Have you considered the power of your environment on your success?

Think about it.

As an avid gardener, I know certain kinds of vegetables grow best in specific types of soil and under particular weather conditions. I don’t stop to consider if the seed planted is “talented enough” to grow. I know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that the environment plays a strong role in whether or not that seed is going to sprout and produce an abundance of produce.

Yet, how many of us stop to consider the impact of our environment on our ability to grow our business? Do we argue for our talents, knowledge, and abilities in our success? Of course, we do, with perhaps little thought going into the role that our environment plays in our achievements.

What if we did — if only for a moment — give credence to the notion of the contributing factors of our environment? What would be different for you?

As I consider the environmental factors influencing my performance, here are a few of my favorite things:

• Music uplifts my spirit — and it wins hands down over the news.
• Sunshine — ahhhhh, nothing is more mood elevator than the sun rising over the horizon. It signals the dawn of a great day.
• Warmth. What is it about being warm that brings me to attention? Must be my North Dakota upbringing. When it’s 30 degrees below freezing, all I want to do is hide under the covers — where it’s warm.
• Early risings, especially when the early morning hours of the day, when most people are asleep, are used to attack — and yes, I do mean attack — the tasks of the day.
• Accomplishment seems to be the next important “thing.” The more I can tick off my to-do list early in the morning, the more I am inspired and motivated to take on the next task.

Although some of these “things” are more about habits than they are environmental, I recognize how my environment sets me up to develop habits that influence my success.

Decorating for Success

James Clear recently wrote an article on the impact of our environment on our success. It was, in fact, the inspiration for this musing. And, it did get me thinking about the environment for small business owners — especially those who are bootstrapping and working from a home office.

Certainly, as someone who has worked from a home office for over 30 years, I understand the joys — and complications — that come from such a location. There are distractions (think dishes, laundry, and other household chores) yet there is also a sense of freedom that comes from sliding into my home office in my pajamas and slippers, comforted with my cup of coffee while I watch the sunrise. Frankly, although I’ve considered the so-called benefits of working outside of the home, I’m not sure it’s really worth it in the long run.

Surprisingly, while I pondered the marriage of environment and success put forth by James Clear, I couldn’t help but think about my home office environments of the past decades.

Certainly, there were functional………..(insert long pause here) and that’s about it. Now that I give it some intentional thought, it’s almost laughable. Yet it’s not…and I bet I’m not alone!

The location in which we spend a significant number of waking AND working hours can — and should be — a better place to nurture our success. (Read that sentence again, for effect, and put yourself in the picture.)

What can you add to your environment (beyond a computer that works well) that feeds your soul, nurtures your dreams, and fertilizes your success?

Is it…

Flowers? Beautiful works of art? Luscious green plants? Pictures of loved ones?

Maybe it’s…

Your vision board. Brightly painted walls — that you can write on! (Can you imagine?) A comfy chair. A beautiful rug beneath your desk that keeps your feet warm.

Or, perhaps it’s a cat that sits quietly next to your keyboard purring while you plunk away.

What would you change about your environment that, like the ideal growing conditions for your vegetables, would foster your business growth? It’s well worth considering, isn’t it?

Why not till — and care for — your environment in a way that would support you in producing a bumper crop?

You are, after all, the seed that produces.

What elements of your business environment inspire your growth?

Running a small business can be a bewildering experience. Besides Siri, the halls of a small business can be a lonely place. To whom do you turn for advice? Share ideas? Hear yourself think? Provide a dose of reality? If you’re not working with a strategic business coach, an advisory board may be desireable.

What is an Advisory Board & Why would I want one?

According to our friends at Wikipedia, an advisory board is a body that provides non-binding strategic advice to the management of a corporation, organization, or foundation. Many new or small businesses choose to have advisory boards in order to benefit from the knowledge of others, without the expense or formality of the Board of Directors.

The primary reason for creating an advisory board is to acquire advice and guidance outside of the business. Depending upon your intention for your board, members may provide “wise business counsel,” act as a resource, monitor performance, furnish objective insights and ideas, as well as provide support and encouragement.

Crossing T’s & Dotting I’s

As with anything business-related, pre-planning is helpful. Considering an advisory board is no exception.

Before making your first board member request, be sure you think through your answers to key questions.

1. What outcome do you want from your advisory board?
2. How many members do you want on your board?
3. What type of expertise are you interested in acquiring for your board?
4. How often will your board meet? For how long?
5. Where will meetings occur?
6. What does a proposed meeting agenda look like?
7. What will be required beyond regular meeting attendance?
8. Will you ask for complete confidentiality? What actions will you take if a member violates this agreement?

Now it’s your turn. What other pre-planning questions would you add to this list?

Albert Einstein wrote, “Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited, whereas imagination embraces the entire world, stimulating progress, giving birth to evolution.”

As small business owners we use our imagination in a variety of ways. As we’re launching our budding enterprise, we imagine the freedom of working when we want. We fantasize the financial freedom of business ownership. And, we experience the joy of achieving our goals.

When growing a business becomes more challenging than what we initially fabricated, our imagination conjurs up mental pictures of doom and gloom, destitution, and dejection. Our imagination not only creates impressions within our minds eye, it replicates emotions like fear, failure, and rejection.

Used as a tool, rather than a weapon, imagination ignites passion. It triggers creativity, fuels determination, and creates tenacity. When employed to solve a problem, imagination fabricates possible solutions.

Imagination forms a mental representation of what is not yet in existence — and sets in motion a chain reaction. As a result, we see our business, and it’s growth strategy, in a different light. Where there may have been obstacles, we now see opportuntiies. Problems are replaced with possibilities.

Imagine this

If you’re ready to use your imagination as a tool for your business success, take this exercise out for a spin.

Close your eyes, take 3-4 deep breaths, and imagine this:

Do you see the possibilities? I thought you would.