We’ve talked about accountability a number of times before on our blog. It’s so important when you run a small business. Especially if you run it on your own. Without someone to hold you accountable, keeping yourself on track, staying motivated, and making the progress you’re looking for, can be a real challenge.
Accountability is one of the cornerstones of the Tabono system, and we know that it’s an important topic, and an important need, for our clients and members.
So in creating Tabono, we wanted to weave in a range of mechanisms that hold you, as female business owners, accountable for what you’re doing. All underpinned by our passion for supporting you, and a desire to help you to achieve your goals.
Here are five of the most important tools that we use:
1. Facebook Group
Our members’ Facebook group is the heart of the Tabono community. It’s the place to go when you have questions or need support, but it’s also a great place to commit to your goals! Our co-founders and our members are all committed to supporting each other, so if you need someone (or people!) to hold you accountable, it’s a great place to start. You can guarantee that people will check in on you and see how you’re getting on. And then we’ll be there to celebrate with you when you achieve those goals.
2. Mastermind
At Tabono we do love our Masterminds! They are groups of four female business owners who meet monthly with our co-founders and each member has a 30 minute slot to present where they are in their business, and outline what they need support with. By the end of their slot, each woman has a list of goals that they commit to working on before the next session along with ideas and suggestions of how to approach and achieve them. Knowing that you will need to report on progress on a given day is a great way of holding you accountable to getting things done. But if you don’t achieve them by the deadline, that’s ok too. We believe that failure is an opportunity to learn, and so at the next meeting, we work with you to understand where things are, and get you back on track.
3. 2-to-1 coaching
Our 2-to-1 coaching and mentoring works in a similar way to our Masterminds. Whether you choose to work with us for an hour a month, or more frequently for extra support, Chloe and Anna will hold you accountable, and by doing so, help you move forward.
4. Co-working
How many times have you been sitting at home, and then been distracted by putting the washing on? Emptying the dishwasher? Running that errand?… Then wished you had used that time to get work tasks done? Does that sound familiar? Sometimes, you don’t need any sort of ‘formal’ reporting mechanism to hold you accountable. It can be sufficient to work ‘with’ other people in the same virtual or physical space. And this is exactly what our co-working events are designed to provide. At the beginning of each two-hour session, we encourage you to share what you are hoping to achieve. Then we check in with you half way through the session and again at the end. It’s such a simple formula, but it really works, and our co-working sessions are extremely productive for all concerned.
5. WhatsApp
It’s clear from the above that the presence of people is so important when it comes to holding you accountable, and getting things done. But what happens if you’re not in the same virtual or physical space at the same time? Or you need a short, sharp intervention? That’s where WhatsApp comes in! Some of our clients – those on some of our courses or working with us in a coaching capacity – have access to our co-founders on WhatsApp too! We use it to check in with these clients, but we also encourage them to use it when they need us for questions, achievements, second-opinions and support!
As you can see, accountability is a cornerstone of the support that Tabono is designed to provide for female small business owners. So if this is something you’re missing in your working week, why not get in touch and give us a try?