Going solo only gets you so far. Become interdependent.

Being a rugged individualist is usually what gets us into business in the first place.  But it’s not what will give us what we want – freedom.

You only have 24 hours in a day like the rest of us.  You don’t scale.  Don’t die trying that one.

You have to get people to help you and learn to depend on them.

Would you trade places with your competitor?

Look at your competitors and ask “Do I want to trade places with him?”

He may be struggling to make a profit.  He may be working 80 hours a week.  He may have been working for 30 years with not much to show for it.  He may have a host of other problems.  The market may be small and competitive, and now you have to share it with him. 

Don’t be him.  Do it differently.  

Wow the customers.  Innovate.  Build a sales presentation around your innovation.  Sell value.  Be able to charge the price you need to build a business you are proud of. 

Be better than your competition. 

That’s the game.

It’s a waste of time solving a problem that isn’t the problem.

Often a root problem causes a chain reaction of problems downstream.  

If a leader tries to solve a downstream problem (maybe the one that affects their department) without getting to the root problem, the problems keep coming.  

Sometimes a leader is quick to want to fix things and is fixing an affect rather than thinking about the cause.

For example, people are quitting.  Rather than just hiring new people, think about WHY they are quitting.  Is it a manager who is chasing them away?  Were you too quick to hire and hired the wrong people in the first place?  Working conditions?  Pay?  Lack of communication.  Fix the real problem or you’ll be fixing its effect forever.

Another example – Sales are low.  Rather than cutting prices, think about WHY sales are low.  Wrong salespeople?  No or poor sales training?  Same product as everyone else?  Poor marketing?  Bad reputation?  

Think about your problems before solving them.  What is the root problem?  What problem, if solved, would solve a dozen problems a day forever?  What is the source problem? 

(And remember, it could be you.)  

Your business – a good plan, executed well?

A poor strategy perfectly executed will fail.

A great strategy poorly executed will too.

What is your strategy?  To copy other businesses who aren’t doing so well either?  How are you different in a way that employees and/or customers appreciate?  What are the critical variables you have to pull off?  Innovation?  The best sales team?  A unique offer and approach?

Then you have to execute on the great plan.  You have to make it happen – every day.

What is more problematic for you – the strategy or the execution?

Selling with Integrity.

Take marketing and sales seriously

If you have production dialed in and you have a team that can produce your service or product with quality and efficiency, and you want to grow, marketing and sales is the key.

Take it seriously.

(If you do not have a team that can produce the product or service with efficiency and quality, then work on that first.

If you do not want to grow, ignore this message.)

Of the providers who do what you do, whoever gets the interest of the prospects and can sell them, wins.

Take sales and marketing seriously.

“I get to”

Instead of dreading all the things you HAVE TO do today, say “I GET TO” do these things.

Leadership is a great responsibility, yes.  But it’s also a great privilege.

Stop saying “I have to”.

Say “I get to”.

Hiring Great Players

Simple steps – 

Know what kind of person you are looking for in the first place.

Interview them three times or more, in more than one environment.

Have your key team members interview them.

Do a background check.

In the end – it’s “Hell Yeah!” or no.

Buy back your time

Some business owners haven’t managed their own jobs well as their businesses have grown.  They held the same responsibilities, and each of them grew with the business, swamping their time.  Life got worse.

Hire to buy back your time.

Delegating to and empowering good people is the key to making your job smaller so you can enjoy the experience of owning a business.

By not being so busy, you can think.

By thinking, you can focus on what matters most and do higher-value activity.

Buy back your time – hire the right people and let them help you.

Happy, turned on employees = profit

There is a direct relationship between employee engagement and productivity.

And there is a direct relationship between productivity and profitability.

How is your culture?  Do employees feel important?  Do they want to do the work?