Misfit Entrepreneur May 2024 - 404: How to Skyrocket Your Entrepreneurial Success with Amber De La Garza's Productivity Strategies

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Dave Lukas Chats with Amber De La Garza

404: How to Skyrocket Your Entrepreneurial Success with Amber De La Garza's Productivity Strategies

This week’s Misfit Entrepreneur is Amber De La Garza. Amber is a coach, trainer, speaker, writer, and host of the Small Business Straight Talk Podcast. Her focus is helping small business owners maximize profits, reduce stress, and make time for what matters most by improving their time management and elevating their productivity.

Amber’s work has been featured everywhere from Fast Company to the Huffington Post. She’s worked with companies such as Pepsi, Cartier, and MGM Resorts.

As entrepreneurs, the most precious thing we have is our time and we need to do our best to maximize it and get the most out of it. I’ve asked Amber on to share her best advice, strategies, and actionable tips on how to be your most productive.

amberdelagarza.com

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Show Notes

Amber Initially pursued a career in real estate and business management but disliked selling real estate. She moved into brokerage management and operations, and later trained as a business coach for real estate professionals. She began to notice many successful professionals struggled with time management, and this gave her the idea for her business. After leaving the corporate world and becoming a mother, she incorporated her business, focusing on time management and productivity for small business owners.

What does being productive look like and why is it different than what most people think?

Productivity isn’t about copying others' habits but finding what uniquely works for each individual.
For example, Amber found she is more productive with background noise, leading her to work from coffee shops.
Listen to your personal instincts about productivity rather than following conventional advice.

How do our natural tendencies sometimes work against our productivity?

People often judge their productive methods based on societal standards, which can hinder their actual productivity.
You may find you are more productive in different settings versus a sterile office environment. Figure out what those are and make the most of them.
Experiment with different methods and create a personal productivity environment without judgment.

How can someone start improving their productivity?

You must move from reactive to proactive by planning days and weeks effectively.
Planning is not about adhering strictly to a schedule but about maintaining control and flexibility to adapt as necessary.
Make sure to understand and prioritize high-value activities focusing on those above others to maximize productivity.

How does time-blocking help with productivity on a daily basis?

Traditional time blocking is where each day of the week has a designated purpose so you can focus.
Amber advocates for daily planning to accommodate specific tasks, which she refers to as “buckets.”
You must also keep others from taking your precious time or filling it with less productive needs.
Amber shares her approach of working intensely during specific hours to ensure focused productivity, avoiding burnout and then taking breaks.

How do boundaries contribute to reclaiming time and improving productivity?

To reach your maximum productivity you must set and maintain boundaries with yourselff, team members, clients, and vendors.
Having boundaries uphold the integrity of your schedule and priorities and trains others when you are available and when you are not.
Boundaries also help ensure that time management strategies like time blocking and planning are effective.

Can you discuss strategies for improving team productivity?

Lleading and empowering a team is one of the highest value activities a business owner can undertake.
Amber time-blocks and dedicates morning hours to team communication to ensure everyone is aligned and clear on their tasks for the day.
It is also important to invest in team training and development to leverage time effectively and enhance overall productivity.

How did you manage your business during your time off due to illness, and what lessons did you learn?

Amber shares her experience of being unexpectedly out for two months due to illness, during which her team successfully ran the business.
She credits the smooth operation to prior investments in training, standard operating procedures (SOPs), and empowering her team. She had delegated many of the duties needed to run the day to day.
The big lesson is that as a business owner, you need think ahead be preparing the business to operate independently. Your goal should be for it to be able run without you needed.

Best Quote

Leading and empowering a team is one of the highest value activities a business owner can undertake.

Understand and prioritize your values. Recognize that running a business is a pathway to achieving personal life goals. Embrace the journey and build a life that brings joy and fulfillment.

Trust yourself. In a world saturated with external opinions and advice, it’s crucial to reconnect with and trust your own instincts and voice.

Pursue joy. Identify what genuinely brings you happiness, whether within your business or outside of it, and ensure you make time for these activities to enrich your life.

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