Accountawhat? Yes it sounds like a made-up ridiculous term, but it is quite the buzz-word in the entrepreneur world. And that’s because every entrepreneur needs one – especially if you are riding solo – such as a freelancer, blogger, writer or other solo creative. 

Being accountable means showing up and doing what you say you are going to do – when you are going to do it. Managing any project let alone a business is a journey, and when you are constantly missing your deadlines, procrastinating and pushing tasks to the ‘later’ pile you are putting your success on hold. All of a sudden it’s 6 months down the line, and you are wondering why you haven’t made any real progress in achieving what you set out to.

It’s important to be accountable to yourself – but sometimes when you find yourself and your progress stuck in a rut, being accountable to someone else is the kick start you need to making sure you are getting stuff done. That’s why you NEED an accountabilibuddy – it can be another blogger in your niche, or someone from a networking group in your industry. Or even just another friend who is on a similar creative journey as you. It’s much harder to procrastinate when you know that you have to answer to someone that is not yourself – plus done right, they can make for really amazing personal and business relationships. Here are our suggestions for the most fruitful buddy partnerships:

• Meet up (either virtually or in-person) to talk about each of your goals, projects, tangible actions and plans that you want to complete. If you are doing it virtually, don’t just do it over email – get on Skype or Facetime.
• Set up a regular time and date (and stick to it!) where you catch up with each other to discuss your accomplishments, what you have completed, where you are at with projects and any bumps in the road. Also discuss any other projects and tasks that you want to have completed for the next check-in. Make these bi-weekly, but if you want to go hardcore and your schedule allows for it – do it weekly.
• Attend industry events, networking events and conferences together if you can
• Collaborate on different projects, and introduce each other to people in your networks that may be beneficial.
• Celebrate successes and be there to listen and support when things get rocky

Having an accountabilibuddy is an essential support system for your business – so get networking and find one! Or, join The Moderna and we’ll connect you!