Five Questions Every Business Owner Should Ask Themselves Every Week
- Fran Ash
- 7 days ago
- 3 min read
Running a business has a funny way of keeping us busy.
There are emails to reply to, clients to look after, networking events to attend, invoices to send and social media to keep on top of. Before we know it, another week has flown by and we're already planning the next one. The trouble is, when we're constantly moving from one task to the next, it's very easy to forget to stop and ask ourselves whether the things we've been doing are actually moving the business forward.
One of the most valuable habits I've developed, both for myself and through mentoring others, is taking a few minutes at the end of each week to reflect. Not to criticise or over-analyse, but simply to check in.
These are five questions I think every business owner should ask themselves regularly.
1. What actually moved my business forward this week?
It's tempting to judge a week by how busy it felt, but being busy and being productive aren't always the same thing. Take a moment to think about the actions that genuinely made a difference. Perhaps you met a fantastic new contact at a networking event, signed a new client, sent out a proposal or finally ticked off that task you've been avoiding. Those are the moments worth recognising because they're often the building blocks of long-term growth.
2. What did I avoid?
This is probably the question that makes people smile the most when I ask it in mentoring sessions. Almost everyone has an answer.
Maybe it was making a phone call. Maybe it was looking at the finances. Maybe it was updating your website or following up an enquiry.
Rather than feeling guilty about avoiding it, get curious instead. Ask yourself why it felt difficult. Quite often, the answer has very little to do with the task itself and much more to do with confidence, uncertainty or fear of getting it wrong.
3. What am I spending too much time on?
As business owners, it's easy to fall into the trap of doing the jobs we enjoy rather than the jobs that really need our attention. Sometimes we spend an hour tweaking a social media post when a ten-minute conversation with a potential client would have had a much bigger impact. That doesn't mean those smaller jobs don't matter. It simply means it's worth checking that your time is being spent where it will make the biggest difference.
4. What am I proud of this week?
This is the question people often find the hardest to answer.
We're brilliant at spotting what we haven't achieved, but not always very good at recognising what we've done well. Business isn't just about chasing the next milestone. It's also about appreciating how far you've already come.
Celebrating the small wins doesn't make you complacent. It gives you the confidence to keep going.
5. What's the one thing I want to achieve next week?
Notice I said one thing...Not twenty.
Not an impossible to-do list that's destined to leave you feeling overwhelmed.
Just one meaningful priority that, if completed, would leave you feeling like the week had been a success. When everything feels important, nothing really is.
Giving yourself one clear focus can make decision-making much easier.
Final Thoughts
You don't need hours to reflect on your business each week.
Even ten minutes with a cup of coffee and a notebook can help you spot patterns, celebrate progress and make better decisions going into the following week.
Running a business isn't about getting everything right all of the time. It's about learning, adjusting and continuing to move forward. Sometimes, the best thing you can do isn't work harder. It's simply pause long enough to ask yourself the right questions.
Ready to make more intentional progress in your business?
Sometimes the biggest breakthroughs don't come from working longer hours. They come from having the space to reflect, challenge your thinking and focus on what really matters. If you'd like someone to ask the right questions, keep you accountable and help you move your business forward with purpose, take a look at my mentoring packages and discover how we could work together.
