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Increase Profitability by Focusing on your Genius Zone

Joel Norton  |  December 6, 2021

For most agency CEOs, the Genius Zone is where they should spend most of their time, as it’s where most of the profit will be made. Yet most spend little time, if any, in this zone.

How many times a day do you feel drained and exhausted by what you’re doing?

An hour a day? Half your day, or sometimes it could be more?

This is what Dan Sullivan (author & international speaker) refers to as our Incompetent zone.

How many times over the course of a week do you find yourself procrastinating on doing something?

You know it needs to be done but you try to avoid it at all costs. It’s usually some form of administrative task that “needs to be done” but doesn’t generate any value.

This is our Competent zone.

Conversely, do you sometimes think, “If only I had more time to XYZ, I would make significantly more money.”

Or you’re busy doing something and hours pass by in an instant. You were so in the zone that you lost track of time.

This is what Dan Sullivan refers to as your Genius Zone. It happens when you’re being true to your Unique Ability®.

The Four Zones

Here’s a quick summary of the four zones we operate in (modified slightly from Dan Sullivan's description).

1. INCOMPETENT

These are tasks you stink at doing. They’re hard work, you get bad results, and you don’t enjoy them.

Goal: 0% of your time

2. COMPETENT

These are tasks you’re average at doing. You’re not really good at them but you can complete them when you have to.

They drain your energy. They’re usually deemed ‘urgent’ and result in a long list of tasks that you procrastinate or avoid doing, which creates stress.

Goal: 0% of your time

3. EXCELLENT

Tasks you’re really good at, that are valuable to the business but you don’t necessarily love doing.

You get really solid results and you’re better at them than most of the people around you.

Goal: 30-40% of your time

4. UNIQUE ABILITY

These are the tasks you’re naturally gifted at – your Genius Zone.

You find them easy and effortless.

They flow for you, and when your day is filled with these tasks you feel energised and happy. They also tend to be highly profitable.

You say to yourself “If only I had more time to XYZ, I would make significantly more money.”

Goal: 60-70% of your time

Profit is Made in Your Genius Zone

The ultimate goal is to spend as much time in your Genius Zone as possible.

Your Genius Zone typically incorporates three to five major tasks you own in the business, and that you invest the majority of your time into in order to generate maximum return.

  1. You love doing
  2. It is essential to the business
  3. It contributes directly to the profit of the business

For most agency CEOs, the Genius Zone is where they should spend most of their time, as it’s where most of the profit will be made.

Yet most spend little time, if any, in this zone.

How to Stop Doing the Tasks You Hate

So, how do you stop doing the tasks you hate, and that are preventing you from achieving more money and freedom?

Join me in the video.

Unique Ability® is registered trademark and brand of Strategic Coach Inc.

Need help to focus on your Genius Zone, or increase agency profitability?

If you want help to focus on your genius zone and play to your strengths, or need a proven plan to make 2022 your BEST YEAR EVER, schedule a call for a chat via the form below.

I’ll ask you a couple questions to learn about your business and see if I can help you transform your agency to achieve more money, freedom and purpose.

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Joel Norton

Joel Norton, ex-agency CEO, empowers ambitious agency owners to achieve profitable growth and freedom.

Joel understands the challenges you face: the stress of inconsistent revenue and profit, the exhaustion of long hours, and the anxiety of not knowing how to break through to the next level.

He works with agency owners who feel stuck... Struggling with too many low-value clients, opportunities being slow to close, and feeling like everything is dependent on them.

Joel helps you build scalable processes to attract high-value prospects, convert them faster, and grow customer value, all while empowering your team to create a profitable, self-managing business.

If you’re ready to create a business that works for you—not the other way around—Joel can help you make it happen.

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