Set big goals, dream bigger, become comfortable with being uncomfortable.
In my opinion, the stars are lining up to make 2025 the best year for me and others in the shed industry to date. With that being said, I would like to reflect on a couple of things that I will focus on to make 2025 the best year ever.
We can all get stagnant and comfortable at times in our business (I know that I do), but we must keep pressing on, putting one foot in front of the other to keep our success moving forward.
Looking back on 2024, I have to admit that at times, I was going through the motions, losing focus on the big picture, and at times neglecting what I call my “money-making activities.”
Last year was a success, but I want to make sure that 2025 surpasses it by a long shot. So, if you are fed up with being fed up, I would like to offer a couple of things or actions that we can all do in order to make sure that 2025 will be the year that we smack fear in the face by overcoming some of the things that rob us of our potential.
You have to learn to become comfortable with being uncomfortable. I have heard it said that successful people do the things that others are unwilling to do. I can tell you from experience that this is absolutely true.
I had some success when I first started my shed business because I understood the importance of writing down the prospect’s name and tracking my leads. I learned that skill from my dad who was a successful insurance agent in the late ’70s and early ’80s who always wrote down everything.
I recall as a young kid, seeing my dad keep track of his potential clients in a notebook. He would have details written down about his clients regarding their insurance needs, and he followed up with them (the fortune is in the follow-up). Because my dad showed me the importance of this, I was way more comfortable asking my potential customers for their names and phone numbers.
During my Shed Coach presentations, I often see that sales-folks suffer anxiety and fear at the thought of asking people for their contact information, and I completely get it. This is one of many examples as to why we must overcome fear to really increase sales volume.
For me, I have always been uncomfortable with asking my customers for referrals. Even to this day after 29 years, I get a little nervous before I call my customers to ask for more business. I literally have to psych myself up before I start calling.
One of the things that helps me is that I always ask my customers for a five-star review before I ask them for a referral. This seems to really help me mentally and seems to ease my mind.
Asking potential customers for their contact information and asking for referrals are two of the biggest money-making activities in our industry. It is imperative that we get comfortable with these two skills in order to do shed sales in a big way.
“If you keep putting in chocolate cake mix, you will continue to get chocolate cake” – Unknown
We must expand our minds and think even bigger than before. I love to tell the story about when I first began selling sheds, I wanted to make as much money as teachers did because I once wanted to be a teacher. Teachers made around $35,000-$50,000 back in those days, and they even got big summer vacations and that really excited me. So, in my mind, if I could make the same amount that teachers made, I would be happy.
Guess what happened? $35,000-$50,000 is what I made my first few years selling sheds. Because my mind was fixated on that amount, that’s exactly what I made. Do you see how powerful your mind is? Once I began to personally develop and broaden my horizons, my income began to increase substantially.
You see, success is not something you attain, it’s rather something that you become. Jim Rohn is credited with that quote which essentially states that success is not a destination you reach one day, but rather a state of being that you cultivate through personal growth and development. Once I started filling my mind with positive and abundant thoughts, my income exploded.
I guess that you could say that I suffered from poverty of the mind, which actually kept me from dreaming bigger and getting better results.
Zig Ziglar said, “If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time.” As I look back, I wasn’t aiming high enough, but that all changed through personal development. Most of us are playing way too small and we must change that.
Henry Ford said it best when he said, “Whether you think you can, or think you can’t, you’re right”. When I thought my potential was only $35,000-$50,000 per year, I was right. When I dreamed bigger dreams and set higher goals and reached them, I was also right. The same will absolutely work for you.
Shed Nation, nothing will change unless we change our mindset and take action. I encourage all of us to set big goals, dream bigger, and get comfortable with being uncomfortable. God Bless.
