When there’s a management gap to fill, you might look to your top performers first. And it makes sense—”super technicians” work hard and know how to do their job well. They deserve to be recognized for that, and you know they have the technical knowledge needed to lead other technicians. But knowing how to do a ...
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.
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...
As a business owner, you’re the person primarily responsible for your company’s finances. Not your bookkeeper. Not your accountant. You.
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’...
Without documentation, “great systems” are only rough ideas about the way you do things in your business. And all your tasks, functions, processes and procedures—the way that you and your staff habitually do everything—are nothing more than good intentions.
When you have a small business, it’s easy to get stuck in the chronic issues you face, to feel alone in your frustration and unable to see the problems in a different way—and often for what they really are. The truth is, finding solutions and innovating often takes escaping your own limited point of view. You need...
You became a business owner to earn a living. To do what you know how to do best, your way. To take care of your family (and maybe enjoy a nice vacation now and then). But it’s easy to get laser-focused on crunching numbers and forget that it’s people that make or break a business. And if you want stronger sales a...
Let’s be honest. It’s been another challenging year for the owners and operators of small businesses. You’ve had to find a new normal as Covid restrictions eased. The prices of goods and services you depend on to operate have shot up, often cutting into already thin margins. Your employees are looking to you for r...