“I’m overwhelmed.” It’s a phrase we hear often and from everyone, from parents to business owners. There’s always so much to do, so many details to track and deadlines to manage. Nobody wants to feel overwhelmed—but in today's busy world, what can you do about it?
So, you’ve noticed a lack of clarity and consistency in how projects are managed in your business and taken the essential step of implementing a project management system. Congratulations! Project management systems—and the tools used to execute them—are crucial to ensuring every project you take on in your busine...
If you’re like every owner I’ve worked with over the years, you left a job and started your own business spurred by the dream of what that business—and your life—could look like. It’s what inspired you to choose the entrepreneurial path and what motivated you to persevere when it got really hard. But after some ti...
In this final article on systems development, I want to address the question we get most from our clients when it comes to building systems in their business: where do I begin? In this article, I’ll provide a blueprint for the most important, foundational systems in your business—and the ideal order in which to bu...
Last week I covered how an operations manual can save your business (and your life), much like the operations manual on Apollo 13 saved Jim Lovell’s life. This week, I want to take you on a journey into systems strategy: Reality dictates you will be building systems while working in your existing business. We call...
During the last long-haul flight I was on, I re-watched Apollo 13 (the one with Tom Hanks as Jim Lovell). Perhaps not the best choice as I was hurtling through the sky at 500 mph in a tin-can myself, but there’s something to be said for the thrill. If you haven’t seen the film, it's based on real-life events and i...
This week, I want to share a concept that will help you turn your current business frustrations into operational systems. It’s one small step for you and your team—but it will be one giant leap for your business. There were some days as a business owner when I felt completely consumed by my business. The only thin...
In my first article in this series on systems, I introduced the idea that as the owner and entrepreneur in your business, you're also the systems engineer. In this second article, I propose that when building better designed systems solutions to solve frustrations, it’s common to start in the wrong place.
I can remember watching the moon landings on a black and white television as a young boy and being fascinated by the idea. I’m still young enough at heart to feel excited by big rockets and the notion of space travel. I apologize up-front if space isn’t your thing, but building rockets and flying to the moon is a ...
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.
If you’re one of the many millions of fans of Michael Gerber’s The EMyth Revisited, you know that there’s no message that’s had a more universal impact on business owners than work on it, not just in it. Over the last 35 years, since The EMyth was first published in 1986, this phrase has become part of the busines...
Do you use your time efficiently and for the right things? Take our quiz to find out.
Moving your business forward takes more than day-to-day productivity—it takes visionary goal-setting with solid quarterly plans. Our new guide helps you identify your top priorities for 2020 and build your timeline for the year.
Okay—let’s say you’ve taken all the necessary steps to build a self-sustaining business. You’ve made a clear decision to do it, and you’ve let your desire build. You’ve let go of unproductive beliefs and are thinking like an Entrepreneur. You’ve come to see your business as a process designed to produce a desired ...
To find and retain high-performing employees, you need to develop a management system that gives structure to their roles. Take our quiz to discover how you can grow your management skills to increase employee success.
You started your business to help you achieve a more fulfilling life—but is your business actually getting in the way of that goal? Take our quiz to find out.
If you sent your team a text today telling them you were never coming back, what would happen? Would your business be able to operate just as well without you? If the answer is “no,” it’s safe to say that you’ve built your business around your own ability to get things done. If that’s true, your business may be gi...