small business expert Archives - Page 8 of 9

SBM #35 – Motivation and Inspiration

Tagged as: entrepreneur, goal, inspiration, motivation, small business, small business expert, Small Business Minute, success

Everyone one of us needs to be motivated and inspired occasionally. Although successful entrepreneurs are inherently self motivated but none the less they still look for opportunities to keep themselves in the right frame of mind.

Being inspired or motivated is only half the required elements to achievement. The other half is action.

“Being motivated and inspired has little or no value if you don’t put anything into action.”

The biggest difference between successful and struggling entrepreneurs is action. Being motivated and inspired has little or no value if you don’t put anything into action. Spewing forth motivational quotes or inspirational stories is nothing more than a feel good exercise when you fail to take any steps towards accomplishing your goals.

“Turning your inspiration in to action is not always easy.”

Committing to doing something and actually doing it is the true test of being inspired. Wanting to do something and doing it are two entirely different things. Turning your inspiration in to action is not always easy.

The same applies for motivation. Alone, it will do nothing for you if you don’t have a plan. That plan should consist of all the steps required to achieve your objective.

Having all the necessary steps clearly laid out ahead of time will make taking those first steps much easier and will give you the momentum you need to launch yourself toward your goal when motivation and inspiration meet.

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Get More LIFE Out of Your Business

You shouldn’t be the hardest working person in your company.

Many small business owners find that even after the struggling start-up years, they’re working too many hours and still managing every aspect of their businesses.

Greg Weatherdon has been there, done that. As an entrepreneur, he learned not only how to get a business to the point of running smoothly, but also how to reduce the number of hours he worked, delegate more responsibility to his employees, and take longer vacations while his business chugged along like a well-oiled machine. And now he is providing the secret to success.

Do you suffer from any of the following?

1. Business ownership isn’t living up to the dream.
2. Endless workdays.
3. You can’t find good people.
4. Profits are less than expected.
5. You can never take a vacation.

You’re not alone. But there is a solution. As Greg demonstrates, with some time and effort, you really can Get More Life Out Of Your Business.

ORDER HERE

SBM #34- Processes- Shampoo, Rinse and Repeat

Tagged as: control, interruptions, mantra, process, repeat, rinse, shampo, small business, small business expert, Small Business Minute, success, tasks

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Many business owners complain that they never seem to get anything accomplished during normal business hours because they are constantly being interrupted to deal with relatively unimportant issues. As the business grows the interruptions just keep on multiplying.

This happens because when they first started out they were accustomed to doing everything, because they were it and only had to take care of themselves. They handled every issue. But as the company grew, they didn’t realize that they need to find an alternative, so they continue running the business like they’ve always done, only to see the number of decisions they need to make expand exponentially. And why not? Every other successful owner is doing the same. Right?

It’s easy to say that they should just delegate more. But before doing so you need to establish processes to ensure that regular, everyday activities get executed in a consistent and predictable manner.

“It’s akin to washing your hair – Shampoo, Rinse and Repeat!”

The purpose of processes is that once established, allow the organization to operate without the need for constant input or direction from the owner. It’s akin to washing your hair – Shampoo, Rinse and Repeat! Simple straight forward steps to accomplish a task in a manner that everyone can understand.

The first step is to clearly identify ongoing tasks. Then, writing a step by step process that can be executed by anyone in the organization and I emphasize anyone, so they need to be clear. Doing so establishes clear direction on how things are to be done in your organization.

The upside of establishing processes is that gradually you’ll regain control of your day and allow you to begin focusing on the long term priorities, instead of the day to day activities and you won’t be doing important after hours.

Shampoo, Rinse and Repeat are clear simple instructions that should be your mantra when creating effective processes.

You may also enjoy Want To Make It Better?

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Get More LIFE Out of Your Business

You shouldn’t be the hardest working person in your company.

Many small business owners find that even after the struggling start-up years, they’re working too many hours and still managing every aspect of their businesses.

Do you suffer from any of the following?

1. Business ownership isn’t living up to the dream.
2. Endless workdays.
3. You can’t find good people.
4. Profits are less than expected.
5. You can never take a vacation.

You’re not alone. But there is a solution. As Greg demonstrates, with some time and effort, you really can Get More Life Out Of Your Business.

ORDER HERE

SBM #33- Responsibility & Authority

Tagged as: contradictory, customer service, entrepreneur, problem solving, profitability, selling your business, small business, small business expert, Small Business Minute

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

A common mistake entrepreneurs make is that they expect their employees to take responsibility for the job they are tasked to do but fail to give them the authority they need.

“It’s a little contradictory and more than frustrating for your team.”

This is particularly evident in customer service or customer facing positions. We tell our team that we want to provide the best customer service or experience, yet what typically happens is the individual is powerless to deliver on that promise without first checking with the owner or manager. It’s a little contradictory and more than frustrating for your team.

Additionally, by giving them the authority to solve the problem immediately for the customer, you’ve just increased the overall efficiency of that area and thereby reduced your costs. How so? It’s simple math. Think about it this way; a customer calls with an issue. The team member listens to the problem but even though they most likely know what should be done they don’t have the authority to remedy the situation because they need to check with the owner.

So they take down the information and tell the customer they’ll get back to them. Now they need to track you down and most likely to be told the exact same thing they were thinking of in the first place. How much time got wasted? How often during the day, week or month does this happen? I repeat, how much time was wasted?

“Giving them the authority to go along with the responsibility, everybody wins!”

Most employees with any tenure know their limitations and will usually stay on side with your wishes and for those rare occasions when they get a little too generous, let them know and provide them with alternatives. This would be another teaching moment.

By giving them the authority to go along with the responsibility, everybody wins!

Find out more about Teaching Moments here

If you found this helpful, Tweet, Like or tell a friend.

Get More LIFE Out of Your Business

You shouldn’t be the hardest working person in your company.

Many small business owners find that even after the struggling start-up years, they’re working too many hours and still managing every aspect of their businesses.

Do you suffer from any of the following?

1. Business ownership isn’t living up to the dream.
2. Endless workdays.
3. You can’t find good people.
4. Profits are less than expected.
5. You can never take a vacation.

You’re not alone. But there is a solution. As Greg demonstrates, with some time and effort, you really can Get More Life Out Of Your Business.

ORDER HERE

SBM #17 – Small Gains = Big Rewards

Tagged as: bottom line, Canada, efficiency, gains, operational, rewards, small business expert, waste

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Trying to increase the profitability of our business is always at the forefront of our thoughts and that usually revolves around looking for the next big idea, product or service that we can offer our customers.

Many times this makes perfect sense, especially if we’re confident we have maximized the opportunities within our current clients, products and operations. Unfortunately, more often than not, we have done neither and are simply looking for something new to play with, something to get us excited simply because we may be a little bored with the status quo.

So before we waste untold amount of time looking for that “new whatever”, why not look internally for those efficiency gains? Streamlining your processes can lead to increased productivity and reduced overheads by doing more with less and getting rid of waste.

Small Gains = Big Rewards

Here’s a couple of simple examples to prime your thinking.

1. Can you get a cheaper cell phone plan for your company? If you pay for three phones and reduce the monthly bill by $50, it’s an instant $600 to your bottom line.
2. Got dead inventory? Blow it out and turn it into cash because right now it’s worth $0 and tying up real estate.
3. Got vehicles, what kind of volume discount are you getting on fuel? Many national fuel companies offer volume discounts.

Taking the time to dig deep into the operational side of your business can free up thousands of dollars a year without having to find new customers. Is it exciting? Nope, but Small Gains = Big Rewards!

If you found this helpful, Tweet, Like or tell a friend.

Get More LIFE Out of Your Business

You shouldn’t be the hardest working person in your company.

Many small business owners find that even after the struggling start-up years, they’re working too many hours and still managing every aspect of their businesses.

Do you suffer from any of the following?

1. Business ownership isn’t living up to the dream.
2. Endless workdays.
3. You can’t find good people.
4. Profits are less than expected.
5. You can never take a vacation.

You’re not alone. But there is a solution. As Greg demonstrates, with some time and effort, you really can Get More Life Out Of Your Business.

ORDER HERE

SBM #12- Leadership

Tagged as: empower, leaders, leadership, managers, professional speaker, small business expert, Small Business Minute

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Being a great leader is about helping others achieve, it’s not a position, it’s an attitude and anyone can be a leader, no matter where you are in an organization.

Great leaders work hard and are humble.

Great leaders are empathetic and they have an uncanny ability to see around corners.

Great leaders engage and empower their people. Tweet this!

Great leaders act as coaches and mentors,

There is this great saying I once heard and it goes something like this:

“When I talk to managers, I get the feeling that they are important but when I talk to leaders I get the feeling that I am important”

True leaders, have your back, they create an environment of trust and they won’t be throwing you under the bus.

And lastly, true leaders take all the blame and give away all the credit.

A study by Leadership IQ showed that individuals who are engaged with leaders for 6 or more hours a week are

29% more inspired
30% more engaged
15% more motivated
10% more innovative

I don’t know about you, but I’ll take an inspired, engaged, motivated and innovative staff over the alternative, any day.

So are you a leader?

If you found this helpful, Tweet, Like or tell a friend.

Get More LIFE Out of Your Business

You shouldn’t be the hardest working person in your company.

Many small business owners find that even after the struggling start-up years, they’re working too many hours and still managing every aspect of their businesses.

Do you suffer from any of the following?

1. Business ownership isn’t living up to the dream.
2. Endless workdays.
3. You can’t find good people.
4. Profits are less than expected.
5. You can never take a vacation.

You’re not alone. But there is a solution. As Greg demonstrates, with some time and effort, you really can Get More Life Out Of Your Business.

ORDER HERE

SBM # 11 – Passion

Tagged as: business, daydreaming, entrepreneur, passion, professional speaker, Self- employment, small business, small business expert

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Entrepreneurship is currently all the rage. It’s the Pot of Gold at the end of the rainbow. It’s the magic elixir that will fix everyone’s problems and so many people are spending hours daydreaming about the life they will enjoy once they get into business.

Unfortunately for the uninitiated, going into business is very hard work and for the most part the reality of being in business doesn’t come anywhere near your dreams.

So if you’re bound and determined that being a business owner is on your horizon, you need to have one important ingredient- Passion.

Passion vs Excitement

Now don’t confusion true passion with excitement. Passion is your secret sauce, your silver bullet. Passion will keep you going when all hope has vanished. Passion is that internal flame that keeps burning long after you would have normally packed it in and quit, excitement won’t do any of that.

Believe me when I say, there is absolutely nothing wrong with dreaming about being in business. I’ve started thousands of businesses in my mind and the beauty is, it cost you nothing, so go ahead and dream. But if you’re going to turn your dream into reality, just make sure you choose the right dream and that you’re passionate about it.

If you found this helpful, Tweet, Like or tell a friend.

Get More LIFE Out of Your Business

You shouldn’t be the hardest working person in your company.

Many small business owners find that even after the struggling start-up years, they’re working too many hours and still managing every aspect of their businesses.

Do you suffer from any of the following?

1. Business ownership isn’t living up to the dream.
2. Endless workdays.
3. You can’t find good people.
4. Profits are less than expected.
5. You can never take a vacation.

You’re not alone. But there is a solution. As Greg demonstrates, with some time and effort, you really can Get More Life Out Of Your Business.

ORDER HERE

SBM #10 – Work Life Balance

Tagged as: Balance, being, Family, Life, present, small business expert, Small Business Minute, Teeter, Totter, Work

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

One of the biggest challenges entrepreneurs face doesn’t have anything to do with revenues or expenses, but has everything to do with achieving that elusive goal of Work Life Balance.

Starting a business requires a total commitment and dedication over an extended period of time because overnight successes are very rare.

Fortunately for most of us, we are blessed with a significant other who is willing to support our ambitions for extended periods of time but we must also live up to our end the deal and this is the challenge.

If the world was right, we should be able to have equal parts work and family time. But the world is not right.

In business, having Work Life Balance is akin to being on a teeter totter. One minute you’re in the air with your feet dangling, that would be work, the next you’re on the ground in control, that would like life and rarely are you ever equally balanced.

So instead of stressing over achieving that perfect balance every day, look to be 100% present in your life when possible.

If you found this helpful, Tweet, Like or tell a friend.

Get More LIFE Out of Your Business

You shouldn’t be the hardest working person in your company.

Many small business owners find that even after the struggling start-up years, they’re working too many hours and still managing every aspect of their businesses.

Do you suffer from any of the following?

1. Business ownership isn’t living up to the dream.
2. Endless workdays.
3. You can’t find good people.
4. Profits are less than expected.
5. You can never take a vacation.

You’re not alone. But there is a solution. As Greg demonstrates, with some time and effort, you really can Get More Life Out Of Your Business.

ORDER HERE

SBM #9 – The Blame Game

Tagged as: Blame, Canada, decision making, ego, entrepreneur, Keynote, self-esteem, small business expert, success

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Successful entrepreneurs rarely engage in the Blame Game. The Blame Game is when anything negative happens it’s always someone else’s fault and never theirs.

You see at the end of the day, we make the decision to proceed down a given path even when we’ve consulted or solicited input other professionals. And once we have gathered as much information as we think we’ll need, it is then we make the decision to proceed or not proceed. The operative word is “we”. Right, wrong or indifferent “we” make the decision and as a result we must wear the consequences of that decision.

Blame someone else

Of course it’s always easier to blame someone else as it protects our self-esteem or egos, but successful business owners rarely go there and when they do, they don’t stay long.

They understand they are going to get incomplete advice and that they’re going to make a wrong decision, but when that happens they chalk it up in the loss column and move on.

Wallowing in self-pity or playing the Blame Game is just counter-productive to the successful entrepreneur’s way of thinking.

If you found this helpful, Tweet, Like or tell a friend.

Get More LIFE Out of Your Business

You shouldn’t be the hardest working person in your company.

Many small business owners find that even after the struggling start-up years, they’re working too many hours and still managing every aspect of their businesses.

Do you suffer from any of the following?

1. Business ownership isn’t living up to the dream.
2. Endless workdays.
3. You can’t find good people.
4. Profits are less than expected.
5. You can never take a vacation.

You’re not alone. But there is a solution. As Greg demonstrates, with some time and effort, you really can Get More Life Out Of Your Business.

ORDER HERE

SBM #8- Checklists

Tagged as: Canada, checklist, Keynote, procedure, profit, small business expert, time, waste

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Successful entrepreneurs have long learned that identifying internal deficiencies can increase profitability far more quickly than the chasing new ideas.

These owners do not like waste. Wasted time, wasted effort equals wasted profits. Doing something over again because of carelessness, doesn’t sit well with them.

We’re all human

I’m not talking about the occasional mistake, heck, we’re all human. What I’m talking about is those recurring situations where individuals are just not paying attention, like sending a technician out after a job has be completed to adjust a setting or flip a switch that should have been done at the time of the initial install. Or what about the installer who continuously leaves items on the dock that then requires a separate trip to complete the job.

Creating checklists is a simple way of avoiding or least minimizing errors and errors cost money. When you consider a commercial airline pilot who performs hundreds of takeoffs and landings every year, you would think they could do so without a checklist, yet they go through the procedure every single time.

Adopting checklists may help you keep a little more profit in your pocket.

If you found this helpful, Tweet, Like or tell a friend.

Get More LIFE Out of Your Business

You shouldn’t be the hardest working person in your company.

Many small business owners find that even after the struggling start-up years, they’re working too many hours and still managing every aspect of their businesses.

Do you suffer from any of the following?

1. Business ownership isn’t living up to the dream.
2. Endless workdays.
3. You can’t find good people.
4. Profits are less than expected.
5. You can never take a vacation.

You’re not alone. But there is a solution. As Greg demonstrates, with some time and effort, you really can Get More Life Out Of Your Business.

ORDER HERE

SBM #7 – Growth For The Sake Of Growth

Tagged as: Canada, cash, credit, growth, Ottawa, revenue, small business, small business expert, staff

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Growth for the sake of growth is a dangerous strategy for most small businesses. By making revenue generation the prime mission of the company, it fails to take into account how the rest of the organization will execute the product or service delivery of the increased sales.

Risks

Assuming that everything else in the company will expand naturally as revenue grows, is wishful thinking. A small group of people can do amazing things when necessary, but as a company grows the need to add additional staff. This risks destabilizing a cohesive group as new personalities are added to the mix.

Additionally, the added requirements for cash or lines of credit may not be readily available when you actually need it most.

Sacrifices

Lastly, how much of a sacrifice are you prepared to make? To be sure, success demands sacrifices, but the trick is to acknowledge what these sacrifices might be and who they impact. Then have a conversation with all those affected to ensure you have their support and understanding.

Taking your business to the next level requires a full 360 degree assessment of your current business resources, identify any shortcomings and then put a plan in place to correct them. But above all else make sure this is what you truly want.

If you found this helpful, Tweet, Like or tell a friend.

Get More LIFE Out of Your Business

You shouldn’t be the hardest working person in your company.

Many small business owners find that even after the struggling start-up years, they’re working too many hours and still managing every aspect of their businesses.

Do you suffer from any of the following?

1. Business ownership isn’t living up to the dream.
2. Endless workdays.
3. You can’t find good people.
4. Profits are less than expected.
5. You can never take a vacation.

You’re not alone. But there is a solution. As Greg demonstrates, with some time and effort, you really can Get More Life Out Of Your Business.

ORDER HERE

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Tag: small business expert

SBM #35 – Motivation and Inspiration

Get More LIFE Out of Your Business

SBM #34- Processes- Shampoo, Rinse and Repeat

Get More LIFE Out of Your Business

SBM #33- Responsibility & Authority

Get More LIFE Out of Your Business

SBM #17 – Small Gains = Big Rewards

Get More LIFE Out of Your Business

SBM #12- Leadership

Get More LIFE Out of Your Business

SBM # 11 – Passion

Passion vs Excitement

Get More LIFE Out of Your Business

SBM #10 – Work Life Balance

Get More LIFE Out of Your Business

SBM #9 – The Blame Game

Blame someone else

Get More LIFE Out of Your Business

SBM #8- Checklists

We’re all human

Get More LIFE Out of Your Business

SBM #7 – Growth For The Sake Of Growth

Risks

Sacrifices

Get More LIFE Out of Your Business

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