This white paper sets the background for my work mentoring small business owners to grow their business and at the same time buy back a day per week into their lives

1. What if you could
BUY BACK A DAY per week?

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Introduction
It takes large doses of courage and self-belief to step out of the
relative security of full-time employment to start (or buy) your own
business.
The longing for freedom, the flexibility of being your own boss, and
the desire to control your own life helps you push past just thinking
about it into action.
Every business owner expects to work hard to be successful,
especially for the first few years when hope and energy levels are
high. We hear motivating stories from those who 'make it' and read
their books so we can learn and grow.
However, research tell us that 75% of business start-ups do not see
their 5th anniversary.
And even for those who make a good living from their business, the
lifestyle reality is often very different from the original dream.
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21st Century Reality for most Business Owners is
In short, many of us are:
Being too busy with day to day urgent matters to deal with important things like planning
A smart phone dominated life making work a 24/7 proposition
A partner who also works and childcare that is a daily juggling act
Waking in the middle of the night anxious about a work issue
Feeling guilty about not being as good a parent as you would like
Working hard to get a week off, and still having to check emails… just in case
Wondering in your rare quiet moments, whether the pace and pressure is worth it
Wishing your fitness and energy levels were greater
1. Overwhelmed
2. Surviving rather than thriving
3. Struggling with the blurred boundary lines between work and life
To make matters worse, it feels out of our control. It is hard to see how we
can do anything differently. It is easy to point the blame for these issues - to
our employees, our competition, our partners or technology. Somehow we
need to find a way take responsibility for making everything fit together…
instead of just hoping things will work out.
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Without Self-Leadership - things are INCOMPLETE
FAILING
Some businesses never really get off the ground. Usually a combination of a flawed business model, poor planning or lack of
personal organisation on the part of the business owner make success almost impossible. Others have a season where
things look good but then for a variety of reasons things start to slide.
FRANTIC
This describes the poorly organised person who is always reacting to people and issues as they arise. He is often late for
appointments. His desk is a chaotic mess. There are few workable systems in his business. He seems to attract personal
crises that regularly overlap with work. Overall he is unreliable, always pushing out deadlines. He has little capacity to
influence others other than to enlist their help to reduce his overwhelm.
FEARFUL
This is the Business Owner who is working harder than he expected to grow his business. And it is becoming harder not
easier, as he is juggling increasing responsibilities of a young family, a wife seeking to reignite her career, mortgage
payments for the recently purchased upgraded family home, as well as trying to stay fit and connected to his mates in the
cricket/rugby club. He is fearful that he has not got what it takes to make his business and lifestyle work. He feels like he is
just surviving; barely coping with all the challenges. Something has got to give and he hopes it is not his mental health.
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With Self-Leadership - life becomes INTEGRATED
FUNCTIONING
This is the Business Owner who starts to practise an integrated approach to work and life. This will normally come through
some form of personal development training and mentoring. The way forward involves: clear understanding of who she is;
clear and supported business goals and plans; clarity around her unique value; and the mapping and coordination of her
whole life so everything works together sustainably. Learning to lead herself effectively will bring an increase in capacity to
be productive and to lead others.
FLOWING
Describes the Business Owner who is continuing to grow and to learn about themselves. They are becoming more secure in
themselves. They are building strong working relationships all around them. Over time they gain a reputation as a person
who gets things done. They learn to delegate and work with and through others. As their capacity increases they attract
greater opportunities and as a result everything begins flowing more smoothly and their business grows.
FULFILLED
Business Owners at this level will have grown in their capacity to influence and empower their team to run their business.
They know themselves well. They have healthy self-respect and easily earn the respect of others. They live congruently with
their values. They are loyal and attract loyalty. They know how to focus their energy on the important things that bring
progress. Their practise of self-leadership principles across their whole life has enabled them to build a successful business
AND a great lifestyle. No wonder they are fulfilled.
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Poor self-leadership is a bit like a
leaky bucket
Every bucket has an optimum capacity which is significantly limited if there are
any holes causing it to leak.
This causes major wastage and frustration for anyone seeking to use the
container.
Our self-leadership capacity is always limited by our lack of self-respect,
self-care and self-management.
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There is a way FORWARD!
An approach that enables an overwhelmed business
owner to make a decision to take responsibility for their
whole life. It's time to take a fresh look at themselves to
develop self-respect, self-care and self-management.
A ‘WHOLE OF LIFE’ approach to work, life and planning.
No more muddling along just hoping. This approach
empowers you to take responsibility for your world and
start to thrive.
An INTEGRATED approach
which brings all the scattered
parts of 21st Century
life together.
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Self-Leadership starts on the inside.
In the way I view myself across my whole life.
Sometime between 35 and 50 years of age even high achievers can begin to hit the limits of their capacity. The way
forward to greater success is not about working harder or even more efficiently. This is a critical time to refocus and take a
fresh look at who you are. It's time to review how you operate and make some changes to your work patterns and how you
integrate work with the rest of your life.
It’s about learning to celebrate strengths and accept
weaknesses. Self-respect grows stronger when living
congruently with your values. It’s about processing life’s
regrets well. It’s about developing the confidence to gain a
clear voice and stand for something. It is about keeping
your promises, starting with your commitments to yourself.
Self-respect is an essential foundation for you to gain
respect from others.
Self-Respect is the key to inner health.
1. Self-Respect
enables greater levels of
security and consistency.
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2. Self-Care
Is about learning to know yourself really well, in order to
understand and work with your own natural life rhythms.
This involves developing self-care strategies that enable
consistent replenishment and renewal so that you always
have energy for high impact times.
Self-Care is the key to energy.
ALL TOGETHER, THESE 3 ELEMENTS MAKE UP SELF-LEADERSHIP!
Self-Leadership is the key to develop increased CAPACITY for influence.
Involves a commitment to doing whatever it takes to be
personally organised and efficient, so that the important
things consistently get done, and promises are kept. Self-
management is all about establishing effective disciplines
and processes so that you always know and can
pursue your priorities.
Self-Management is the key to sustainability.
3. Self-Management
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Next Steps
So many Business Owners are struggling to juggle all the elements of their busy lives. For many, it has become
unsustainable. No wonder disengagement, high turnover, low productivity and depression are problems in the
Australian workplace.
This self-leadership approach offers practical advice which will equip busy Business Owners to increase their capacity by
helping them take responsibility for their own self-leadership, not just at work, but in an integrated way across their whole
lives.
Heads Up campaign to improve mental health at work:
https://www.headsup.org.au/
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There is no such thing as work-life balance.
Everything that is worth fighting for
unbalances your life.
~ Alain De Botton
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Our key focus is working with small business owners (5-20 staff). We help
you through this awkward growth stage when everything feels like it depends
on you. You are still working in the business, managing a growing team, and
trying to be the business owner all at the same time.
Working with John will enable you to:
1. BUY BACK A DAY per week
2. Ensure TAKE-HOME NOT JUST TURNOVER
3. Build your DREAM TEAM
Fortnightly mentoring sessions will enable you to discover how your work
and all the important elements of your life can be integrated. This will result
in developing doable strategies for a successful business AND a sustainable
lifestyle for you and those you love.
Call for more information on our mentoring and training solutions.
Call John on 0405 539 025 or email john@johndrury.biz
Mentoring and training options
Business Mentoring
Leadership Team
Development
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Personal Mentoring

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About the author
John's recent book is
'INTEGRATE - Why work-
life balance is a myth and
what you really need to
create a fulfilling
lifestyle'.
John is a powerful presenter, trainer, facilitator, mentor and author. His
painful personal experience with burnout, and subsequent recovery
while in a Senior Leadership role, motivated him to start helping other
high achievers, business owners, corporate executives and leaders in
similar positions to turn their personal and professional lives around.
Since 2010, John has helped hundreds of busy people to integrate their
work with the rest of their life. Through his guidance and proven ‘Whole-
of-Life’ methodology, they have gone on to successfully pursue
audacious business goals and build and implement a healthy and
holistic lifestyle.
John is a people-oriented person with a collaborative leadership style.
He is able to see and provide strategy for the big picture vision and
focus in and problem solve around the roadblocks in a business.
He loves to see individuals and organisations fulfill their potential. John
has extensive leadership and small business management experience.
He is married to Jo, and is the father of three amazing daughters, and
stepfather to a teenage son. He is a very energetic and proud 'Pop' to
five beautiful grandchildren. He loves to be physically fit and believes
regular exercise is a key to both physical and mental health.
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