I learned a long time ago that most people will do more for someone else than they will do for themselves. I guess it is the deep-rooted need to take care of family, people we care about and put ourselves second or third or fourth. We want them to have what they need, want and since most of us are comfortable and can live with what we have, we sacrifice.

When I ask business owners who their number one client is, most often they think for a few seconds and give me the name of a person or business that generates the most profit for them, the most sales, or has the most potential to do either or both. I tell them that they are wrong. The shocked look on their faces turns to that look of deflation when they are faced with the reality and agree with my assessment of who I tell them is their most important client. It is them. They are their most important client. In fact, all of us need to understand this. We are our most important client—period, exclamation point.

Many books and related media have been written about this concept. If we take care of ourselves then we will feel better, will be more positive, will be more effective, will be happy or happier, and will be more productive. When we are in that state we will be able to reap the rewards of achieving more, including taking care of our other clients, family, and the people we care about. When are you at your best? For most it is when you are happy, focused, achieving for yourself—because you take care of yourself, your number one client.

As Jim Rohn said “work on your business and you will make a living, work on yourself and you will make a fortune.” Many business owners I run into had clarity in their vision when they started, however time, life, day to day operations has clouded their vision. I encourage them to get clarity on what they truly want, set their goals (including health, time, family, business goals) strategies, invest time in mindset, and work on themselves and their business x number of hours per week and watch the dividends roll in.

What does working on your number one client look like? On your business it looks like goal setting, planning on how to achieve your goals, tracking what you implement, and analysis of results. It encompasses developing marketing strategies, operational procedures, your team, keeping up with your finances (cash flow, collections, profit, loss …), working through your strategies, and leverage of resources, systems and experts (CPA, bookkeeper, Administrative Assistant …) to free you up to work on the business and to do what you do best and build the business. It includes lifelong education, continuing to sharpen your saw, and refresh your knowledge. Working on yourself includes focusing wealth creation for yourself and your family, which includes your business activities; health (exercise, rest, proper eating) but also includes mindset, thinking, self- development (lifelong learning …), reading, listening to cds; and of course, what you love to do.

Treat yourself as your number one client—Schedule/block time to work on your business and yourself. Design your life/business. Get clarity on your vision. Establish your goals. Develop strategies and actions to achieve those goals. Hold yourself accountable—or better yet, have an accountability partner to hold you to working on your number one client. Track your progress. Realize the results of taking care of your number one client.

Who really is your number one client?