The worst thing a female business owner can do.

Last week I was down at Entrepreneurs Circle HQ in Birmingham for Nigel Botterill’s Inner Circle.

Nigel has built several multi-million-pound businesses and now operates at an eight-figure level. As a seven-figure business owner myself, I know that if I want to get to the next level, I need to be around people who are already further ahead than me.

I honestly believe it massively increases your chances of success when you learn from others, challenge your own thinking, and bounce ideas off people who have already walked the path.

Anyway… I usually drive down.

But it’s a long day.

A very long day.

I don’t get home until the early hours, and the next day is usually a complete write-off as well. Add in fuel prices rising again and the forecourts being a bit chaotic a few weeks back, so when I was booking this time, I decided I’d take the train instead.

Seemed like a great idea.

Turns out… everyone else had the same idea.

The train was absolutely packed.

At the time of booking, there was no Premier seating or First Class left, so I was in standard class — squashed in like everyone else.

Now, for a lot of people, they’d think:

“Well, you still got there.”

And yes… technically, I did.

But there was absolutely no way I could work.

No chance of getting my laptop out.
No notebook open.
No quiet thinking time.
No productive travel.

Just five hours of sitting there both ways.

And I promised myself there and then:

If I ever take the train again, I will gladly pay for First Class.

Not for the fancy coffee.
Not for the biscuit.

For the table.
The plug socket.
The ability to work.

For some people, paying over £100 more for that would feel excessive.

But for me?

Not paying it cost far more.

Because losing productive time on both the way down and the way back effectively costs me far more than that extra £100 ever would.

And I see this mistake all the time with business owners.

They only look at the initial outlay.

They focus on:
“What does this cost me?”

Instead of asking:
“What is it costing me not to do this?”

It’s exactly the same with marketing spend.

People see the cost of ads, support, systems, better staff, proper coaching…

…and stop there.

They don’t look at the bigger picture of what that investment could return.

The missed sales.
The wasted time.
The opportunities lost because they stayed in “save money” mode.

One of the main pieces of artwork in Nigel’s boardroom — where Inner Circle takes place — says:

“The worst thing a small business owner can do is think like a small business owner.”

I remind myself of that often.

Because sometimes the cheapest decision is actually the most expensive one.

Something to think about this week.

Speak soon,

Cherie 

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