“Your business has potential!” What a horrible thing to say!
Potential sounds full of optimism, and it is… at first. However, the longer you sit with potential the worse it is. E.g. A brand new business launched into the right market on the back of a good idea and a sound plan, has exciting potential. A 10 year old business which has not grown much for the past 4 years may still have some potential but it is definitely no longer exciting. There are problems that need addressing.
How to avoid the people problems that will stop your small business growing
You start out with a skill and a business idea. You make some plans and find some resources to get started. If you start to help people your business will grow to the point where you need to add people. Every person you add multiplies the potential for people problems. You have to trust other people with aspects of running your business. The challenge is made greater because in the early stages you as business owner are still hands on working in the business. And, managing people is probably something you have never been trained to do.
How to lead an engaging team discussion where everyone leans in and no-one falls asleep
In a business near you. It is Friday morning. Everyone is required to arrive early and be ready to listen to the boss talk for 25 minutes about matters they think important. Usually how the team needs to lift their game. Everyone listens but no-one leaves inspired. The boss speaks. People listen but rarely ask questions. And if there is team discussion it is rarely useful. No-one comes prepared with ideas. It is a time that is endured which adds little to the health or success of the business.
Business Owners – Afraid You Have Signed Up for a 60 Hour a Week Job?
Business owners are among the most motivated and hardest working people on the planet. They have invested their money and often mortgaged their house to buy or launch a business. Usually the motivation is linked to having new levels of freedom, flexibility and fulfillment which they have not had working for a boss. Most business owners are happy to work extra hours in the first couple of years in the belief that over time the new business will open up a better lifestyle for their family.
However, the reality is often quite different.
Busy but unproductive – 5 things business people always do that slow their progress
Busy but Unproductive? The classic response when you ask a business person how they are going is for them to say, "Fine thanks, but very busy." From morning to night they are running with more things to do than there are hours in the day. Busy has become a bit of a...
Why You Are Most Blind to Your Own Business Mistakes
It is amazing how easily we can see how other business people can improve their businesses. Looking in from outside next steps appear obvious. With the little knowledge we have of their situation we can easily become critical of their poor decisions and tentative actions that lead to business mistakes. We wonder out loud, “What were they thinking?”
Everyone has 20/20 hindsight. However in the midst of the challenges and busyness of everyday life it is easy to overlook important things. We become absorbed in unproductive activity. At the time such activity seems very important. Only with perspective and hindsight can we see clearly.
Small Steps Are Best
Small steps can feel too easy Last year I was experiencing excruciating pain in my knees especially if I had to sit still for more than 30 minutes. Driving became a huge challenge. After I had to stand through a movie at a local cinema I decided it was time to get...
How To Create Your 2017 Master Plan
Over the Christmas / New Year holidays, my wife Jo and I will be creating our 2017 Master Plan. Over the past 6 years we have discovered a powerful way to plan for the coming year. We both run businesses and are quite driven to succeed. Life can be very hectic and is...
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