What do kittens and business decisions have in common?

Last Saturday it was international cat day and we considered doing a social media post about it, but then I paused and gave it some thought. Surely every day is international cat day! 🙂

Joking and cuteness aside, whilst cats are gorgeous and cuddly they cost money and require attention. Sadly many people, through bad decision-making, get a kitten but soon realise they can’t look after it, or afford its upkeep.

Lothian cat rescue, a charity which rehomes approximately 1,000 abandoned and unwanted cats a year, is a shelter where I got my two feline friends from. I recall the first cat we adopted about eight years ago. It was lovely playing with Sophie, and showing her around the house, but within a couple of days, the novelty had worn off. Suddenly, I was responsible for something that depended on me, which meant holidays required a bit more planning. Furthermore, for the first 2 weeks you have a litter tray to clean out until the cat gets used to you and your home. I hadn’t given that much thought at the time, but it soon becomes the only thing you think about…

Every day we make decisions that are not compatible with our lives or our financial circumstances, yet we continue making them

We will often make wrong choices in our business too, but what if we could make the right decision, or at least minimise the mistakes… Surely that would be welcomed!

What if we could make a decision that was right for our personal finances, families, and our business?

The very process of making a decision is the most crucial aspect to your business success, rather than the strategy you adopt

In Successful Business Minds I explore the attitudes and decision making of successful business owners, whilst also sharing my own, and our clients, mistakes. The top takeaway from this popular book, is that making the right decision that suits you personally is the key to success and I show you how you can do that.

You may have a similar business to others in your industry and you will all share the highs of a sale, or the lows of a tax bill, but you will each have different financial circumstances and needs.

For example, Susan has a wealthy employed spouse supporting her and uses the business as vehicle to express her creativity, whereas Katie is supporting her partner and uses the business as a vehicle to cover their financial outgoings.

As you can imagine, Susan and Katie will each have a very different outlook on what they need their business to provide them, and how this is achieved. If each of them where to advise the other on what to do, both Susan and Katie would receive advice that would be a disaster for them.

If you were to follow someone else’s advice, you could end up making a few costly mistakes!

Both Susan and Katie, want their work to be fulfilling and financially rewarding, but that balance differs between them. Katie has more time on her hands than Susan, as Katie’s partner Tom cooks the meals and looks after the kids. Susan however, has to look after her children when they come home from school, and cook the meals as her husband Jack is out working all day.

If Susan got advice from Katie on how to run her business she could end up running ragged and feeling unfilled as she kills off most opportunities to be creative, in order to make more money or save time. On the another hand, if Katie got advice from Susan on how to run her business she could be doing activities that are very creative and fulling but have a pile of unpaid bills stacking up.

There will be many paths on your business journey, but choose carefully as they won’t all lead to the place you want to go

If you wish to have a business that supports you, your financial needs, and your need for creativity, you need to stop looking at what other business owners are doing. You must assess your own financial and emotional needs first. This involves being honest about what you really want from your business and what you are physically capable of. After which, I suggest you take time to listen to your soul and sense where it is nudging you. Once you have a sense of all these, you then have a meeting of the minds.

If you would like to find out how to do this, and see if you have room for a cat in your life…, get yourself a copy of Successful Business Minds. We have reduced the kindle price to £3.99 (from £9.99) as we believe that you have the right to make the best decision that is most suited to you, your needs and your financial circumstances. We also want to encourage more business owners to listen to their soul, which we feel is what the world needs more than ever right now.

As always, take care x

Helen Monaghan

Author of Successful Business Minds, The Magical Mix of Money & Tax and 12 Steps to Improve Your Cashflow.

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