"A better question than “Who is my customer?” is “Who is not my customer?”" Strategy begins by asking the right questions, and the most important question of all is, “Who is not my customer?” Why ask that question? It is easier to identify who is not than who is. Once you can see who is not a fit for your [...]
"Sales is vanity – profit is sanity" There is a unique balance between sales, operation, and money. They exist separately yet together, move one, and the rest move as well. If you want to scale your business – know this, it will suck cash! Clients always tell me they want to grow, which is natural. All things grow. The critical [...]
"Where is the money?" Once, I had a client call me in because they couldn’t pay their bills on time. When I first met with them, the accountant was in the room just finishing up his work. He turned to the owner and said, “You had a good month; you made $42,000” The owner was thrilled. I turned and asked [...]
"Do you struggle with the Daddy – Daddy syndrome?" Do employees come up to you all day asking questions, sharing events, and interrupting your thoughts? I call this the Daddy–Daddy syndrome. Daddy, this happened; what should I do? I know it’s sarcastic, but you know it happens all the time. You also know you like it, why, because you feel [...]
"The greatest business secret is that you don’t have to build it alone." Business is not a solo competition, but most small business owners never ask for help. It’s me against the world, and if I don’t do it – it won’t get completed. As a Business Coach, I look to understand what the owner is good at, what they [...]
"What exactly does your business have to look, act, and feel like to give you the life you desire?" Business is not about status; it is about more life. Most business owners make the same mistake; they start their business journey on the wrong premise. They never take the time to define what more life would mean to them. Owners [...]
"Why is “simple” so hard?" Ever wonder why some people can accomplish so much in the same amount of time? Distractions are the core reason we struggle to finish what we start in business and life. Distractions will never go away; the trick is creating a firm “Intention” and attaching a time to complete. Don’t beat yourself up for occasional [...]
"Systems run the business; people run the systems, and Managers manage the exceptions – Is this how your company runs?" Business is a game, and games have rules and a way to win. As business owners, we too often forget this and take things personally. Emotions replace logic, and instead of growing, we decide to shrink back to where we [...]
"Should your kids be brought into the business?" Only if they have a vision for the company’s future; if not, let them go into the “real world” for a while. We all want the best for our children, and because we love them, we fall into the trap of overlooking their limitations and personal needs. Most family businesses never make [...]
"I know you can’t find anyone who works like you do – right?" People are just who they are, and you will not change them, so don’t try. The trick is to build systems to make them shine. Every great business has figured this out. If they can create systemic methods to achieve results, the “people” factor becomes more manageable. [...]
