Unlock Your Most Productive Quarter Yet with the Entrepreneur's Matrix
Welcome to the end of a quarter (if you’re reading this in real time, it’s currently the end of Q1 and we’re about to enter Q2 of 2025!).
Maybe this quarter flewwwww by or maybe it has been dragging. Regardless, you are probablyyy ready for a fresh start.
You are ready to crack open that spiffy new notebook, scratchy fine tip pens and hit the ground running.
But, then you remember you are a one person show. You have grand ideas for this quarter and absolutely know those new ideas can change the game for your clients. But, like every quarter you sit staring at your goals sheet realizing that they have been on the back burner while you were grinding to serve your clients.
You were doing the right thing, client work is the work. And it can be uber hard to set aside working “in the business” to working “on your business.”
If we had infinite time and resources this is what I would do alllllll day. I love living in the front end of projects. The wondering, the brainstorming, the strategizing. And I bet some of you founders feel the same.
And if this is the area you love, your nemesis might just be the same as mine.
Actually getting the shit done.
The execution of the project. Taking the beautiful shiny idea and actually designing, creating and launching it into the world. WITHOUT being distracted by other shiny ideas in the process.
So, as we walk into a new quarter we (yes you and me both) are going to have to decide what to prioritize when it comes to the backend of our business.
And I get it, you might be asking how the heck can you even decide? So happy you asked.
Remember the mantra from Patrick Lincionli, “If everything is important, then nothing is.”
We need to have a foolproof way of deciding what to do and how to do it as entrepreneurs. And believe me I struggled with this. And after having a minor epiphany on a plane flight a few years ago I think I cracked the code on prioritization for solopreneurs.
(Caveat: Remember your business is personal, so I totally get it if this doesn’t work for you. It is just a tool that can be used if it works!)
It’s called the Entrepreneurs Matrix.
No, not the Eisenhower Matrix. This is a prioritization strategy that many business owners SWEAR is THE THING to determine what is important and urgent.
President Eisenhower used this matrix to prioritize his tasks that make him known for being a productive leader. It has been used widely in the business and entrepreneur space to show you how to prioritize your tasks.
It allows you to categorize tasks into 4 quadrants dictated by importance and urgency.
The main point is that you should stay in "one quadrant" – the not-urgent/important quadrant. And allows you to "delete" and "delegate" tasks that are not important or not urgent.
Here's the kicker that *most* people don't tell you…
Eisenhower had a staff, an assistant, and freaking cabinet of a minimum of 11 people to help him get shit done. That doesn't even count the countless government workers, white house staff, etc. Now, I am not knocking President Eisenhower (may he rest in peace). He gave us a great jumping off point.
The problem I've found with Eisenhower's Matrix (as someone who has tried AND failed to use it effectively) is as a small team or solopreneur you might not have the capacity to delegate or sometimes delete tasks or even have time to plan.
I hear from clients often that days are spent putting out fires and the working "on the business" is always pushed to the back burner.
You might also feel like you live in the urgent and important quadrant allllll day. And that is how burnout begins.
So when they use this Eisenhower's quadrant they end up with a top heavy To Do list that is full of urgent and important tasks, which basically is the back to the long to-do list drawing board.
I kept finding myself in the same boat, which is why I created something that worked better for me instead – and I have a pretty good feeling it can work for you too!
I call it: The Entrepreneur’s Matrix – which combines enjoyment and income.
The Entrepreneurs Matrix - The Key To Getting Shit Done As An Entrepreneur
Essentially, you focus your prioritization on things you love to do AND things that provide you money.
So, as you are stepping into planning for this quarter. You will first BRAIN DUMP all the ideas that you would like to accomplish in your business this quarter.
NOW, it is important to take into account what is going on this quarter in your biz and life.
Are you loaded down with client projects this month with little flex time?
Are you feeling pretty light on client time?
Are you going on a vacation and need time off?
Are you launching a new product or service?
Make sure you think about these things when you braindump. Why? It wouldn’t be advantageous to have a whole new product launch this quarter if you already did one last quarter and it flopped. Maybe focusing on analyzing the data from that launch and feedback from potential clients would be a better use of your time to adjust the old offer and relaunch!
Ok, once you have that brain dump list, you are going to place each idea onto your Entrepreneurs Matrix.
Remember, this is based on what you love to do and what makes you money. Be critical here. Don’t put “posting 10 reels a week” in a category you love if you feel like ripping your hair out every time you start to film.
An Example of the Entrepreneurs Matrix in Action
Here is what this process might sound like in your head as you are analyzing what quadrant to use.
It is the start of a new quarter and you just did a long braindump. Things on your list look like…
-Change newsletter cadence
-Move essential documents to new Google Drive
-Meet with at least 3 new potential clients
-Post 3x weekly on socials
-Create a new project to launch to your audience
-Enroll in a professional development program
And if your pits are getting sweating just looking at this list…remember the matrix is like your deodorant. It takes the ICK away.
Now, you will think critically about each of those tasks and place them into YOUR Entrepreneurs Matrix based on if it makes you money and if it is something you enjoy. If I was doing this mine would look like this…
Now that I have them on my matrix, it is time to have a little heart to heart about my true capacity to get shit done this quarter.
I need to think about my business commitments (ex. Projects already in progress, events already on the schedule, meetings on the calendar, etc.)
I need to think about my personal commitments (ex. Is a vacation coming up, am I going to have less child care this quarter, are there family/friend commitments that will take my energy?)
Then I can choose how many I can tackle this quarter. In my opinion, based on this list I can comfortably commit to 3. Here is what I would choose…
Change newsletter cadence
This is super simple, I just made the decision and will move to monthly again.
I will also continue to BATCH my newsletter and blog content because it is working really well for me.
Meet with 3x new clients
I know this is essential for my business, so I need to PLAN IT.
This plan it strategy allows me to make this “scary” task into mini tasks so I can get them done incrementally and will not overwhelm me
Create new product to launch to audience
We are due for a new product! We haven’t had one for a few quarters.
This is a BIG project, so I need a lot of time to execute. It will take all three months of time to brainstorm, refine ideas, create the content, prepare the launch materials and get it out into the world.
This is why I am doing two less time consuming tasks and just this one BIG task.
Now, if you looked at that brainstorm you might have had a completely different outcome.
AND THAT IS THE WHOLE FREAKING POINT!
There is no silver bullet, there is no magic pill, there is no easy button, the secret sauce is knowing what YOUR business needs and how YOU personally can use your strengths to get that work done!
Interested in implementing the Entrepreneurs Matrix for your business in Q2? I’ve got you! Click here to book a 30 minute strategy call where I can help you drop your brain fog and jump into your next quarter knowing exactly what to do!
https://greenandgrowingconsulting.myflodesk.com/30minutestrategycall
