When Michael E. Gerber released his best-selling book, The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It in 1995, he described, in a deeply-relatable way, what makes it so difficult for business owners everywhere to build a business that really works. Through the story of Sarah, a ...
If you’re a business owner trying to develop the foundation of your business, you have to balance two perspectives: the reality, challenges and concerns of what exists today, and goals for the year(s) to come. Reality dictates that you’ll be building systems while still working in your existing business. If you’ve...
In your business, system errors can show up in the form of work stoppages, poor customer service, excessive product returns, late deliveries, high levels of frustration among employees, poor financial results and any other number of unwanted outcomes. Depending on the size and health of your business, any one of t...
Some days, you may feel completely consumed by your business, like the only thing you can count on is a frustrating lack of control as you race around putting out fires. This experience is so common to business owners, it’s almost generally accepted as “just what it’s like to own a business.”
One of the most common frustrations we hear from business owners is: “I just need systems.” We also hear: “I need more cash,” and, “I need more sales.”
Most small business owners come to us because they believe they want systems, but they don’t yet realize something important: Their business is already built around systems. It’s just that some of those systems aren’t producing the results they want.
Between your end-of-year business obligations and your holiday family schedules, you’ve got a lot on your plate. The last thing you want to think about during the merriment and bustle of the season is the tax man. Alas, as December 31 approaches, so too does your window for last minute tax breaks.
When you started your business, you probably did every task needed to produce and deliver your product or service, or near to it. And as your business has grown, do you still carry much of the day to day—if not the actual execution, the oversight of the work? Do you find yourself unable to let go of work you shoul...
Marketing is an art. And if you want your small business to be successful, understanding that art (or having people on your team who do) is an absolute must. People can’t turn into customers until they know who your company is, why they need your products or services, and what sets your business apart. That’s whe...
As a business owner, you’re the person primarily responsible for your company’s finances. Not your bookkeeper. Not your accountant. You.
Not knowing how to scale is one of the most common frustrations we hear from our business owner clients. It makes sense. If your business has grown to a point where you’re producing reasonably consistent results in terms of revenue and lead generation, the next natural question is: Now, how do I increase revenues ...
If there’s one thing all business owners can agree on, it’s how precious time is as a commodity— there’s never enough of it, for one. The average work day is unstructured, full of distractions and fires, and it often ends with “one more thing” that keeps you in the office long after you planned to leave. And in th...
Creating the environment you need to be a better business owner—to do the work that matters most to your business—takes structure. You have to structure your communication system, workspace and calendar in a way that lets you escape the tactical work that gets in the way of being a true Entrepreneur. And once you’...