The Stop Doing List
First published in 2017 by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd
42 McDougall St, Milton Qld 4064
Office also in Melbourne
© Envisage Australia Pty Ltd 2017
The moral rights of the author have been asserted
National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication data:
All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the Australian Copyright Act 1968 (for example, a fair dealing for the purposes of study, research, criticism or review), no part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, communicated or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission. All inquiries should be made to the publisher at the address above.
Disclaimer
The material in this publication is of the nature of general comment only, and does not represent professional advice. It is not intended to provide specific guidance for particular circumstances and it should not be relied on as the basis for any decision to take action or not take action on any matter which it covers. Readers should obtain professional advice where appropriate, before making any such decision. To the maximum extent permitted by law, the author and publisher disclaim all responsibility and liability to any person, arising directly or indirectly from any person taking or not taking action based on the information in this publication.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Matt Malouf is a passionate business coach, speaker, author and entrepreneur on a mission to help entrepreneurs around the world break the shackles of mediocrity and reach new levels of personal and business success.
Looking Back
Matt launched his career as an Ernst & Young accountant after graduating from Sydney University in Accounting & Finance. He has since enjoyed a varied career that has seen him work with start-up ventures, right through to some of Australia's largest companies including Rio Tinto, AMP and Aon Hewitt.
This experience enables Matt to teach entrepreneurs how to apply big business principles in a small business environment to fast track growth.
Having started, grown and sold a number of businesses himself in a variety of industries, Matt also has hands on experience with every stage of the business lifecycle, from conception through to exit strategy.
Approach to Coaching
Matt's business coaching methodology is simple. First, you need a strong understanding of where you are now, including all the variables that are restricting and supporting your business growth.
Once you're clear on your current coordinates, Matt begins mapping the journey from where you are now, to where you want to be. He works with you to establish meaningful, measurable and achievable goals by which to track your progress, keeping you accountable and ensuring you're always moving in the right direction – with pace.
With a winning combination of traditional and contemporary business education and the support of structured accountability calls, Matt helps clients uncover what their businesses need to shift from ordinary to extraordinary by becoming the facilitator of change.
Proven Results
A multipotentialite drawing knowledge and experience from a host of industries and personal mentors, Matt has helped clients add millions of dollars in turnover, with most doubling or tripling profitability in under 12 months – all without pressure on internal resources.
His eye for recognising lucrative opportunities, matched with proven strategies, gives his clients a competitive edge in every aspect of business. While a focus on ‘quick-wins' is central to success, it is the accountability element that helps Matt's clients turn visionary ideas and bold plans into profitable results.
Areas of Expertise
With extensive training in every area of business including sales, marketing, leadership, human resources, strategy and finance, Matt takes a holistic approach to uncovering the roadblocks in your business and uses a hybrid of tools to creatively overcome challenges by implementing systems and continually improving processes.
Whether yours is a startup or an established business, Matt refines every detail from the ground up, ensuring your business is both efficient and profitable.
Looking Forward
A balanced and mindful husband, father and entrepreneur himself, Matt's goal is to help fellow business owners worldwide achieve business fulfilment faster than they ever dreamt possible – without sacrificing personal relationships or recreation.
To achieve this, he has developed a system that helps business owners excel in their own ‘personal mastery', teaching new-age strategies for becoming more disciplined and better time managed.
Matt helps business owners understand and focus on what they need to ‘stop doing' as opposed to the traditional methods of time management that focus on to-do lists and calendar management.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I want to thank all of the amazing business owners who have inspired me to write this book. This book would not exist without your commitment and dedication to growth.
To Andrew Jones – your help and guidance through the process of putting the book together was amazing. Without your help this book would not exist. Thanks for listening and somehow understanding what I was trying to get across – you're a legend mate!
I would like to thank my mum and dad – Roger and Margaret Malouf. Your never ending support and belief in me inspires me to be my best every day and I thank you for all that you do for me and my family.
Lastly to my wonderful wife Danielle and our three children – Aden, Scarlett and Avalon. You guys are the greatest joy in my life and the Stop Doing List system was ultimately created so I could spend more of my life with you – so thank you for your patience, belief and love.
FOREWORD BY SIIMON REYNOLDS
Every year, millions of people decide to take a giant leap toward their dreams and open a business.
At first it's exciting. But for too many entrepreneurs, the feelings of euphoria soon get replaced with frustration, as they get overloaded with hundreds of tasks they feel they must do just to keep their business afloat.
It's not unusual for the entrepreneurial dream to then become a logistical nightmare. The To Do List becomes bigger, the hours become longer and the happiness becomes smaller and smaller until, in many cases, it gets snuffed out entirely.
That leads to a phenomenon that is all too common – the Zombie Business.
A company is a Zombie Business when it is barely alive and is being run by an exhausted, unmotivated entrepreneur who no longer even likes their business, yet is forced to stay in it, out of financial necessity or just because of a dogged determination not to give up on it. It's the corporate equivalent of the walking dead.
The tragedy of the Zombie Business is not just that there are thousands of them, it's the fact that it never had to be this way.
If their owners had known the right things to do and correct ways to think, they could have built a vibrantly thriving business that delivered on the promise and hope of its original founding: to provide a wonderful, growing income while affording the business owner a balanced, joy-filled lifestyle.
But all is not lost. You have in your hands a tactical sword that can slay the Zombie and get you back on track to creating the business that you deep down have always dreamt of.
This is not the usual business book, no siree. This teaches a radical way of thinking