We’ve been talking all week about what we can do to get the love back, and today, I wanted to tell you a couple of stories about clients who have done just that!
One needed a new focus, another a new role, and a third a new system. As you read these, notice which story resonates with you.
Sometimes it’s the clients.
As Diane’s business grew, she found herself serving some of the biggest clients in the world. She had seven-figure engagements with Fortune 100 companies! Her clients were some of the top people in her field, and her team was working on their biggest global problems – these folks trusted her team to deliver.
She was at the top of her game! But she wasn’t having fun anymore.
Those top clients came with sky-high expectations. There was no room for ambiguity, error, or mistakes. The global nature of the work meant working odd hours, weekends, and sometimes all night. It was rewarding to be involved in these big initiatives, but at some point, the juice wasn’t worth the squeeze.
We worked with her to restructure her consulting business opening up space to expand her training business. Over time the consulting work came back but focused on smaller clients where her involvement makes a significant impact on the business.
Initially, revenue dropped but so did her staff, expenses, and headaches. Since then, both the training and consulting businesses have grown. By focusing on the work she loves she’s able to build up the team – without losing what she loves doing.
Sometimes it’s the role.
I asked Lois what her job was, and she laughed, “Everything!”
She was the primary business developer; she maintained all the client relationships, overseeing the biggest projects, and when people wanted to complain (which they often did), they would come to the couch in her office.
We worked with her to separate account management (oversight of current client work) from new business and found someone to handle the AM role. Then we found someone to oversee project management, so she was no longer responsible for delivering projects to clients.
Through it all, we worked with her to create better agreements with staff so that there would be fewer tears, less drama, and more productivity for everyone.
Now she’s focused primarily on new business, everyone’s working remotely productively, and she has a management team that’s keeping things running.
Sometimes it’s the systems.
Beth and Tim had run this business together for almost 20 years. It had its rewards, but the strain of delivering programs to clients was at a breaking point. Each program had so many moving pieces, and it’s critical that nothing was dropped.
They were still working with a system that was largely the same as when they started the business. Lot’s of binders and spreadsheets!
We identified a software solution built for their industry, and once it was implemented, it cut their admin staff in half and their arguments by two-thirds! The data was all there, it was clear, and the system handled the details.
Having this system in place made it possible for them to sell their business in 2019.
What changes do you need to make in your business to regain the passion and enjoyment that made you start this journey? I know that making those changes can feel terrifying; let’s talk about what you see ahead… Hit reply and let me know.
