Mo asks Shawn Blanc: How do we use margin to grow our book of business and get more opportunities? Shawn shares the parable of the good samaritan and how margin relates to opportunities. The ability to say no to certain opportunities is as important as the ability to say yes. When we are not clear around our priorities or have no margin within our schedule, it can be easy to say yes to everything and become overwhelmed. This puts strain on your work when truly great opportunities come your way. Margin can enable us to say yes to the most important stuff. It also helps us know when to say no to certain things so that we can show up with our greatest strength during times of opportunity. Evaluating opportunities is not binary, it's an organic process. The first step is knowing your values and understanding how you work within your daily schedule. Does the opportunity align with what you care about? If it does, what are the most important things on your schedule, and do you have enough resources and time to say yes to the opportunity? Lastly, if it is important and time is tight, is there something you can give up on to take the opportunity on? Business development is probably one of the most important things you can do for your career, yet it's one of the first areas the professionals let slide when time gets tough. Great rainmakers have a roadmap for what they are going to do in terms of business development. You have to be proactive with your time and have the clarity to know what the most important things are so they don't get pushed aside. Shawn's team works in eight-week cycles which have been transformative for his business. The first six weeks are focused work time for clearly defined projects and the following week is a buffer for review. The eighth week is time off for the entire team. This work cycle structure allows Shawn's team to accomplish more in less time while also building in time to recover and celebrate what they have achieved. Mentioned in this Episode: GrowBIGPlaybook.com thefocuscourse.com