When it comes to business development, most of us are doing it wrong. We block out a whole Saturday, promise ourselves we’ll get it all done in one big push, and then life gets in the way. A client needs something. A kid gets sick. The day disappears, and so does the plan.
But a recent school concert reminded me that consistency beats intensity every single time.
A little while ago, I found myself at Evie’s school for the Strings Soiree. If you’d told me I’d be sitting in a school hall for an hour and a half watching 31 performances from kids learning string instruments, I might have quietly groaned. But there I was. And what I walked away with surprised me.
Evie has just started cello. No bow yet, just plucking the strings and figuring out the basics. The performances ranged from brand new beginners (plucky, brave, not quite in tune) through to students who’d clearly been at it for years and were genuinely incredible.
What I noticed
Every single student got up and played in front of a full room.
Every single one of them was met with applause, encouragement and genuine support.
Nobody waited until they were “good enough” to perform. Nobody hid in the wings. They got up, did their bit, and sat back down. Some were polished. Some were rough. All of them were applauded.
And I sat there thinking, how often do we, as adults in business, hold ourselves back from being seen until we’re “good enough”?
We wait until the website is perfect. Until the offer is polished. Until we feel ready. Until we’ve practised our pitch one more time. Meanwhile, a twelve-year-old with a cello is up on stage doing the thing, while we’re still rehearsing in our head.
The line that stayed with me
At the end of the night, the music teacher said something simple.
Don’t practise for six hours once a week. Practise for 10 minutes a day.
Consistency over intensity.
I sat with that one for a while, because in business it’s exactly the same.
We tell ourselves we’ll dedicate a whole Saturday to business development. We block out the day, and then life happens. A kid gets sick. A client needs something. The washing machine breaks. The day disappears, and so does the plan.
But 10 minutes? Ten minutes you can do.
What 10 minutes a day actually looks like
Ten minutes a day can be as simple as:
- Reaching out to someone in your network.
- Following up on a proposal that’s gone quiet.
- Commenting on someone else’s content instead of trying to write your own from scratch.
- Asking for a referral, sending a voice note, or making one phone call.
None of these things feel huge in isolation. But stack them over a month, three months, six months, and you’ve got something. You’ve got momentum. You’ve got results. You’ve got a business that’s actually moving.
Practice doesn’t make perfect
Practice makes better. And better, done consistently, is what builds confidence, momentum and results.
The kids who’d been practising for years sounded like it. The ones who’d just started sounded like they’d just started. But all of them were further along than they were last term. That’s the bit we forget. We compare ourselves to the woman who’s been at it for a decade and wonder why we don’t sound like her yet.
You don’t sound like her yet because you haven’t done it for a decade yet.
But you can start with 10 minutes today.
The takeaway
Two things from a school hall full of kids with cellos.
- Show up before you’re ready. The room will clap for you anyway.
- Practise in small doses, every day. It beats heroic efforts once a month, every single time.
So this week, what’s your 10 minutes going to look like?