Is Your Vision 20/20? Seeing Your Business Clearly

I was at the ophthalmologist recently for the first time in a couple of years. Normally I go yearly, but I’d gotten off track and it was time.

My eyes aren’t that bad, really, no soda bottle goggles here, but one of them is slightly near-sighted and one is slightly far-sighted, so they don’t play as nicely together as they might. And I’ve definitely noticed some eye strain lately. Hence the appointment.

While I sat there in the doctor’s office, waiting for my eyes to dilate, a couple of things occurred to me…

1) Seeing clearly is really nice.

Even if the trip to the eye doctor is a little uncomfortable. Seriously, every damn time I get my eyes checked, I try to entertain myself by checking my phone or reading the paper while the drops kick in.

Guess what? It doesn’t freaking work!

Things go from blurry to make-your-head-ache-trying-to-focus really darn fast. (I wandered around trying on new frames instead.)

And don’t get me started on the glaucoma test. I fail it at least once every. single. time.

But, it turns out that seeing clearly isn’t only nice, it’s imperative.

If glasses (and the associated eye exam) can help me get back to 20/20 vision, I’ll take ’em!

The second thing I realized is how grateful I am for my eye doc.

2) Having someone to help us get to 100% is critical.

I can’t take care of this one myself. I can do a lot to maintain my health, I know, but this is one area where having someone help out is key.

If I hadn’t been properly diagnosed in college, I would have continued to get headaches trying to do close work. If I didn’t have an eye doc to visit now, my current prescription would quickly no longer serve me.

So, I’m actually really happy that my ophthalmologist told me that my prescription changed and I need new glasses this year, because ultimately they’ll allow me to continue to live, work and play as I want (even if it was a little uncomfortable at times and I’d rather not have to lay out a few hundred bucks for the experience).

Now, what does all this have to do with you? As I was pondering points 1 & 2 above, I realized there’s a fabulous parallel in here to our businesses and the work I get to do with my clients.

1) Seeing your business clearly is not only really nice, it’s imperative if you want to grow and thrive.

Getting a handle on your numbers is the best way I know to do this.

2) Having someone to help us understand how to make smart, strategic decisions is critical.

If you have someone in your court to bounce ideas off and ask questions as you ramp up and learn the ins and outs of business management, it mean the difference between having an expensive hobby and a thriving, growing enterprise.

The third thing that occurred to me, is that I get to be sort of like a business ophthalmologist. How cool is that?!

I get to help you see clearly – what’s working and what’s not – through the lens of your finances. I get to show you where things stand currently, and how to reach your goals in a way that works for you. (It’s seriously such an honor to get to do this work, I can’t even tell you.)

So what I’m wondering today is this…Is your business vision 20/20? If not, do you know why? Do you have a plan in place to see more clearly? Is this going to be a stellar year or is it maybe still looking a little fuzzy?

Are you ready for a crystal clear understanding of your numbers?