currently are to where you want to be. Sometimes all it takes is someone else, someone else's viewpoint. So you're not feeling alone to bounce ideas off of.

[00:09:19] Again, maybe it's not me. Maybe you know other coaches and mentors out there that can help you in your business. That's great. Don't do it alone. If you're still with me, if you're still listening to this episode, I'm going to encourage you. I'm going to challenge you to take one of the two or both steps.

[00:09:36] Reach out to me. Let's have a one-on-one or another coach or mentor, reach out to me or someone else and join their group. Or in this case, you can just become a, a guest, check out Momentum and just be around some other business owners. That's what it's all about, getting support, not just from me, from other business owners, other entrepreneurs in different industries at different years of experience, different backgrounds.

[00:10:00] It can make a world of difference. So you're not feeling isolated, alone. Because I know I've been there. It can be really lonely trying to run and grow your own business. So that's my invitation for you today. But my real encouragement to you, aside from that, is to look at those three D's. Do you have the desire?

[00:10:22] Be honest with yourself, and if you don't, go back and remind yourself as to the why. Why you're start started, and why you're doing what you're doing. Be determined and dedicated, and then, take decisive action towards building the business that you want. Don't let economy, the government, politics, all this other stuff, all the noise out there, don't allow yourself to fall in the trap.

[00:10:46]. So many people fall into by relying on them, oh, I'll wait till this gets better. Oh, this, and blaming, take accountability. This is your business. You started business for a reason. It's time to change the way you think about your business and your role in the business.

[00:11:04] Anyways, I'd love to hear your thoughts on this. Again, you can reach out to me if you want to have one-to-one chat or check out our Momentum Group, and I'll see you again next week in another episode of The Stern Truth Business Unfiltered. Please like, subscribe, review, share this episode, this podcast episode, with those other entrepreneurs and business owners in your circle if you have them, who maybe just need to hear this today.

[00:11:25] They just need to hear it today. I've been there, my friends, I've said that earlier. I've said – I'll say it again. I've been there. I've lost the desire, and I had to go back and re remind myself, dig back, dig down deep into the why, and that leads to the rest of it. But without the desire, it's going to be – it's an uphill battle anyways.

[00:11:46] But the battle or the uphill battle would become more and more steep, and it's going to be slower if you don't have the desire. We'll see you next time.

[00:11:59] Thank you so much for tuning in to the Stern Truth. If you found today's episode helpful, we would love to hear from you. Please like, share and leave us a review. Also, if you'd like to be a guest in the upcoming episode or join us in one of our Moment Accountability Group sessions, simply email me to marshall@marshallstern.net.

[00:12:18] That's marshall@marshallstern.net. And don't forget to hit the subscribe button, so never miss an episode. Until next time, keep pushing forward and leading with confidence.