Its all about business.

Archive for December, 2007

How to create structural integrity in your business

Dec 30

Posted by Steve Gray in Excellence!, Franchisees, Franchising, Planning, Risk Management, The Board Room | No Comments

From an original article on various business success pointers, here are the individual “how to” possible options for you to explore.

Structural integrity
The systems and procedures for your business are vital to ensuring a solid foundation and the supporting structures up from there are suitable. The aim with developing structural integrity is to ensure that “when the wind blows” the house stays in tact, or when it rains and a tornado comes through after it that you have the ability to get the business back on track quickly.

Depending on the business will depend on how you plan to develop the structures to keep things in place. If it’s a retail store you might keep some stock off site, the same with databases and records in the event of sabotage (yes staff can do it to you if they are displeased…) or a natural disaster, you have a back up.

You can extend the idea right through the business to leadership, HR policies and so on, so that the organisations backbone is supported by healthy muscles, all finely worked and tuned to provide the right amount of support.

To begin working with ideas on structural integrity you would probably start with looking at the values and beliefs the business has and how the ‘culture’ supports that and vice versa, then you can identify strengths and weaknesses and start to see the spots to tackle.

How to create a sustainable and robust business

Dec 29

Posted by Steve Gray in Excellence!, Franchisees, Franchising, Planning, Risk Management, The Board Room | No Comments

From an original article on various business success pointers, here are the individual “how to” possible options for you to explore.

Sustainable and Robust
When you start up in business you probably do so wanting it to last, so you can get more than just the $$ it cost you to get started. So you need to think about what will make the business sustainable and strong so it can last. Ideally you will want to set up a profitable passive income device so that you can reap the rewards of being in business without having to be there.

Sustainable will probably mean your industry niche is one that means people will be require what you have for a long time to come, it may be a flexible area so that you can go with the flow and include new innovations with ease.

A robust business could be seen as one that has good investments in place that create passive income returns JUST for the business, so that it can be supported by its own wealth. This can be done by putting away a percentage of profits, so that in the event of a disaster happening you can weather the storm. (You still need insurance though!)

These are just some of the ways to create a strong business and over time I suggest you add these points to discussions you have on business planning, this way you can really know that they are being considered and acted on for the future.

Retain and engage staff, or else…

Dec 23

Posted by Steve Gray in Excellence!, Human Resource Management, Leadership, People!, Personal Development, Planning, Risk Management | No Comments

In the race to maintain and or grow their business many business operators find another hurdle that pops up far to easily, and that’s staff turnover. Some call it churn, but whatever you call it it costs the business $$.

Some businesses try to keep their wages above the award rates in the hope it will keep people in the business and not move on. Some use other tactics to retain the employees and even engage them further than the usual 9 – 5 arrangement.

In reality a lot has been written on this subject over many years and the fact that it is still a major issue is testament to the fact that not a lot has been done, or not a lot of understanding about the issue has filtered it’s way through.

Whatever the situation and the outcome, the effective engagement and retention of staff requires innovative approaches to ensure they are mentally stimulated enough to want to hang around and give positive input rather than just being driven by the $$.

Over time people can fade in their energy and interest levels, and this can have wide ranging effects on productivity, leadership, communication and probably a whole raft of other things in the business. So to ensure ongoing engagement, a variety of techniques should be employed, not just one.

Giving cash is one thing, but it’s often a short term fix, giving training is a good option, but should not be the only option as not all people want to be taken away from their work to attend leadership training for example. The astute business needs to find ways to adapt to the person and become more flexible in the delivery of retention devices.

Issues around working hours, family friendly work practices, and now health schemes are becoming more obvious as options for the team. Again innovative approaches need to be used to implement and develop these practices so the staff member can not grow or feel complacent, but rather feel more valued as the various options get rolled out.

Imagine a workplace where a range of options were put to staff, where they could elect some of the options to retain them, then there are more options they do not get to choose but are put in place as well (formal and informal training for example.) The upshot of all this is that an employee feels valued, to the point where they don’t want to go elsewhere, they want to simply contribute at 110%.

In an age where quality workers are lured by better players in the market any employer needs to consider the best ways to get and keep the best players, otherwise their business could find itself on the scrap heap faster than it might care to know about.

A moment or three to reflect…

Dec 19

Posted by Steve Gray in Chill out!, Innovation and Creativity | No Comments

I was out and about today, the roads getting busy with Christmas shoppers, the car radio warbling with the odd Xmas song (yes I mean XMAS!) and I had to make two trips to the one location to collect some gear for a client, as well as two trips to another spot out much further than I would usually venture, but such was the task at hand.

It meant I had to negotiate my way around the back of a disused reception centre, it has a fairly leafy fernery out the back, out the back of that is what appears to have once been a nursery, overgrown and messy.

It took about nine trips to my vehicle loading up the various ‘bits’, I went from full sun and the noise of a busy road to the cool shade a muted tones of the traffic in the background. Tall ferns and deep green lattice under the cover of a huge roofed in pergola created a “solid slice of serenity” in my busy day.

Not long after I started I noticed a sound I had not heard for a very long time, a bull frog. The deep “Breebit” sound it made was short and deep, very resonant. At about trip seven back from the car I wanted to find the frog amongst the ferns and watch it. I got close and found a pond with lots of growth, green froth I guess it was tadpole eggs and slowly as I peered into the water emerged a few gold fish, very light, almost translucent white, slowly they moved gracefully amongst the ideal green growth.

I crouched down and waited, I was just a few feet back from the edge, finally after about a minute “Breebit” I honed my senses a bit more and moved closer I was sure I had located the area where the frog would be, I waited again.

The background muted traffic faded even more as I waited for signs of movement, signs of ‘frog life’ and I waited… “Breeeebit” I now had a better idea of where it was located and I watched, intrigued, deep in thought. I recalled watching and catching frogs and tadpoles as a kid… muddy farm dams with long reeds the frogs would easily hide in… I was transfixed on one spot… nothing.

My hustle and bustle day had folded in on itself, I was not concerned about what I had to do next, I was not hassled by the thought of the phone ringing… none of it mattered, I looked around (conscious that if you stand in one spot and it happens to have an ants nest nearby you can become a painful snack…) No ants.

I breathed easy enjoying the serene scene before me, wait where did that fish go? How come this pond has survived so well without any tending by people to top up the water? Oh yeah it’s in a shaded area of a fernery… very nice too. No frog, not a sign of it.

Standing up I noticed that the area was well protected against any predators so the frog had a great chance to thrive, the environment was fairly ideal really… I took a few steps in another direction to see if I could get a better view of the frog, no luck not a sign, not a peep.

For a while as I finished off my tasks I was more relaxed, breathing with ease, noting how my thoughts were strongly tinged with green lush foliage and a calm smooth pond that formed a trigger in my mind for quieter reflection.

I never got to see the frog, I managed to hear it once more as I left, I felt as if it was toying with me. The rest of my day was guilt free, not a rushed moment, not a hassle not a care really for the tasks ahead, just a sense of knowing I had stopped to reflect, to make time to “stop and smell the roses” as they say. I had a good day and was thankful the client had given me a nice little task.

In our busy business lives we often get too bogged down in the daily grind… now ask yourself, what can I do to take a moment or three to reflect? Guilt free, openly almost in defiance of the hustle and bustle we might have in front of us. What’s your story, your point of reflection, your time to connect deeper and relax, even if it is for just a fleeting moment…

Successful business 21+ list

Dec 17

Posted by Steve Gray in Excellence!, Planning, Starting out in business, The Board Room | 3 Comments

Okay so I like lists, let’s face it they give us readily accessible starting points to build with, so lets jump in and see what a successful business should have.

  1. Sustainable and Robust – So it will last and be strong as well. Who wants a business, which will fall over with the slightest puff of wind?
  2. Structural integrity – The systems and procedures are built from a solid foundation. With no foundation how can we expect a building to stand for long, it’s the same with any business.
  3. Growth ability – Wealth is not a dirty word, it’s a leverage point, you want the business to grow so that it can absorb future price increases and be ab le to handle any changes that come along unexpectedly.
  4. It’s readily understood - By the clients and the staff, if you are in a niche the niche should understand it. Clarity can lead to power.
  5. Profitable – At the end of the day it’s what’s left in the kitty that counts. With no profit you’re a charity or a hobby, which do you want?…
  6. Strong brand - The customers know your brand or are getting to realise it has longevity.
  7. People love it! – Customers and staff alike love the business and what it does, heck why have a business that people despise? Go for love, it’s much better.
  8. Fills a need and or want – Preferably both. No need for what you have? No sales, therefore no business.
  9. Easily saleable products and services – You want people to buy, not to um and err then walk away, so it should be easy for them to select what they want and then make the purchase with great peace of mind.
  10. Enjoyable to run – Who wants a business which is a hassle? Who wants to work in a tough field? No one… make it a joy to be part of for you and staff that will rub off onto the customers over time.
  11. Overheads are covered easily – Overheads are often the thing that break the camels back, so make it easy for the camel and take the pressure off, in this case keeping the turnover and cash flow up so the overheads are not a challenge EVER! (I know, easier said than done…)
  12. Upholds great values - People love it when you are on a positive footing and in the values area its a great place to start (integrity – honesty etc.).
  13. Train to win/win – You and your staff are trained to make the whole show win, then the customers can win too. A great position to get to and stay in.
  14. Market leading Unique Selling Point/s – This will set you apart from the competition, then your aim is to make it known to everyone, therefore they will pick you over the competition, If they don’t they are crazy right?
  15. Duplicable – You can franchise this in an instant, or open other branches, either way its easy to duplicate (usually means it’s easy to run).
  16. Readily/easily established – You don’t want a business to take forever to get up to speed, you open and its up and running fast.
  17. Easy to plan – Your foundation will ensure the basics are in place, and from here the business plan is a breeze, if not you will avoid the business plan and lose sight of your goals. And of course have the plan on paper.
  18. Able to take massive action – In an instant, to get ahead, to make a stand, to stand apart, to innovate, to lead, to penetrate deeper. When the going gets tough, the tough get going…
  19. Know your competitors – Your research enables you to know quickly if you need to zig while they zag. If you know them intimately then you can readily compare prices, marketing etc.
  20. Niche flexible – You have a target to aim at, but you also realise there can be ‘sub niche’s’ e.g. a bicycle shop, sells kids bike, mountain bikes, racing bikes, but its main business is bikes, if its a sports store it has more niches.
  21. Maverick management/leadership – Your leaders and managers can pull great results out of thin air and do it all the time. Sure they make mistakes (how else will they learn?) the point is they can think on their feet and get great results. Therefore innovation becomes your middle name…
  22. Minimum footprint – Physically, environmentally, emotionally, resources. All of these (and probably more) are important make a big impact but do it without making a big mess of things.
  23. You get support - Family and friends appreciate and understand what you are doing and support you to make it successful. Without this support you are on your own in a tough wilderness and it’s hard to survive on your own.
  24. One great idea - Sometimes it’s two or three ideas (serial entrepreneurs), but in the main people in successful business do good with the one idea well researched and executed.

That’s it, easy huh? Now all you need to do is copy it and figure out if you can do it, can’t do it, want to do it and or have the guts to at least try… Go on, make a name for yourself.

The miserly boss, or Scrooge revisited…

Dec 15

Posted by Steve Gray in Human Resource Management, People!, Risk Management | No Comments

Many of you will have seen forums where the nasty boss is mentioned and various people have jumped in with numerous stories of how they have had to put up with a lousy boss. The stories are amusing enough, the problem is they are all too common.

In this day and age the idea that a miserly boss exists seems a huge anomaly to me and thankfully I have not had too many over my career.

Examples will cover low wages, poor conditions, poor recognition of work done, seemingly not knowing that a Christmas party boosts morale and not only celebrates Christmas.

The challenge is that this issue can quickly become a hassle and if the business does not come to terms with it, in a buoyant market place the staff turnover will be one form of evidence things are not running effectively. Follow it up with the chance that pilfering and fraud can happen too, and the outcomes can be very costly!

Ok Mr (or Mrs) Miser, it’s time to wise up. There is an old saying that you can catch more flies with honey than you can with vinegar. Therefore to be in a position where staff turnover and the other hassles are minimised you need to take positive action now.

  • I appreciate that you may have been bought up to have frugal ways and you are tight with money. Hand the function of staff happiness to another person and set a generous budget.
  • Assign others with the task of finding out what is making your staff happy, or not (try a paper survey), then look at what research has been done on this issue (lots!) and take action to rectify it now!
  • Appreciate there are times when these things can snowball out of control, your aim is to stop it snowballing, when yo do a direct measure of it will be people smiling followed by lower absenteeism, these are probably the key indicators you have done things right, so don’t stop, keep going.
  • Your profits are one thing but the idea of chasing $$ profits only is really just a part of the equation, happy staff are happy staff.

Enough of the ideas, you can get more by some simple Googling on staff incentive options and create a workplace that staff willingly come to work, make it productive, put in ideas and in all make the profits go wild BUT it requires $$ to be spent (often not much) to make a happy bunch of people.

Creating a business where you are the employer of choice may not be easy, but the results will be well worth it.

Is it Christmas?

Dec 13

Posted by Steve Gray in The Board Room, The Customer Service Dept | No Comments

I was in a local shopping Mall last Sunday, 4 pm a number of the shops were closed! Shutters pulled down, lights off the whole shebang… What Gives!!!!

It’s Christmas, a time when people want to shop… a week out from the big event.

In our area we have another shopping mall being added to so we will have more retail outlets, probably more than we need but that’s another story. The existing ones where I was, if they are struggling to make ends meet and can not afford to open ’til 5 on Sunday then something is very wrong. There were people in the mall but not heaps. Down the other end where renovations were completed earlier this year, there were people and open shops, the car park was full… So what gives?

Is it a conspiracy… is the other shopping centre going to buy out the smaller player so they can revamp the centre for themselves? (can’t beat a monopoly…)

I smell a rat but have no proof (hey its just a theory) but I would not put it past the ‘players’ to be in bully mode with the aim of taking over.

What really is at stake is customer service and customer satisfaction, If I want to buy a specific item and the store is closed I can’t buy it. If the Co is in dire straits they need to get out and save what little cash they might have, or market better. The little Chinese massage shop is doing okay, they stand out the front and invite people in. We need more of that.

Go on guys, engage with the paying public, build the relationship, evaluate your offerings. but remember one thing, you are in business, if you lay down and die that’s it the end of the road. I figure on one thing, if you are going to lay down and die, get on with it.

Jerry Seinfeld’s 3 rules of life

Dec 10

Posted by Steve Gray in Excellence!, Franchisees, Franchising, Growth, Innovation and Creativity, Leadership, People!, Personal Development, Planning, Starting out in business | 2 Comments

Here’s Jerry’s 3 rules of life, pretty simple… so lets add some business thinking points to it.

Print it, use it, tick things off as you do them, make notes, add to the list, include some of these points in your staff training and see what happens.

Thanks Jerry lets see what happens now…

Bust your ass…

  • Work hard, work smart, if it’s not fun, do something else.
  • Following your passion, you will then want to do the work, in fact the work will be so enjoyable it won’t seem like work, you will be early and rarely late….
  • On something that will make a difference for more people than just you, you win they win.
  • On being exceptional, who wants to be mediocre? Ok so lots of people do, but why do you have to be…
  • Getting the next goal, and then the next, the journey of a thousand miles begins with that first step. The sense of achievement is a powerful drug.
  • Providing what the market place wants, you will soon be happy with the sales, they will be happy you provided what they want and those that work with you will be happy you thought of it.
  • Getting people to know about your business in the start up phase and then to come back for more of what you have, often.
  • To influence others in your circle of influence to be exceptional at all they do.
  • To surround yourself with great people who want to pass on great information you can all utilise.
  • Living life to the full, when the show is over it’s over folks…

Pay attention…

  • To the details so that you can understand the bigger picture from within. No point in having a business that no one knows what’s going on, especially you…
  • To planning. No plan no house, it should be the same in business.
  • To how you present what you have to the market place… Get great at marketing and sales, then do it with the rest of your team.
  • To the way you learn, then you will be able to pay attention more effectively.
  • To how others liearn, your role as a business leaer means you will probably do a fair bit of instructing on how things are done, so teach others in ways they prefer to be taught.
  • To the way you communicate, so get very specific about what you communicate.
  • To the way you listen… Be an attentive listener, that’s why you have two ears and one mouth.

Fall in love

  • With what you do, how you do it how your team does it…
  • With causing others to fall in love… with the job, the business, the customers, the service the products, their life, their significant others.
  • With life. Life is what we do day to day so we should get great at loving it.
  • With how others see the world. This level of fascination is from the old American Indian idea of “walking in another mans moccasins” it hlps to give us perspective.
  • With the people you surround yourself with. Are they all lovable? Are they all worth fighting for?
  • With the glory and beauty of nature. If the view is lousy, I wonder what you are looking at?

The business of red-hot core values

Dec 9

Posted by Steve Gray in Excellence!, Growth, Human Resource Management, Innovation and Creativity, Leadership, People!, Planning, Risk Management, The Board Room | No Comments

In business it’s too easy to fall into the trap of just doing business, then it can become a grind, the details become a blur and the idea of lifestyle enhancement as a value you wanted to chase can become minimal, in fact you may as well have just kept a job.

So where is the depth, the meaning that gives hope, strength, clarity, stamina, creativity, innovation and a whole raft of positive/emotive sensations?

These positive values are the core mechanisms that enable us to keep going even in tough times, to enable us to fall down and get up again, the resilience to bounce back, with a vengeance.

So here’s a loose definition of these “valuable business intangibles” as I see it, in this context. “Showing refinement, distinction and concern for the higher things in life.” This is where it comes down to the red-hot core values and some bigger questions to ponder in the business, and by individuals.

The points that follow are concerned with both team and individuals and how they connect or not. It’s about looking for and working with these distinctions to be able to create a business, which embodies these with a degree of ease and efficacy without having to consciously working towards them. So a degree of unconscious competence can kick in.

In reading the list, feel free to say, “If I had a business that had all these things I would be delighted, but it’s not going to happen today, nor tomorrow for that matter…” I appreciate this viewpoint and suggest the following… “You have these things in your business already, it’s a matter of ‘to what degree’ you have them”.

Your aim as the business-person would be to look at what you do in the improvements to your business that will add to the value of any of these. An example might be if you were wanting your team to service the customers more effectively, In chatting to them about the issue/s you might find yourself suggesting they be more tolerant, cooperate more with the customers and staff, show higher levels of respect and so on.

As you have just seen it may not be difficult to work with these as a group of items, but in isolation it might be. Note also some o the items are team based while others are more individual in their appeal and approach.

  • Honesty
  • Sensitivity to Others
  • Responsibility
  • Emotional Balance
  • Tolerance
  • A Deep Compassion for Humanity
  • Cooperation
  • Accurate Self Image
  • Respect
  • Development of self and others (for intrinsic and extrinsic value)
  • A Deep Sense of Mystery
  • Connectedness
  • Vision Mission – Personal and professional
  • Inner Peace
  • Freedom
  • Simplicity/Elegance
  • Strength – integrity
  • Holistic approaches to the development of – People – Environments – Culture/s

Taking a look at the list may be daunting, but I hope to show you ways to utilise each of these to enhance your business to be all it can be.

Finally, don’t think for a moment that this list is complete, feel free to add words you and your team might find that can be utilised to enhance the business further.

Risks are what business is all about… or is it?

Dec 8

Posted by Steve Gray in Franchisees, Franchising, Growth, Leadership, People!, Planning, Risk Management, Starting out in business, The Board Room | No Comments

This is the eighth in a set of posts designed as a series to complement the initial post… Strengths in your business The aim being to provide a simple “How to” guide for people daunted by the prospect of “how to” as it can be too easy to read and say “Oh yeah that’s it, I need to do that”, and then forget it and let it go.

Risk taking (all business is this, the further you go the more risks seem to ‘pop up’)

These days there is a lot of talk about risk management to ensure your business is not exposing itself to too many risks that could undermine it. In this article I wanted to point out that being a risk taker is often a useful device in starting a business, without the ability to take a risk we might never start one and spend the rest of our lives wondering what would have happened if we had…

  • Do your business research to ensure the risks you are taking on is minimised where possible.
  • Know how far you can go with the risk you are undertaking, if you pull out at any stage, will there be “something in reserve” or will the project finish you?
  • Explore the unknown, often great ideas come from the strangest places or mishaps in scientific research, sure there are risks involved but the ‘pay off’ can be worth it.
  • Making mistakes often leads to learning opportunities, far too often we are risk adverse and fail to give things a try. When you or an employee make a mistake, are you ridiculed by others for the mistake or is it seen as an opportunity to learn and grow?

Its not all risk taking but hopefully when the challenges arise you can be ready to accept the challenge and not merely dismiss it.

10-20-30 the planning guide for the rest of us…

Dec 8

Posted by Steve Gray in Excellence!, Finance, Growth, Innovation and Creativity, Leadership, Negotiation, Planning, Risk Management, Starting out in business | No Comments

I have been on about the Guy Kawasaki 10 – 20 – 30 planning device for a while now (since I found it in early 07) Well this week I had the good fortune to use it myself and have created a template to be used in Power Point.

Unfamiliar with 10 -20 – 30? It’s a simple device for pitching ideas, I see it as a way point in the planning process, not so much as an endpoint which seems so logical when you figure it being used to pitch ideas to investors etc. Ideally if you have a business idea I would STRONGLY suggest you use this to assist in sorting out its usefulness.

So it’s 10 slides presented to a max of 20 mins and the smallest text is 30 Pt. see I said it was simple… but of course there are fairly explanatory headings and some body text in it to assist you to make your pitch viable/useful. I feel sure you will be charmed by the thing once it’s used a few times.

The 10-20-30 power point business presentation

As you will see when you download the file, it is a plain old BxW, simple presentation. All you need to do is put the words in that fit for your project even the basic animation is done (when you view the slide show, you can click the forward button and see each point come up one at a time, how it should be, and not a whole page of text.)

I used it on an idea as a way to ‘flesh out’ a few things and in following the headings I found I was really challenged to come up with appropriate answers, after quite a while of cutting, pasting and soul searching I got it to a point where it seemed to work.

I see all sorts of possibilities with this. For pitching ideas to a boss on an area of business or a dept, which is not doing too hot, to put thoughts together for a business partner to look over, then of course to show info to prospective investors. These days when people pitch ideas at me I say to them to do this, then show me the result, thing is not one has actually done it (yet).

Those in the know, figure that’s because it causes people to look at things logically and not just emotionally.

Have a play with it, read it though, jazz it up with imagery etc and see what happens, I’m sure it has lots of uses, I hope you find the same.

Running on autopilot

Dec 7

Posted by Steve Gray in Excellence!, Franchisees, Franchising, People!, Personal Development, Planning, Risk Management, Starting out in business | No Comments

This is the seventh in a set of posts designed as a series to complement the initial post… Strengths in your business The aim being to provide a simple “How to” guide for people daunted by the prospect of “how to” as it can be too easy to read and say “Oh yeah that’s it, I need to do that”, and then forget it and let it go.

Automatic functioning (the skills are already known)

After a while of doing a task you can become competent at it, then at the next level become proficient, at this level, things can seem automatic. Do that with the basics of what you do in business and a solid foundation can be built for your enterprise. Teach others to do the same and the base structure can become much stronger again.

  • Recognise the things that are BASIC skills for your business and then train (often its informal) you and your team to do them well, (effective beats efficiency hands down.) Then find a person in your team that picked it up fast and see if they have the skill to put the process in writing so anyone can learn it.
  • Chunk the skills into groups so as you and your team learn higher level skills, the previous skills have become proficient and form a solid foundation.
  • Review the skills you and your team have at all levels and work to understand areas to be developed further. (Leadership and communication skills are often good examples.)
  • Work to make your business a lifelong learning exercise so your organisation can be highly flexible in what they do.

Getting an organisation to run on automatic may seem like an easy thing to do, and that’s often the challenge to be able to figure out what skills are simply hidden due to them being automatic and therefore hidden.

Hello?! Are You LISTENING?

Dec 7

Posted by Michael Crooks in Excellence!, Growth, People!, Personal Development, Starting out in business, The Customer Service Dept, The Marketing Dept, The Sales Dept | 1 Comment

I’m on the phone with a salesman from one of my suppliers. He asks me, “So, do you sell to any medical practices?”

“Yeah I do”, I replied. “I have some dentists and a periodontist.”

“Great!” he exclaimed. “You’ll be interested in our new stethoscope covers!”

Really, I think to myself. Let’s see, when was the last time I saw a dentist with a stethoscope. Oh yeah … NEVER!
He drones on. “So can I send you a couple samples. They’re really great and they can imprint their practice logo on them, and they keep dirt off of them, and … I cut him off.

“Sounds great”, I said. “You send them to me and I’ll see where it takes me. I look forward to getting them, I’m so excited. Wow! Stethoscope covers.”

What a moron. Sure, maybe he doesn’t know that a periodontist treats gum disease. But then again, he’s the one selling medical equipment supplies. And furthermore, why would a doctor want an imprinted stethoscope cover? The people who would see the imprint are already in his office. A better tactic would be for me to take the stethoscope cover to a business such as a pharmacy or health club that wants to get their name in front of those the doctor has access to. They’d imprint their logo and distribute them to doctor’s offices.

But here’s my real point.

How often are you so focused on selling what you have to sell … that you aren’t even listening to the answers people give you?

Get uncomfortable and see the results…

Dec 6

Posted by Steve Gray in Franchisees, Franchising, Growth, Innovation and Creativity, People!, Personal Development, Planning, Risk Management, Starting out in business | No Comments

This is the sixth in a set of posts designed as a series to complement the initial post… Strengths in your business The aim being to provide a simple “How to” guide for people daunted by the prospect of “how to” as it can be too easy to read and say “Oh yeah that’s it, I need to do that”, and then forget it and let it go.

Comfort zone stretching (An elastic band is only working when it’s stretched.)

Have you noticed yourself only doing things within a set range? It might be mingling with only a select group of friends at a party… or only looking to set ways of solving problems all the time. Stretching what you are comfortable with can be a great way to develop your resilience, problem solving skills, and ability to become more flexible. In business thee skills can be very useful to the ongoing success of your enterprise.

  • Travel the road less traveled and enjoy the view – Literally take different roads while out driving, yo may have gone to the same destination day after day and have never thought about a different route. Now you can start to explore things by simply changing your view of the common things you do.
  • Ask others for ideas and input – You may never do this normally, but give it a go and see what happens, be sure to pat people on the back if you use the ideas, the recognition can be very useful for their esteem.
  • Explore creative options – There is more than one way to do most things, so start to look at things from different perspectives. It might be as simple as thinking about wearing a different “hat” if you usually see things from a bosses perspective try a marketing “hat” on.. how does that change things for you?
  • Do some internet research on creative options to explore.

It may take some time, but having the chance to find others ways of doing things might just be the break you need in your organisation.

Have you decided what to do yet?

Dec 5

Posted by Steve Gray in Excellence!, Franchisees, Franchising, Growth, People!, Personal Development, Planning, Risk Management, Starting out in business | No Comments

This is the fifth in a set of posts designed as a series to complement the initial post… Strengths in your business The aim being to provide a simple “How to” guide for people daunted by the prospect of “how to” as it can be too easy to read and say “Oh yeah that’s it, I need to do that”, and then forget it and let it go.

Decisiveness (Either a thing will happen or it won’t, often the decision is the only thing that stands in its way.)

I was once told that the best way to become better at making decisions is to make the, right or wrong stand your ground and see what happens, before long you can become very decisive and develop the skills and confidence to live with the outcome/s.

  • Make lots of them even on little things, and see what happens, avoid the procrastination cycle of saying you will do it soon.
  • Check out the idea of “Whats the worse thing that can happen if I make the wrong decision?” then check to see if it really is that big a deal.
  • Ask others to make the decision for you (delegate) and check the results, you can be surprised just how well this one can work for you.
  • What is the difference between a person that is decisive and one that is not? Check out those qualities and ask if you can readily develop the skill/s or if you will need assistance, then do it!

Keep on going with the concepts laid out and put together a personal list of achievements made by being more decisive.

The journey begins and ends with you and your goals…

Dec 4

Posted by Steve Gray in Excellence!, Franchisees, Franchising, Growth, People!, Personal Development, Planning, Risk Management, Starting out in business | No Comments

 This is the forth in a set of articles designed as a series to complement the initial post… Strengths in your business The aim being to provide a simple “How to” guide for people daunted by the prospect of “how to” as it can be too easy to read and say “Oh yeah that’s it, I need to do that”, and then forget it and let it go.

Goals (If you know where you are going it makes it easier to get there.)

In the story of Alice in Wonderland the Cheshire cat sat in the tree smiling widely as Alice asked which road to take at a fork in the road, the cat replied “It depends on where you want to get to” The goals we set will assist us in finding the right roads to take and in business the wrong road can cost us dearly.

Setting goals is easy, making them a reality is a different matter again…

  • Get smart about your goals -  specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and tangible. If these can not be thought out readily you will find the achievement of the goal nearly impossible. Write out the details in DETAIL… leave nothing to chance.
  • Work on small goals first and build up from there. – Often these are the basis for a “to do list” and chipping away at the small bits will make the big bits come to fruition.
  • Take action, avoid talking about what you are “going to do” and get on and do it. The world loves people who take action.
  • Consider how well you have done with goals in the past… Easily achieved them or… make sure you build up these skills if they are a challenge, then you can get more automatic in setting and achieving them.
  • Use your calendar – set time lines for the achievement of the goals, then tick them off as they are achieved, the sense of achievement is often a cause for some small celebration.
  • Use a project plan – These help you to break up a big goal into smaller ones and fit the details to a time frame. There is specific software for this or  you can create a table in a word-processing that can give you the basics to work with manually.

Go get ‘em tiger should be your catch phrase at this point and with the basics of goal setting up your sleeve the results should follow on soon after that.

Conviction, have you got the all important edge?

Dec 3

Posted by Steve Gray in Excellence!, Franchisees, Franchising, People!, Personal Development, Risk Management, Starting out in business, The Board Room | No Comments

This is the third in a set of posts designed as a series to complement the initial post… Strengths in your business The aim being to provide a simple “How to” guide for people daunted by the prospect of how to as it can be too easy to read and say “Oh yeah that’s it, I need to do that, and then forget it and let it go.

Conviction (You are sure it’s a great product and or service, otherwise you would not be doing it… RIGHT?)

This is an important area of new business and project start ups. It’s the strength of conviction you have that will probably appeal to people when you are selling your concept/s. the question is what is it and how will you develop it?

If you are starting out the product and or service should be convincing, to you and your target market, if they don’t want it and you are not sure about it, then how will you have the internal fortitude to make it work? I guess the obvious thing is checking out what you have from all angles to ensure it has a fit in the right product and or service niche and also in the buying niche of the intended audience.

So how to build in it?

  • Test the idea with people who might understand, family and close friends may not… so go for independent advice (accountant, other entrepreneurs and so on) see if it does have a place in this world. Sure there may be confidentiality issues, but just remember if an idea is any good you will probably have to RAM IT DOWN PEOPLE’S Throats to get them to be interested. (at least in the initial phase). Also telling family and friends about it can set you up for failure if they think you have a “hair brained idea” and want to put it down to help you “save face.”
  • You have done the research so you might need to know find ways to present the concept. A business plan is one way to do it, but before you get in too deep, consider the basics. then jot them down in point form. What it is, how it will be done, what it might cost, who will do it, how much time will it take, where will this happen, why it fits to the niche you have sought out, how it is different from other concepts and so on… This will assist you to assess the idea first.
  • Look at others who have done this type of thing before, how did they get started? were they confident from day one, or… If they were not confident, how did they build that confidence? If need be try different short courses that may assist you to stand tall and tell the world about what you have, This might be public speaking and or personal development courses of some kind. Whatever you do make sure you are sure about the conviction you have to make things work well.

I am sure there are more points that this start up list puts forward, but really give it some thought so you can formulate things clearly in your head and then articulate them on paper.

Building stamina and resilience

Dec 3

Posted by Steve Gray in Excellence!, Franchisees, Franchising, People!, Personal Development, Risk Management, Starting out in business | No Comments

This is the second in a set of posts designed as a series to complement the initial post… Strengths in your business The aim being to provide a simple “How to” guide for people daunted by the prospect of “how to” as it can be too easy to read and say “Oh yeah that’s it, I need to do that”, and then forget it and let it go.

Resilience – stamina (The ability to keep on keeping on and to bounce back)

I have put these two together as I felt there was a natural attraction to both, they cross more borders for me than they stand alone.

Have you ever noticed that some people give something a go once and give up trying… or they say “it’s not for me” often without really giving it a go so they can develop the basic skills to a reasonable level to fully assess if they “have it or not”. have you also noticed some people can go “hard” at the start and then fade out too quickly. If that’s the case then the following points may assist you to understand the issues a bit more and possibly even be able to assist you in overcoming the issues in yourself.

  • Do some soul searching, if you have given up on things easily in the past, is starting a business really right for you? And is the ability to start out strongly and then fade fast an issue? It’s better to face this now than later when the stakes might be much higher.
  • Can you build your resilience? Falling down and getting up again is one thing, but doing it repeatedly might take it out of you. What qualities do resilient people have? and are they the sort of qualities you can learn… and how long can that take if it is possible for you?
  • Having the energy to run a race is one thing, but if you trip during the race that often saps some energy you might need for later. If a sports person can build their staying power by more exercise in a carefully worked out training plan, can you do the same? and how will the plan differ for your business prowess as opposed to a sporting scenario…
  • Check out the biography of business people, and look for examples of how they built their ability in these areas, then ask are these things you can implement? If not keep searching and asking for answers that “fit right” for you.
  • Know your limitations, then push them a little each time to build your capacity to go a little further next time.
  • Having support from others can help to build your resilience and stamina, its that cheer on as the chips are down, or a welcome “You do this really well” when you may be in doubt. this can come from, family, friends and associates and can make a big difference to the way you ‘handle things’ being aware of this, ask yourself, can I foster this so I can get more support? The short answer, yes…

Enjoy building your stamina and resilience, hopefully the “workouts” to get you there will be well worth it.

Preparation makes all the difference.

Dec 2

Posted by Steve Gray in Excellence!, Franchisees, Franchising, Planning, Risk Management, Starting out in business | 1 Comment

This is the first in a set of posts designed as a series to complement the initial post… Strengths in your business The aim being to provide a simple “How to” guide for people daunted by the prospect of how to as it can be too easy to read and say “Oh yeah that’s it, I need to do that, and then forget it and let it go.

Preparation (No plans no direction)

The topic of preparation takes into account research as well as plans, so lets look at these.

Many people in business make the error of not doing full research or think they know better than any research often going off a hunch they have a great idea that will bring them great profits. Fact is many people are throwing away thousands of $$ by not getting the research in the start up phase right.

Some research basics

  • Find out all you can about your competition, chart it on paper and figure out what sets them apart from the rest in your line of business.
  • Find out what the basic profit margin is for your business then figure out how much you have to sell to be able to make that kind of turnover, then break that down into a daily figure to see how much you have to earn.
  • Know what it will cost to run the business (find info on cash flow and make a LONG list of every aspect of your business and its expenses.)
  • Know if it’s legal, do you need special licences or registration to run the business, find out now, NOT LATER!
  • Chat to an accountant or solicitor about the right structure for your business, there are a few options here, pursue them and know the difference.
  • Get smart around business terminology, create a glossary of terms (Google that, there are bound to already be a few.)
  • Know your target market – focusing specifically on a group of people or types of businesses you want to target then find out how these people buy
  • In business (especially in the start up phase) you will be selling, ideas, then products and or services so do some research on the right sorts of sales methods and then practice them to build your skills in this area.
  • How much money is required to set the business up.
  • How long it takes before the business will make money (They rarely make money from day one…)
  • How will you pay your way in the start up phase? (a wage or similar…)

Planning

  • A business plan is vital so you have a guide to follow, it can be The Mini Business Plan or a fully blown complex one but have one ON PAPER, they are no good in your head.
  • The plan will at LEAST set out the goals you have for the amount of sales, the way the business will run (management) and the marketing.
  • Because planning needs to have goals set, find easy ways to make goals work (the SMART system works well.)
  • Make the plan usable, and make it the FIRST thing you turn to when you need to have an answer.
  • Use a calender a 12 month one even if it’s a photo copy of a 12 month diary page, it’s better than nothing. Then write in all the things that will happen from start up day.
  • Check out a bookkeeper to handle the accounts do you can focus on your business and running it right. Learn the bookkeeping terms and how they effect you. If you plan to do your own books, make sure with your accountant this is the best way to do things. Some will not accept your input of the info and prefer a bookkeeper (a professional) do it for you. (accuracy counts.)

There is a starting point for for your business preparation. I hope it makes things easier for your business planning phase.

Using Gossip As An Effective Management Tool

Dec 2

Posted by Michael Crooks in Excellence!, Growth, Human Resource Management, Leadership, People!, Starting out in business, The Operations Dept | No Comments

Got a note from my 4th grade son’s school the other day. Seems he and a small group were standing in line and were overheard making comments about “getting wasted” in reference to drinking alcohol. They were immediately hauled down to the principal’s office and verbally reprimanded about “inappropriate topics of discussion.” What’s sad, is that the children learned they must be very, very careful about expressing their thoughts for fear an adult will hear it and over-react and “get them in trouble”.

One of the few ways we can know what’s on a kid’s mind is by hearing what they say. Once we know what’s on their mind, an opportunity presents itself to have a thoughtful discussion on the subject mater.

“Hey, kids. You know that alcohol has devastating effects on the developing minds of smart young people like you. “Getting wasted” can get you into a lot of trouble. If you have any questions, I’d be happy to answer them for you.”

What does this have to do with business? Plenty.

While the common adgage is, “Loose lips sink ships”, I believe loose lips can also help repair ships.

How many managers and bosses are walking around clueless to what’s on in the minds of employees because the employees are scared to be frank, open and honest? How many business boats are sinking because managers and bosses have created an ATMOSFEAR instead of an atmosphere within their organization.

With the exception of slander, racist remarks and vulgarity, when employees feel they are free to express their opinions, feelings and yes, even doubts … bosses and managers can “catch wind” of potential problems, insights can surface and opportunities for thoughtful discussion are created.

For instance. A manager overhears or “catches wind” that an employee is complaining about the manager. Instead of jumping down the employee’s throat and dishing out reprimands — what if the manager asked the employee for a brief meeting?

“Thanks for meeting with me, Jim. I think you’re a great employee and you have a lot of potential. But I sense there’s something I may be doing that’s keeping you from really achieving your best. What can I do … or stop doing to help you?”

Are your employees working on the good ship Stifled Expression? Or do you have an atmosphere that allows you to take full advantage of what is referred to as the grapevine, viral communication or the arena of the overhead?

Ancillary, random communication among employees can yield golden opportunities to effectively and productively solve problems and keep your business afloat and profitable.

Do you have this kind of strength for your business?

Dec 1

Posted by Steve Gray in Excellence!, Franchisees, People!, Personal Development, Starting out in business | No Comments

I watched this afternoon as a bunch of people stood up, stepped forward and got the living daylights pummeled out of them. They stood tall and after a grueling 3+ hours of warm up exercises it was an incredible feat.

I am talking about Karate not a street fight… (thank goodness!)

What I witnessed was people from youngsters to mature age, male and female do battle. As I watched it occurred to me that these people had not just put a up their hand to say “Yeah I’ll do it” but firstly they had to put in the effort to attain the skills required, then went on to train to develop those skills and sparring techniques… Wow it was intense at the end to watch the sparring, seeing people let down their guard and get hit, some fell down and got up again even though there was “some pain!!!”

Watching this I was thinking of the parallels to business. (how could I not!)

  • Preparation (No plans no direction)
  • Resilience – stamina (The ability to keep on keeping on)
  • Conviction (You are sure it’s a great product and or service, otherwise you would not be doing it… RIGHT?)
  • Goals (If you know where you are going it makes it easier to get there.)
  • Decisiveness (Either a thing will happen or it won’t, often the decision is the only thing that stands in its way.)
  • Comfort zone stretching (An elastic band is only working when it’s stretched.)
  • Automatic functioning (the skills are already known)
  • Risk taking (all business is this, the further you go the more risks seem to ‘pop up’)

All of these personal qualities relate to business, it’s probably this list and a few other points that cause sustainable and profitable businesses to make the grade.

Why is it then that there are businesses that fail, despite people knowing these guidelines? and why is it that even people that have put in the effort only get so far and stop?

Firstly it’s one thing to know the guidelines, and another thing entirely to putting them into action. Secondly some people achieve a goal and stop right there, not sure what to do next.

All of these great points take commitment, and often it’s as easy as turning up each day and learning something new, putting in the effort to plod on and look for ways to make improvements at each step.

If you want an exceptional business, then these guidelines should give you the start to a great business.

  • You are currently browsing the archives for December, 2007