Things Entrepreneurs Will Never Go Back To Post-Pandemic
Dan Sullivan
The pandemic forced us all to make some quick changes to the way we do business. And, if you’re like me, you may have realized that there were things you could do (or not do!) to be more efficient and experience even more freedom of time, money, relationship, and purpose.
In this post, I’ll share three changes I’ve made during the pandemic that will stay that way for good. Then, you’ll learn what 40 entrepreneurs in a recent workshop answered when asked what they’ll never go back to doing. I encourage you to read through these resolutions and commit to some of your own!
#1: I’ll never travel again for the purpose of marketing or sales.
We’ve had such success with Zoom that there’s no reason to ever go back to in-person conferences for sales and marketing, which for me usually meant being a speaker at events. Now, I can transport myself anywhere without the bother of travel! This past year, I reclaimed roughly 400 hours by not traveling. I’ve got more slack in my schedule than I’ve had for the past 20 years—and it feels great.
#2: I will never have back-to-back meetings.
These days, as many of my meetings as possible are held via Zoom. I schedule at least a half-hour between meetings because I don’t like being rushed. That way, I give myself a buffer in case anything runs over, and I allow my mind time to rest and transition between calls. This system works well for me and allows me to take calls on my terms and my time.
#3: I’ll always be prepared a quarter ahead.
I’ll never go back to last-minute preparations. With new workshop and podcast material, I’ll always be 90 days ahead, starting September of 2021 and for the rest of my life. I’ll also be a quarter ahead with my books. Since I was given this time by circumstance, I’ve decided that I’m going to take advantage of it right now.
Entrepreneurs share their post-pandemic resolutions.
We recently had about 40 entrepreneurs in a 10x Ambition Program workshop. While discussing the good things that had changed in their businesses because of the pandemic, we asked them, “What are you never going to go back to doing?”
Here were some of their responses:
- “I’ll never travel for meetings except for Coach and A360.”
- “I’ll never travel to meet new clients unless it’s somewhere I want to go.”
- “I’ll never disrupt Wednesday lunches with my wife.”
- “I’ll never work on Saturdays and Sundays.”
- “I’ll never read emails.”
- “I’ll never be a road warrior again.”
- “I’ll never do anything outside of my Unique Ability.”
- “I’ll stop going into the office every day.”
- “I’ll stop meeting with B and C clients.”
- “I’ll stop unnecessary face-to-face business meetings and use Zoom!”
- “No more physical phones, only VOIP apps.”
- “I’ll never pay for office space again.”
- “I’ll never feel like I have to be the one to do something I want done.”
- “I’ll never be out of shape again.”
- “I’ll stop in-person continuing education events.”
- “I’ll never go to the office without a specific reason.”
- “I’ll never run the day-to-day, be tied to my office, or spend a full winter in Minnesota!”
- “I’ll never write a book without a dedicated week of writing at a time.”
- “I’ll never go back to letting people know where I am.”
- “I’ll never be in any meeting without the right team with me.”
- “I’ll never manage people directly again.”
- “I’ll never settle for hiring people limited to the geography of my office location.”
- “I’ll never expect the team to earn trust, but to give it until there is a reason not to.”
- “I’ll never give a team member a predetermined job; instead, I’ll help them create their perfect role.”
- “I’ll never manage large groups of people or teams (because I love small, efficient, quick-starts)!”
- “I’ll replace long lead-time projects with quick sprints and big results.”
- “I’ll stop working with employees and only work with founders, owners, and check-writers.”
- “I’ll never go back to social media advertising (we don’t lick toilets!).”
- “I’ll never manage my own calendar.”
- “I’ll never work on the 4 Ps–Policies, Processes, Productivity, Project Management.”
- “I’ll never lose connection and take for granted my most important COI relationship.”
- “I’ll never sleep less than 8 hours or get up prior to 6 a.m.”
- “I’ll never cycle with people I don’t enjoy.”
- “I’ll never worry about being politically correct in our ‘cancel culture.’”
- “I’ll never shortcut on healthy food, movement, sleep, and sunshine.”
- “I’ll never go back to skipping family dinners.”
- “I’ll never open a business to serve our own business.”
- “I’ll never hire more people because we are busy. The customer can wait two weeks!”
- “I’ll never measure the number of people instead of profits.”
It’s settled: I’m committed to never going back to the way things were before, and lots of other entrepreneurs are too. How about you? What have you done differently during the pandemic that created more efficiency and freedom in your life? What will you never go back to?
You can continue the actions you’ve come to love even as we transition into a relative “normal.” To learn more about adapting to new circumstances and enjoying more of the freedom that attracted you to entrepreneurship in the first place, be sure to download my newest ebook, Zooming Ahead.
