success Archives - Page 2 of 3

SBM #74 – Average or Great

Tagged as: 360 degree, average, crisis, customers, entrepreneur, great, higher value, mode, performance, prevent, priorities, success, systems

We all know how much work it takes to survive, let alone thrive as an entrepreneur. We have all put in the long hours and have faced disappointments along with the successes that come with the territory. Some days, you’re just freaking awesome. On others, not so much. It just feels like you’re taking one step forward and two steps back. Such is the life we have chosen!

You work your butt off to get the business, but somewhere along the line you or your staff drops the ball and turn in a less than stellar performance. This typically results in a call from an unhappy client that until you picked up the phone, you were totally oblivious to any problem, and now you start to scramble. Not only do you scramble for the right words to appease the client, but you scramble for suitable solution that will hopefully make things right. Sometimes it’s a simple fix, but more often than not, it usually costs you a chunk of your day and worse, a chunk of your profits.

Crisis Moment

If we’re to be honest, this has happened to everyone on occasion, but what really concerns me, is when this happens with such frequency it’s just accepted as another day paradise. Unfortunately, I see a lot of businesses that seem to operate in this constant crisis mode. If it wasn’t for the abilities of these owners to placate the customers, they would have ceased to exist long ago. But seriously, what a waste of energy, talent and resources.

If we could just step back for a moment and look how much effort goes into “making things right” with the customer, it really is a shame. What if all that energy could be focused on moving the company to the next level or to deal with higher value initiatives, instead of wasting it on fire fighting activities that should have never occurred?

How do you want it done?

The thing is, it takes just as much energy to have a great company as it does to have a mediocre one. The big difference is in order to create a great company, you need to take the initiative and be proactive by doing the following:

● You need to set the priorities.
● You need to train your people.
● You need to create the systems.
● You need to set the minimum acceptable performance thresholds.

If you noticed, the operative word being “you”! You have to roll up your sleeves and you have to figure out what you want and how you want it done.

In some ways, constantly operating in crisis mode is easier, you just let it happen and then react to it when it comes up. That way you can spend the rest of your time, if there is any, blissfully ignorant of all the problems. But this is a highly stressful way to run a business and your life and to be honest, it gets really tiresome after a while.

The right moment will never come

Alternatively, if you want a calmer work environment, then you’ll need to take a proactive approach. The problem is, it’s all about you. It all rests on your shoulders to start the transition. The challenge of course, if you’re already living in small business hell, is you’ll need to dig even deeper to find some time and the energy to start making the changes. Let me caution you, that if you think you need to wait for just the right moment start to making changes, you’re only fooling yourself, because that moment will never come.

So, in order to break this logjam of when to start, my best advice, is to start right where you are. Stop what you’re doing, take a deep breath and ask yourself these 5 questions:

● What is the current crisis you’re dealing with?
● What went wrong?
● Is this a recurring issue?
● What could I have done to prevent this?
● What can I do to prevent this from happening again?

When you ask these questions, make sure you do a 360 degree look at the situation. It’s really easy to lay the blame in the wrong area, because chances are it’s a combination of missteps. Throwing your hands up and saying you shouldn’t have to worry about this stuff is what got you here in the first place and is not going to fix anything. You do have to worry about this stuff.

It’s a teaching moment

Once you’ve identified the root cause of the problem, lay out a plan to ensure it doesn’t happen again and make sure everyone involved, knows.
You need to understand that people want to learn and to be better. It’s your job to teach them, because that’s what leaders do, to show them a better way. So, this is not a time for screaming and yelling, it’s a teaching moment.

Hoping and praying that things will get better all on their own, is a fallacy. When you started your company you had a vision. Unfortunately, somewhere along way it has gone sideways and now you find yourself wondering what you’ve got yourself into and you’re probably tired of it.

Letting people know what you expect done, how you expect it done and when you expect it done, will go a long way to transition your business from average to great.

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 #71 – The One Thing

Tagged as: Billy Crystal, City Slickers, entrepreneur, greg weatherdon, Jack Palance, money, profitability, revenue, small business, small business expert, Small Business Minute, stress, struggles, success

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

In the movie City Slickers, Jack Palance’s character Curly and Billy Crystal’s character Mitch are riding along having a bonding moment, when Curly turns to Mitch and asks,

Curly: Do you know what the secret to life is?

Mitch: No What?

Curly: This! (As he holds up one finger)

Mitch: Your finger?

Curly: One thing. Just one thing. You stick to that and everything else doesn’t mean (expletive).

Mitch: That’s great, but what’s the one thing?

Curly: That’s what you gotta figure out

I’m always reminded of that scene whenever I ask my clients “What’s the number one thing every business needs in order to succeed?” Inevitably, I get a number of different answers that include reputation, a good product, good customer service, great staff, hard work and so on.

Quite frankly they’re all wonderful valid answers and easily qualify within the top 5 items, but not what I consider the most important item. However, every once in a while, I get the answer I’m looking for, and that answer is money!

Try doing anything without money

Money pays the rent, the staff, the new pc’s, product or service development, etc. It’s what keeps the lights on. Money affords you the opportunity to create great products or services. Money allows you to provide great customer service. Money allows you to provide a great work environment. Don’t believe me? Try doing anything in your business without money.

Generating profitable revenue, getting paid and controlling expenses are the key elements to getting money. Do enough of these you’re your bank account grows. I know this sounds pretty simplistic to many, but unfortunately, countless owners don’t get it. What I typical come across are owners spending their time on non-revenue generating activities. Although they’re busy, these activities are just a waste of time and are usually a substitute for doing the things that they should be doing, but don’t like doing, such as a prospecting, follow up calls or networking.

The thing is, the longer they put off doing the important stuff, the longer they’ll struggle. What they fail to realize is that they only have to do these uncomfortable tasks until such time as they can afford to hire someone else to do them. Therefore, it’s in their best interest to focus as much of their attention on generating as much profitable revenue as possible.

Other reasons for building a healthy bank balance is to avoid stress. Running a small business is full of stress and an opportunity to minimize the any of it, is welcomed. Having a healthy bank balance means not stressing over making payroll or paying your suppliers. Having money in your account means being able to take a regular paycheque.

Weather any storm

One of the biggest benefits to having money in the account, is being able to weather any form of revenue drought. Over the course of the 17 years I owned the Marketing Resource Group, we would inevitably have one month of the year where revenues would go to zero. Not just slow down, but really go to zero!

When it first happened, I remember getting very concerned wondering what the heck was going on. Had our service model run its course? Had our clients found another supplier? Had they found an alternative solution? It’s the kind of thing that could really ruin your day, week or month and keep you up at nights.

The first time it occurred was in January, I justified it by saying our clients are just a slow getting back into the swing of things following the Christmas holidays. The next year, it happened again, but this time in March. Once again, I was stressing over it. However, when revenue recovered the following month, I chalked it up to Spring Break distracting my clients. Year over year in continued to happen, but strangely never the same month. Fortunately, as time went on, it became a non event and I just accepted the fact that we would lose a month of revenue every year.

Maintain discipline

The upside of this, is that those quiet months would give us almost four weeks in which to get caught up on a ton of housekeeping activities that we couldn’t get done the rest of the year. Eventually, we actually, planned these activities for our down month. All this to say, that this is another luxury of having money in the account. We didn’t panic, or should I say I didn’t panic anymore. We didn’t rush out and change our strategy or desperately take on any old piece of business just to generate some cash. And we didn’t lay off anyone. We just kept doing what we had always done. We maintained our discipline in targeting those clients we wanted to do business with and with full confidence that the business would return to normal. You can’t do that when your account is empty.

I do recognize, that having money tempts us to get little careless and spend it on “nice to have, versus need to have” items. But those temptations are easier and less stressful to deal with, than having no money.

Curly might be right, that as individuals we each must find our own “one thing” but when it comes to owning a business, there is only one thing, and that’s money!

You may also enjoy Pricing For Profit

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

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

READING TIME: 5 minutes

Discipline is not always a strong suit when it comes to describing many entrepreneurs, it just goes against their rebel nature. One of the main reasons they went out on their own is because they figured they could do a better job, make more money and have a better life, but to do it their way.

For many, their jack of all trade, get it done, whatever it takes the attitude, helped them launch their business, but this, not an enduring strategy if one wants to create a sustainable business. On second thought, it can be, if you enjoy long days, doing everything yourself and running around like your hair is on fire. Chances are though, this helter-skelter approach to running a business won’t get you to where you want because that requires discipline.

We can do whatever we want,
regardless if it’s productive or not.

Discipline is one of the most difficult habits for entrepreneurs to form. On any given day, distractions abound for these individuals. When coupled with not having a boss looking over your shoulder, it’s akin to leaving a child alone in a candy shop. We can do whatever we want, regardless if it’s productive or not.

This is why discipline is so hard. It’s almost like anti-freedom. It means you must do certain things, at certain times and these tasks become your new boss. However, over time, with enough practice this boss becomes your partner that shoulders much of the load. But first, you must embrace discipline, if you want to achieve freedom.

“I’ve got so much to do,
I don’t even know where to start?”

Embracing discipline means, identifying what’s truly important on a daily basis. In general terms, what’s truly important can be summed up as follows- “Any task that can move the business forward, by eliminating restrictions or generating revenue.” These important items can cover multiple areas of the business that range from preparing estimates to dealing with customer problems or handling those niggling HR issues. You need to make them your daily priority even though they may be unpleasant. By not addressing these, less than fun priorities, they start to pile up and eventually generate so much stress that it can become paralyzing. Just think how many times you have said, “I’ve got so much to do, I don’t even know where to start?”

A daily dose of discipline,
in exchange for tremendous freedom,
is a fair trade.

For many, it’s because we let other more interesting things distract us. Notice I said more interesting and not productive. These more interesting distractions often taking us down endless rabbit holes, that although keep us entertained, do little to move the business forward. Yes, discipline means doing things even when we don’t want to.

The Cambridge dictionary defines disciple as “the ability to control yourself or other people, even in difficult situations”. This sounds simple enough, but it’s easier said than done. For most of us though, we have to dig really deep to stay on task every single day. I know I have to. But to be honest, a daily dose of discipline, in exchange for tremendous freedom, is a fair trade.

Being individuals, it’s hard to prescribe a single solution that works for all, but here are 5 steps you can take to help you get those really important things done everyday that could help you to get that elusive freedom we all seek.

The 5 Steps

Make a list of every single outstanding issue you need to deal with.
Rank them by the most urgent to least urgent. Urgent should be those items that directly affect the business, good or bad. These are usually the things that keep you up at night.
Circle the top 3 items and action them. This sounds simple enough, but this can be especially difficult when these items make you uncomfortable or where your natural instinct is to keep ignoring the issue. Layer on all other day to day distractions and your day will be full.
Repeat this every day adding in new items, deleting completed ones and dealing with the top 3 and you’ll soon find yourself sleeping a little better and feeling more in control of your world.
Lastly and probably most important, is to find that time of day when you’re most productive and creative. For me, it’s first thing in the morning, for others it’s late at night. Once you identify your most productive time, embrace and protect it. Use this time to complete those items that require deeper concentration. To be sure, some items just can’t be completed in the wee hours of the morning, like disciplining a staff member, as it’s usually frown upon to contact them a 5am. However, prepping for that meeting is something that can be done before the sun is up.

Identifying priorities in a business can be challenging, because when we’re overwhelmed, everything appears to be a priority. But getting things under control will require discipline. So, try the above 5 steps for the next month, because they say it takes 30 days to create a habit and this is one good habit to have.

So, if you’re tired of always being stressed out and not having time for yourself, maybe it’s time to apply a little discipline to your daily routine. Because discipline equals freedom.

You may also enjoy Know Your Strengths

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 #57 Recognition

Tagged as: appreciation, employee, entrepreneur, job satisfaction, leadership, motivation, professional speaker, small business expert, Small Business Minute, staff, success, trickle down

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Recognition is the easiest and most effective way to motivate employees, yet remarkably, one of the least used.¬ Entrepreneurs spend endless hours trying to figure out how to motivate their teams, yet ignore this basic human need.

A little research will show that there are an untold number of studies that rank recognition, or appreciation for their work, in the top 10 qualities that lead to job satisfaction, often placing it as the number one item.

The funny thing is, this is not revolutionary. I remember being a young manager in the pre-digital age and regularly coming across articles stating the exact same thing. A different time, a different generation, yet the very same piece of advice for managers. Tom Peters, in his seminal book, In Search of Excellence, stated that “we need to catch people doing something right”!

What about all the good?

All too often we’re quick to notice when something goes awry, we lose no time in bringing the misstep to the guilty party’s attention. Yet, how often have we ignored the many good things that same individual does? Is it because we take the position that it’s their job to do it right and that’s what I’m paying them for?

Catching people doing something right requires very little effort and only entails you to be on the lookout for those moments. Recognition of a job well done can have a significant impact on morale, on profitability as well as innovation.

Build confidence

Think about it for second. You catch someone doing something really well or took the initiative to try something new. At this point you thank them and let them know you’re pleased. So, what do think happens next? Well, it’s been my experience that a smile usually breaks across the individual face. Even the most grizzled employee will probably soften for a moment. That small action on your part signals that what they do, matters. It builds their confidence, all because someone noticed.

Let’s face it, we all like to be recognized. We all enjoy the occasional pat on the back. Don’t you beam just a little when a customer says, you did a great job? Well your employees are no different. Seriously, how much effort does it take to acknowledge a job well done? Very little!

Just a little effort

If you train yourself to be on the outlook, you’ll find plenty of moments to praise. Just be sure to be sincere. The following are just a couple of examples to prime your thinking

You overhear an employee on the phone with a customer and you’re impressed at how they handled the situation. So as soon as the call is completed, let them know that you were impressed and thank them for caring. You can’t wait until later. It must be done immediately after the call is completed to maximize it’s impact.

You task someone to query your customer database for a list of customers that either bought a specific product or service. Not only does the individual provide you what you asked for, but took it a step farther and provided a list of potential targets of that service or product.

Another employee, shares with you something a co-worker did to go the extra mile or how they helped another employee. You first thank the employee for bringing to your attention and then immediately let the other employee know that you appreciate what they did. That’s a double in my books.

It really does matter

These types of situations happen everyday in thousand of business, without the owners ever acknowledging the individuals for going the extra distance. Too be fair, many entrepreneurs do recognize the effort, but fail to let the employee know because they get busy and forget or they don’t think it matters. Let me be very clear on this point, it does matter!

By regularly acknowledging peoples good work, you set the stage for people to give a little more or try a little harder. By letting them know their efforts are appreciated, they will go the extra mile and the impact will have a trickle down effect throughout the organization that will be noticeable.

The beauty of catching people doing good is that it doesn’t cost anything. The reward is the recognition and knowing they are appreciated. So, I challenge you to spend the next week catching people doing good, and see if there is even the slightest change in morale. What have you got to lose?

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 #55 – Are You Ready?

Tagged as: benchmark, depression, economic downturn, entrepreneur, expenses, overtime, ready, recession, small business expert, success, walkaround

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

The economy is humming along and your sales are doing just fine. As a matter of fact, things are actually pretty good. That’s why this is exactly the time you should heed that famous Boy Scout motto to “Always be Prepared”. Great advice, but be prepared for what?

Every seven years

On average, there is an economic downturn of some sorts every seven years. Sometimes a little longer, sometimes a little sooner, but seven years on average. Yet when they do happen, most owners seem to get caught totally off guard.

A slowdown, a recession, a depression, each one a little more serious than the other and each one can hurt your business. The trick to minimizing it’s impact, is to do a quick walkaround of your business. Much like every pilot does before takeoff. Why? Because when business is reasonably good, we tend to get a little too comfortable and take our eye off the some of the details.

We stop paying attention to the regular everyday expenses like the wireless phone bills, the internet or the various insurances policies. Or maybe we’ve let our receivables stretch out a little longer than we used to. What about overtime? Is anybody paying attention to it? Is it justified?

What would you cut?

What would happen if your revenue dropped by 20% -30% tomorrow? What expenses would you need to cut? How quickly could you do so? Most individuals can’t answer these questions because they just don’t know.

Making time now to review all your expenses is time well spent. It allows to rationally think things through, instead of being in crisis mode. Doing so now gives you time to explore all the alternatives available to you. For instance, can you use the postal service instead or a courier service? Does that package really need to get there the next day? Can you email invoices instead of mailing them?

If you have delivery or company vehicles, are you getting discounts on fuel by using a corporate fuel card? These cards give you a discount on every litre or gallon of fuel purchased. Over the course of the year this can really add up. If you haven’t been using them, now is the time to get them. Just remember, it’s easier to get credit when things are good?

No one noticed

One of the things I did when I first started out and continued with each startup, was to avoid lunch meetings. By scheduling client meetings before or after lunch, I avoided having to buy a prospective client lunch that I could ill afford. Later on, I would enforce this practice with my staff every time the economy took a downturn. It was easy to do and no one ever noticed. When things got better, we would selectively reinstate lunches.

Are you ready?

Using this kind of benchmark helps you focus on those extraneous expenses that have quietly crept into your business over the past few years. When, not if, a downturn comes, the last thing you want to be doing is trying to generate new business and cut expenses at the same. Doing it now, let’s you answer the question of – Are You Ready?, with a resounding yes!

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 #37- Limitations

Tagged as: ego, entrepreneur, hide, limitations, limits, small business, small business expert, Small Business Minute, success, weakness

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Whether we chose to admit it or not, every entrepreneur has limitations and failure to acknowledge them can become an anchor that limits our success.

“Unfortunately, most of us never seem to shake our start-up attitude”

Granted, during the start-up years we must do everything to get our enterprise off the ground and there are many things that we aren’t very good at. Fortunately, we only have to be good enough at our limitations until such time as we can hire people that are better at them.

Unfortunately, most of us never seem to shake our start-up attitude, even though we’re not start-ups any longer. Is it because we don’t want to show any weakness? Is it because we let our pride and ego get in the way? Are we afraid of what people will think? Or do we just not know any better? I’m not totally sure.

“What I do know is that most successful people never hide their limitations.”

What I do know is that most successful people never hide their limitations. They acknowledge their existence and build their companies with either employees or 3rd party resources that fill those gaps.

My advice is simple. Identify your limitations, then concentrate on the things that you are good at, and let others do what they’re good at. This will move your company forward at a much faster pace.

You may also enjoy Want To Get Better? Work At 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 #35 – Motivation and Inspiration

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

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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.

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 #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?

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 #32- Empathy-The Double Edged Sword!

Tagged as: Balance, decision making, Empathy, employees, entrepreneur, Goldilocks, leadership, Small Business Minute, success, The Three Bears

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Most successful entrepreneurs that I’ve met have a balanced approach to empathy, deep when required and non-existent when really necessary. On the other hand, I witness owners that aren’t so balanced.

Those that have too much empathy, frequently worry way too much how a given decision or request will be accepted by their employees and regularly succumb to the slightest resistance. This failure to follow through on their decision, even though deep down inside they know it’s the right to do, often limits their success or ability to move the company forward.

“In many cases these companies find it difficult to keep good people”

Conversely, having no empathy can be equally limiting. Individuals with no empathy are regularly referred to as tyrannical or worse by their employees. Right, wrong or indifferent these owners don’t care how their decisions will impact the individuals that work for the organization. It’s their way or the highway.

In many cases these companies find it difficult to keep good people because their lack of respect or don’t seek their input. More often than not, those companies are left with mediocre employees that are unwillingly or unable to leave even though they would like to.

Having a balanced approach to empathy is one of the best attributes a leader can have. Taking into account the impact and feelings a decision can have on employees and then adjusting if they receive valid feedback. It’s a sign that you respect and appreciate input and that you are open to feedback.

“Taking the time to explain, goes a long way”

There are occasions when a decision is not open to debate. It could be a change in direction, a new policy or any number of unpleasant decisions we as owners are forced to make once in a while. In these situations, simply taking the time to explain the rationale for the decision, goes a long way to minimizing any hard feelings.

Having the right balance of empathy is akin to the beds in Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Not too soft, not too hard, but just right.

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 #27- Fear of Decisions

Tagged as: bike, decisions, Dr. Phil, entrepreneur, entrepreneurial, failure, Mistakes, optimist, paralyze, success

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

As entrepreneurs, we are faced with a daily buffet of decisions we must make. Some days the sheer quantity can overwhelm and dishearten an individual. Granted many decisions are simple and require little or no effort, however they all aren’t and this can really cripple an individual if they’re afraid to make a mistake.

The saying “I’ve learned more from my failures than my successes” is one often expressed by many successful entrepreneurs. They learned early on that failure is a big part of being successful. What you learn and how you apply that lesson, is the true test of your ability to survive the entrepreneurial journey.

Dr. Phil

Most of us didn’t learn to ride a bike on the first try. We fell, got up and tried again and again until we got it, then pedaled off to freedom. Somewhere along the line we lost that innocence and started worrying about all sorts of unimportant things, like what people are going to say or think about us if we fail? I believe it was Dr. Phil who said that “If you’re worried about what people are going to think, you’d be surprised how little they care!” In other words, we’re never as important as we like to think we are.

What If?

Being the eternal optimist, I prefer to look at decisions from the perspective of “What if I’m right?” I find that we’re right more often than we’re wrong and the more decisions we make the better we get at the process. That of course assumes we take the time to review both our successes and failure so that we may learn from each.

So don’t let the fear of making a mistake paralyze you.

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

« 1 2 3 »

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We can do whatever we want,
regardless if it’s productive or not.

“I’ve got so much to do,
I don’t even know where to start?”

A daily dose of discipline,
in exchange for tremendous freedom,
is a fair trade.