When my daughter Chloe was younger, most mornings you’d find me being dragged through wet grass by a small, noisy, hairy thing that occasionally stopped to poop. Our dog Meggy is 11 now and those wild puppy walks are a distant memory – these days she’s more interested in sleeping on the sofa than chasing butterflies!
But back in the day, little Meggy LOVED the long grass. She’d run off chasing butterflies and imaginary rabbits until she ran out of lead, then turn around and sprint in the opposite direction. This went on for an hour!
One morning, watching her, it reminded me of something I see in business all the time.
1. Chasing Every Opportunity, Willy Nilly
Every week I hear from women who are struggling. And when they describe what they’re doing, it’s not too different from my puppy back in her heyday.
They chase after every opportunity without stopping to think if it’s actually relevant. A networking event here, a collab there, an expensive online course, a shiny new business idea – they’re chasing everything and catching nothing.
The fix: Before saying yes to ANY opportunity, ask yourself: “Will this directly help me reach my ideal customer or grow my income in the next 90 days?” If the answer is no, it can wait.
2. No Focus
How often have you sat down to work and instead spent an hour scrolling Instagram, replying to WhatsApp messages, or watching TikToks “for research”?
You can’t build a business if you never finish anything.
The fix: Use the Pomodoro technique – 25 minutes of focused work, 5-minute break. Put your phone in another room. Close all tabs except the one you’re working on. Apps like Forest or Freedom can block distracting sites during your work time.
3. Going The Long Way Round
Meggy walked four times as far as me by criss-crossing my path a hundred times. Talk about the long way round!
How many times have you gone the long way round in YOUR business? Spent 3 hours designing a Canva graphic when a simple photo would do? Written and rewritten a caption 10 times instead of just posting it? Watched hours of YouTube tutorials instead of just having a go?
The fix: Done is better than perfect. Post the Reel. Send the newsletter. Launch the offer. You can always improve it later. Use AI tools like ChatGPT to help you draft captions and emails in minutes instead of hours.
Don’t Be A Puppy Marketer
Put your energy into the things that will actually move the needle – showing up consistently on your chosen platform, sending your newsletter, talking to potential customers. Leave the puppy approach to those who don’t know better!