It’s not often that I recommend listening to country music, but I want you to listen to this song before you continue on. Go ahead and give it a listen … it’s just time. Done? Ok. The message of this song is how important it is to spend time with your children. While I certainly…
If you want to see one of the most significant barriers to the success of a small business, just look on the desk of a small-business owner. There, you will likely see piles of unfinished work and unreturned phone messages scattered about. “If I could only get ahead!” they cry. But they can’t get ahead…
We all know the importance of communication in business. But what if, despite our communication efforts, our staff members don’t retain the important information we need them to know? Things like: What is our company’s vision? What is our company’s mission? What are we focused on improving this year or this quarter? What is our standard elevator pitch that…
We have all heard the saying, “Always listen to your customers.” But let’s be honest. Your customers do say some pretty … um, stupid things, don’t they? Of course, when our customers have good things to say, we are all ears. It’s wonderful to get positive feedback. When our work is appreciated it’s fulfilling, rewarding and…
Mission Statement: We resolve to be pretty much OK. We won’t make glaring errors, so our customers will be somewhat satisfied. We want people to like working with our team, and feel comfortable working at our company. Now, there’s a mission statement – if you’re on a mission to fail. No business would ever create such…
Your staff is one of the most important aspects of your business. Without them, your growing business could quickly shrivel. So, an open position to you could feel more like a black hole. If you already have a small staff, an open position may mean more work for you and less time managing the business. Or, if your…
People don’t like change. As a result, they resist it. When management implements new systems – whether they are for tracking time or sales activity, or for managing projects or other systems – the biggest challenge often is getting people to embrace the change and accept the new system. While most systems are designed to provide management with information and…
As a small-business owner, you probably are bombarded with hundreds of direct-mail pieces and e-mails that promote upcoming training seminars and conferences. You might glance at the titles and think, “So-and-so could use some training in that,” but the thought goes no further. But, training your employees is an important issue that deserves your time…
Many new professional-service or creative-service businesses price their services below market as a way to bring in business. There is some logic to this practice. Since you lack client references and a demonstrated track record, there is more risk for the initial few clients. But pretty soon, as business increases, so too does your overhead. You may want to hire…
Hiring new staff members requires time, money and effort – but many small-business owners are low on all three. So, they fill their positions as quickly and inexpensively as they can. And, as a result, they have to fill the same positions over and over again. What a waste of time, money and effort! I know from experience that…