We hear it often … building a business is a marathon; not a sprint.  And that’s only partly true.

Building a business is a marathon, but it’s ran in sprints. Attempting to do everything at once is a recipe for overwhelm and burnout.

However, chunking out what needs to get done brings focus and energy to the priorities that will move the needle the most.

And to continue building a profitable business for the long-haul, it’s central that leaders and team members consistently gather wins along the way.  Stacking wins builds confidence and momentum. 

Collecting little wins on the path to the big WIN requires positive momentum.  More wins equals more momentum.

Positive momentum propels us … our confidence goes through the roof …. we feel like Michael Jordan and every shot we take is nothing but net.  We know what this feels like … we feel unstoppable!

Negative momentum is the exact opposite … missing shots left and right … the crowd is boo-ing … and our self-talk rivals the trash talk on the court.  And this causes us to second guess ourselves which leads to less action.  Less action equals less results.

If you’re self-soothing from a negative momentum trip … don’t worry … there’s a process for restoring positive momentum.

The ultimate goal is to consistently maintain positive momentum.  And when off-course, recover quickly from negative momentum … instead of vacillating between positive and negative.  Which is kind of like losing and gaining the same 10 lbs again-and-again … self-defeating.

Building a business 90-days at a time is the process for consistently generating positive momentum.  PLUS, it helps prevent false starts, wrong turns, burnout, and overwhelm.

Here’s how the 90-day structure works:

Host a 90-Day Review EVERY 90-Days 

The decision-making leadership team spends one-day away from the office to:

• Review successes and challenges of the previous 90-days
• Discuss what is and isn’t working within the organization
• Re-align the Vision, Mission, Values, and Strategic Initiatives
• Perform a SWOT Analysis
• Evaluate team members to ensure the right people are in the right seats
• Address issues and identify solutions
• Establish the 3-5 priorities for the next 90-days
• Assign clear ownership for everything that needs to get done
• Apply key metrics for tracking results
• Initiate communication with additional team members to keep everyone on the same page

When done successfully, after a 90-Day Review, all leaders and team members have clear marching orders and are feeling excited, empowered, and confident to get to work.

Taking Massive Action DAILY with Accountability 

Now, here’s where the winning starts! The 90-Day Review is the set-up and what happens each day for the next 90-days is where the rubber meets the road.

First, leadership must create an environment for success.  Giving each team member access to the tools, technologies, teammates, resources, and feedback necessary to own their part of the 3-5 priorities.

Next, there needs to be weekly touch points on the calendar that are committed to.  Checking in at the end of the 90-days is not good enough.

People get stuck … Leaders get overwhelmed … Visionary’s get distracted with the next big idea … and the list goes on.

So, during these weekly check-ins, leaders and team members are sharing what they’re working on, and whether they’re on track or not.  If not, then diving into where they’re stuck and taking corrective action to get things back on track.

It’s important to remember that strong leaders develop strong teams.  Strong leaders don’t hover or micro-manage … they put the right people in the right seats, set a clear direction, provide tools and resources and then let people own their duties.

When done well … leaders are inspired, team members are motivated, results are consistent, and this positive energy is a magnet for business growth.

And then it’s just … Rinse, Lather, Repeat every 90 Days.  Sprinting our way to a successful business marathon!