Think about the role you play in your small business—not the title on your business card, but what you actually do. Are you a manager one minute, a receptionist the next? When there’s a problem with shipping or facilities or finance, are you the one racing to put out the fire? If any of this rings true, you’re not...
Most companies organize around personalities rather than around functions. That is, around people rather than accountabilities or responsibilities. The result is almost always chaos.
For most of us, the start of a new year stirs up a sense of momentum. In life and in work, we find ourselves imagining everything we’d like to do differently in the many months ahead, and setting a plan in motion. This year’s no different. Though, with all the disruption of 2020, the need to reset and move forward...
Perhaps you know the famous proverb, “Give a man a fish and you’ll feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you’ll feed him for a lifetime.” It may seem like an obvious concept, but it’s surprisingly hard for business owners to embrace. The essence of this idea speaks perfectly to why you owe it to both yoursel...
As a business owner, sometimes the hardest part of the job is knowing what decisions to make. Maybe you look to other businesses you admire and wonder: How do they do it? How are they finding the right customers, or building such a recognizable brand—and doing it with the same unwavering efficiency every single ti...
The pandemic has shown us one indisputable truth: There’s always a different way of doing things. Whether in life or in business, we’ve all made adjustments to our standard mode of functioning. And it hasn’t been easy—it’s never easy to make dramatic changes. But now, as the world is slowly shifting back to in-per...
To build a business that functions well, you need intentionally designed systems. It’s as simple as that, but can feel like the most complex work you’ll ever have to do as a business owner. The truth is that it’s not as hard as you may think. The first step to building a system with intention is to start documenti...
As the world continues to change and uncertainty abounds, you may be facing the big question, “When should I reopen my business?” Or, if your business has remained open in some form during the pandemic, maybe you’re asking different questions like, “Should I continue this new social media campaign I started to kee...
If you’ve followed along in this series, you’ve (hopefully) started the work of organizing your inbox and your physical environment in a way that allows you to focus on your priorities as a business owner. In this piece, we’ll home in on your most valuable resource—time.
Business owners often face a frustrating dilemma: They’re so busy with the tactical work of their business, they can’t find time to create the structure needed to escape that tactical work. It’s an overwhelming cycle that—for many—feels inescapable. But I promise it’s not. It’s not easy to escape it, but it’s not ...
I met with my client, Paul, earlier this week. Because of the Thanksgiving holiday, it had been three weeks since our last meeting. I was looking forward to reviewing with him his list of Key Strategic Indicators that he’d committed to delivering – the critical, quantifiable reference points he’ll use to track the...
This is the fifth installment in helping you fully develop and implement Org Charts and Position Agreements, which support a culture of ownership within your business. Click here for Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4. “My employees know what to do, but if one thing goes wrong, they just stand around.” “They can ge...
This is the fourth installment in helping you fully develop and implement Org Charts and Position Agreements, which support a culture of ownership within your business. Click here for Part 1, Part 2, Part 3. Fully implementing your Position Agreements is an endeavor that requires simple steps over time. It starts ...