Earlier this week I met with a very friendly business owner, who was keen to listen, and wanted to know what I could do to help him with his business. The business was going OK but as is often the case he didn’t really know what his break-even was, so was floundering in the dark. He acknowledged that this was something that he urgently needed to deal with, as was his marketing and his team management (among other things). In other words there was lots that needed to change and most of it quickly.
Then came the crucial point – when did he want to start? His reply was typical of many “I can see I need to do all these things, but why don’t we leave it for a month or two, just while I sort a few things out and get on a more even keel”. Now this person had been in business for 22 years, and nothing much has changed in that time (i.e. no structure, no systems, and no control) so why did he think anything was going to change in the next two months? Of course I pointed this out, and told him that he knew and I knew that he was kidding himself if he really believed this. The truth of the matter is that until he faces up to facts, nothing will change, and when I call him in 2 months time, the answer will be exactly the same
Sadly there is nothing unusual about this. In fact the vast majority of people are prepared to keep muddling through, rather than have to actually start to be pro-active and do things that whilst uncomfortable, will change their business and their lives for the better.
So next time you find yourself saying “I’ll just do…. before I make the necessary changes”, take a close look at yourself, and ask yourself the true reason for putting things off. If you genuinely want change, start today with the first steps. You’ll be amazed at what you can achieve if you keep taking small actions towards your goals.

I am reading a great book at the moment called ”Conquer the Chaos” by Clate Mask and Scott Martineau, which is all about the growing pains involved when starting a small business.
Essentially it states that Chaos is all but inevitable when you start out, and until you learn how to handle it, and grow the business sufficiently to overcome it, it will be ever present in one form or another.
A chapter which particularly appealed to me was that about “Disciplined Optimism”. Being the eternal optimist as I am, I have often been criticised for looking too much on the bright side, and perhaps over stating the situation, which the authors describe as being blindly optimistic, as opposed to the disciplined optimism they prescribe.
So for those of you who like me may err on the side of blind optimism (although this is better than negativity), where you may kid yourself that everything is coming up roses, they advocate a longer term view. Instead of sticking your head in the sand with the belief that everything will just be all right, maintain the belief that your business will gain the envisioned success, but be prepared to embrace the brutal facts of your current reality, and then face up to them and deal with them because you want to, not because you have to.
In this way you will be far more likely to take action when things go wrong, and perhaps even be more aware of potential or real problems, before they become critical. Take note of the nagging worries, and confront them. Treat them as temporary obstacles; deal with them and then move on towards your ultimate goals.

I think it is safe to say that most of us would recognise that the business environment is a pretty uncertain place at the moment.
Most people are quite nervous about the future, and cash flow is something which is more than ever at the forefront of everyone’s minds (or at least it should be). So there is a natural desire to regroup, stay safe, save money, and possibly even some thoughts about becoming smaller. However, this cautious outlook may well be exactly the wrong way to go.
All businesses necessarily must keep growing to survive, for as soon as they stop moving forward, bit by bit they will wither and die. Just standing still will inevitably put you at a disadvantage with your competitors, but taking backward steps will only exacerbate that issue. You will soon find as the owner that your motivation and drive starts to dwindle, and gradually you will lose customers, and the business ultimately grinds to a halt.
So what should you do? As everyone knows it is very hard to raise finance at the moment, so investing in the business is difficult. However, at the very least you should be looking at ways to grow the business using your current resources, and then with innovation and good planning, and clear projected cash flows and targets, you can maintain the enthusiasm within your team, and be ready as soon as things become a little easier.
Don’t let fear hold you back, be positive and keep doing things to bring you closer to your goals.

So the holiday season is upon us and after a tough year or so, there is no doubt we all deserve a break. However, what will a break mean to the success of your business, and as the business owner can you really afford to go away? The next few weeks will tell you if you have a business or a job.
If you find that without you everything comes to a grinding halt, and that no income is being generated, and that you customers will only speak to you, then without doubt you still have a job, albeit one which is responsible for the success or otherwise of the entire business. So your holiday (if you take one) is likely to be taken with the laptop constantly beside you, and a phone stuck to your ear. Not the best way for you to get way, or for your family to be able to have some quality time together. If you recognise this scenario, isn’t it time you thought about changing it?
Creating a business that works without you, which generates income, and which runs smoothly whether you are there or not, doesn’t just happen. You need to have the right staff in place, have systems and procedures to allow them to do their jobs consistently and efficiently, and ideally have repeat business which produces monthly revenues, so there isn’t the constant need to find new customers. Granted this doesn’t happen overnight, but wouldn’t it be nice to be able to take your holiday, and still know that the business is working well in your absence and that on your return you want to be spending weeks catching up and fighting fires.
Perhaps this holiday, take some time to think this through, and decide on your return, to take the first steps.

When I started out with business coaching, I still had a lot of self development to face up to. Understanding your own strengths and weaknesses is key to this process, because like anything, knowing where you stand in the first place, allows you to make decisions about how you want to change things for the better.
Taking a DISC personality test is a great way to find out a lot more about how you behave in many situations. This is a very quick and simple test which determines whether you are good with people, outgoing or reserved, or more task orientated. Once you know where you stand on this scale, you can identify the traits which you may consider are holding you back, and then actively start to do something about it.
When I first started prospecting for new clients, I found that my personality meant I was far too scared of rejection and upsetting potential clients. Consequently I spent lots of time making friends, but getting very little business. As a result I consciously made an effort to change my ways, and bit by bit I grew in confidence and knowledge, and changed my sales process, so that now my conversion rate is excellent, and my return on time invested in sales meetings is superb.
Think about things limiting you way forward. Perhaps it is time for some self-analysis and facing up to facts.

Having recently watched the shambles, which some might kindly describe as the England football team, it made me reflect on what could be going on behind the scenes to record such awful results.
On the face of it Fabio Capello is a strong manager who doesn’t stand for any prima donnas. He lays down the law, and expects everyone to play by his “rules of the game”. Most people will normally like and respect this. Knowing where the boundaries lie gives people security, and they can decide if they want to play ball, or whether they want to risk stepping over the line. However, for this to work properly there must be consequences for not following the rules, but in the case of the England team unfortunately I suspect that the consequences simply are not uncomfortable enough for them. Of course this is pure speculation, but I believe that as they are all over paid, over-rated, spoilt young men, and therefore the threat of losing their place in the England team simply does not matter enough. Furthermore because there is now such a small pool of English premiership players to choose from, they know they have little chance of being dropped anyway.
Bringing this back to more familiar level, I see this sort of thing happening in business everyday. Business owners being too “nice” to their staff, because they think it is better to be part of the “gang”. Often staff are not clear on what their responsibilities are, and therefore cannot be held responsible for the outcome of their actions – so no consequences.
Strong business leadership sets clear boundaries. The team need to know what is expected of them in terms of responsibilities and accountabilities, and what will happen if they do not perform accordingly. Fairness, consistency and good management through delegation get respect, as this creates a strong business which will make everyone happier.

One thing I often find when I start working with a new business, is that there is invariably at least one employee who is not pulling their weight, and who is hoping that so long as they maintain the status quo, no-one will notice. They realise they are on to a cushy number, and are being paid, often quite well, to do essentially very little. The trouble is, that on the face of it whilst they may appear to be hanging on to a key role within the business, probably more because they have been with the business for a long time (and therefore must know how it works), than through actual merit. In fact they are avoiding the key issues that need to be dealt with, and blaming other people and other events for their own shortcomings.
In my experience, the business owner is often aware of this situation, but is afraid to face up to it and sort it out, because it seems easier to leave things as they are. Furthermore, to justify this to themselves, they often find excuses and reasons for why this person is not performing, thereby justifying their decision not to confront the issue.
One bad apple can bring an entire business down. These things need to be faced up to and resolved. Often it is the fear of having to explain to someone that they simply are not up to the job which stops the owner from sorting it out, that and the obvious need to fill the vacancy with someone new.
The simple facts are that unless you deal with these situations you are simply allowing a problem to grow and possibly ultimately explode in your face. In fact by removing someone from a position for which they are not suited more often than not you not only benefit your own business, but you allow that person to find a job to which they are suited, and where they no longer feel the stress and strain of being someone that they are not.

A few years ago when I first started out as a business coach, my time keeping was awful, and it always meant that I was rushing everywhere, often being late for meetings, and seldom feeling in control. Consequently my sales meetings often ended without the result I needed, simply because I was not properly prepared, and I hadn’t planned how I wanted the meeting to go, nor what I expected the outcome to be.
The starting point to changing this was when someone pointed out that I didn’t need to be late, it was really just me trying to show that my time was more important than my potential customer. In other words it was laziness or rudeness, but in either case it was likely to put my prospect’s back up, and quite probably lose me the business.
Once I properly understood this, and apart from exceptional circumstances, I believe this to be absolutely true of all people. So I had to change the way I did things, and plan ahead so I would arrive early. The down side of this is that it can mean a lot of hanging around in lay-bys (for which I haven’t yet been arrested), but the upside means that I have time to prepare myself mentally, compose myself physically, and I then conduct my meeting with confidence and purpose.
Just one other thing. To make sure I don’t waste time, I always have business books in the car to further my learning, or I take a list of people to call, or perhaps I might now sit and write another blog.

No doubt some, if not many of those who read this will be aware of the book and DVD “The Secret”, which essentially states that by thinking hard enough and often enough positively, then somehow the things you wish for come through “the ether”. This is not an original idea of course, many have suggested such a thing, Napoleon Hill being one such exponent who wrote the book “Think and Grow Rich”.

Now, I can understand why there could be many people who doubt such beliefs. In fact if it were really that simple, surely everyone would do it. But of course it isn’t so straight forward, and above all you have to firmly and resolutely believe that something good will happen if you think it hard enough.

We all have silly examples of it, although often it can be negative as well as positive. Hitting a golf ball into a lake or a bunker when it would and should be easier to hit it onto the fairway or the green. But there have been times when I have been certain something good will happen (e.g. a new client from a sales meeting), and although I can’t completely explain why, I somehow know what the outcome will be of a forthcoming event or action.

It is not realistic to think that you can suddenly become such a person who always attracts good things, but the power of positive thought can have incredible outcomes, so start as with everything by taking the first steps. Say positive things, (even if you don’t completely believe them) and start to write down all the good things that happen to you, however small, every day. Wake up in the morning and think of all the things to look forward to, and bit by bit you will start to attract more positives into your life.

Fear of anything can have a hugely limiting effect on people. Fear is generally a reaction to the unknown, the “leap in the dark”, and the imaginings of what might happen as the result of an action you might take.

For some reason, before we do something new we start to predict the outcome in our own mind. For many people the scenario that they paint is very negative, with a whole string of things that could go wrong, and the consequences that they might bring. Of course, depending on how bad those consequences might be the more we start to falter, and ultimately we convince ourselves that perhaps we might be better off staying where we are right now.

So fear of failure is one limiting action, but sometimes it can be fear of success, when the outcomes we predict are on the face of it very positive. Questions often seem to spring to mind, particularly if business related, along the lines of “If we start to expand, how many people will I have to employ?”, “Perhaps we will have to move to new premises”, “ What about the effects on tax?” etc etc. Again the more we question ourselves, and create worry in our minds, the less likely we are to change things.

One other fear is “What will other people think? Will they be smug if we fail, or will they be jealous if we succeed?” Sometimes we may ask our friends and colleagues what their opinion is of the action we propose to take. Some will be positive because they think that is what we want to hear, and a few will be negative. Of the negative ones, some may be offering a genuine opinion based on facts, but others may be offering negative feelings to stop you from changing, thereby stopping them from having to do things to improve their lot, (bringing people down to their level syndrome). But whatever the opinions offered, the more you seek them, and the more you wonder about the outcomes, yet again you are more likely to maintain the status quo.

To take the “leap of faith” can be very scary. BUT imagine all the good things that could happen, don’t worry about what other people may think, and go ahead anyway.