Are you looking forward to the future or stuck in the present?

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Updated: November 11, 2011 11:30PM

This past week I had the opportunity to witness the incredible commitment by Angela Ramos, owner of Inspiration Fitness in Crown Point. Many other small business owners along with crazy busy salespeople could take a lesson in commitment from this dedicated entrepreneur.

Ramos understands the importance of investing time in working ON her business instead of always IN her business. Furthermore, she is committed to working ON her business. And that is what makes her so different from many other small business owners.

For example, do you as a small business owner or entrepreneur physically remove yourself from your business during the last quarter of the year and begin planning for the next 365 days? Ramos does. In fact, she has made it an annual habit to schedule a weekend away from her family, her home, her friends and her business to ensure that she can maintain this commitment.

Even if you don’t physically remove yourself from your business, do you conduct a thorough diagnostic of your current business results? Now some crazy busy small business owners may delegate this function to their CPAs or an outside consultant, especially when their businesses are much larger respective to employees, operations and sales.

Ramos takes it upon herself to personally undergo this diagnostic of her current business results and then compares this data to the past several years. Through predictive analysis, she forecasts her sales, her marketing campaigns and her overall budget for the forthcoming year.

The diagnostic she uses is fairly simple and works for her business. She has made some adaptations to reflect changes in her business and will continue to adapt this assessment as her business evolves.

Even though her business has grown from the one person stop to now having employees, Ramos is still committed to this annual diagnostic review process because this weekend away supports her in her efforts to realize her vision, her corporate values and her current mission.

Here is one small business owner who is not stuck in the present handling yesterday’s problems. Ramos exemplifies forward thinking business leaders and because of her commitment to the future she will be one of the few who achieve sustainable business success.

Take a lesson from this crazy busy small business owner and be committed to growing your business by investing the time to work ON it instead of just always IN it. And the results may just surprise you.

P.S. Shout Out: The Silver Spoon across from the Courthouse in Valparaiso serves breakfast, lunch and dinner in a quaint atmosphere with outstanding service. In Lake County, Freddy’s Restaurant continues to be known for its aged steaks and homemade garlic salad dressing.