All small business owners know that often times, you are "it", and responsible for anything and everything in your business. Part of the pride and self-satisfaction as a small business owner is in knowing you have committed yourself to do "whatever it takes" for your business to succeed.
What a lot of us probably believe, or at least hope, though, is that the bigger and more accomplished or successful we become in our businesses, hopefully the less of a need there is for us to be that way, since we'll "have people" to do those things for us.
The other day I was reminded that successful business people are willing to do "whatever it takes" themselves, no matter how much success they've already had. I was walking into a building in downtown Kingston in the midst of the big snowstorm that raged all day here. I saw a fellow shovelling out the entranceway, and was surprised to see that it was Kim Donovan, the President of the company that owned the building.
Kim is a very accomplished business person, and has had an incredible impact in Kingston. His company has revitalized much of the downtown core with their unique renovations, and their work has inspired other great projects that have enhanced life in Kingston. Beyond that, Kim has been nominated for Citizen of the Year, has chaired a record-setting United Way campaign, and has been honoured by Queen's University for his impact and contribution to the city.
Yet, here he was, shovelling out the front of one of his properties. When he saw me, he smiled and said "I promised them it would be clear by 1:00pm, and I wasn't sure the guy would get here in time!". So, at 5 minutes to 1:00, one of Kingston's most celebrated citizens was doing "whatever it takes" to help ensure the continued success of his business. It wasn't even that his guy hadn't shown up and his 1:00pm promise had been broken, and he was there for an emergency fix. Rather, he was there in advance, "just in case". Whatever it took.
Are you still willing to do "whatever it takes" in your business each day? If not, why not, and what are you going to do about it?
The Biggest Secret for Business Success..
DON'T LIE.
Seems simple I know, but I caught a company, a rather large company in fact breaking the rule.
Yesterday gas prices made a hefty jump (well, atleast in Kingston they did). I was at a red light when my gas light came on (I think I need to reread the chapter on planning, but anyways). Luckily the corner I was at had 4 gas stations on it. 2 of which said 81.9. The other two said 76.4. Well, I may not be good at planning, but I'm not stupid. So I cut across the two lanes of traffic, almost hit a car and turned into Petro Canada as it said 76.4 on the sign. When I got out, the meter said 81.9 though. So I went inside and asked if I would still get the lower price because that's what the sign said. The cashier said no, that he was in the process of changing it. I said I understand, but in the meantime, it would be false advertising and they should honour the lower price until the sign is changed. He said no. Petro Canada LIED! He then pointed me across the street to the other one still reading 76.4. So I left (and will never return) and went across to the Sunoco where they did honour the lower price.
You know the sad thing? When I left the Sunoco, Petro Canada still hadn't changed their sign.
Seems simple I know, but I caught a company, a rather large company in fact breaking the rule.
Yesterday gas prices made a hefty jump (well, atleast in Kingston they did). I was at a red light when my gas light came on (I think I need to reread the chapter on planning, but anyways). Luckily the corner I was at had 4 gas stations on it. 2 of which said 81.9. The other two said 76.4. Well, I may not be good at planning, but I'm not stupid. So I cut across the two lanes of traffic, almost hit a car and turned into Petro Canada as it said 76.4 on the sign. When I got out, the meter said 81.9 though. So I went inside and asked if I would still get the lower price because that's what the sign said. The cashier said no, that he was in the process of changing it. I said I understand, but in the meantime, it would be false advertising and they should honour the lower price until the sign is changed. He said no. Petro Canada LIED! He then pointed me across the street to the other one still reading 76.4. So I left (and will never return) and went across to the Sunoco where they did honour the lower price.
You know the sad thing? When I left the Sunoco, Petro Canada still hadn't changed their sign.
The holidays are over - can your customers tell??
I drove by a restaurant/banquet hall here in town yesterday, and their sign out front still said "Reserve now for our New Year's Buffet". I'm pretty sure they aren't talking about next year's already, and so this is an example of a business failing to do a proper and regular Circle Check of their premises. If they were practitioners of our Circle Checks, they'd have noticed this out-of-date sign right on January 1st or 2nd, and wouldn't be suffering the embarassment of now having it still up on January 17th.
For those of you who ARE already using the Circle Check in your business, this won't be an issued, but for those of you who aren't, or who maybe have slipped off the routine, TODAY is the day you need to look around your business and ensure that all evidence of the "holidays" is removed from your space. Are your decorations all put away? Have all your kind wishes for a great holiday season been removed (including from places like memo lines on invoices and till tapes)?
We're likely all sad that the holidays are over......but, fact is, they are. So lets make sure our businesses reflect it!!
For those of you who ARE already using the Circle Check in your business, this won't be an issued, but for those of you who aren't, or who maybe have slipped off the routine, TODAY is the day you need to look around your business and ensure that all evidence of the "holidays" is removed from your space. Are your decorations all put away? Have all your kind wishes for a great holiday season been removed (including from places like memo lines on invoices and till tapes)?
We're likely all sad that the holidays are over......but, fact is, they are. So lets make sure our businesses reflect it!!
Happy New Year - what does 2009 mean for you?
The coming of the new year always seems to me to be a natural time to take a moment, step back and look at my business and what lies ahead for the next 12 months. It gives me a chance to look back at this most recent year and how I fared in my business compared to what I thought would happen 12 months ago, and lets me look ahead to what I can do differently to achieve my goals this year based on what may have changed in terms of my competition, new opportunities or challenges, or the marketplace or economy overall.
The new year always brings with it a sense of renewal, and for many, triggers a set of promises of things they'll do differently this year. The stereotype, of course, is that such "resolutions" never last very long, and so are normally pledged to with a large anticipation of falling short anyway.
So, I don't want any of you to set any "resolutions" for your business for this new year, lest they suffer the same fate as the personal resolutions many people make and soon break.
Instead, what you should use the new year for is a chance to revisit your strategy and plans for your business. Look around at what might be different this coming year from last. Will your position in your market still be the same? Will it be challenged by new competitors? Can you identify skill sets that, if you could hire them, would help launch your business to the next level? Will your customers change the way they buy?
As I have undertaken this exercise for Vista Enterprises, my financial-controller-for-hire and income tax prep business that is my "main" business, I have identified the need to grow and expand my clientele even further in 2009, and most importantly to do it more proactively than the traditional "wait for the phone to ring from client referrals" method that has been the driver of my still-fulfilling business growth for the previous 14 years.
I have had a look at "expansion" through a few different lenses, and have chosen a few strategies to pursue. One is through actively working on expanding one specific segment of my income tax business, and for the first time in my business, I will be placing ads in a few targeted places over the coming months, seeking to gain many new clients within this one market. To me, this is a bit of an "internal" expansion, where I am being active to tap further and more aggressively into a market I already have a little bit of a presence in, and within my existing geographic reach.
The other view of "expansion" that I have had is more "external", in looking to broaden the geographic reach of my financial controller/bookkeeping services, well beyond my city and hopefully across several provinces. Again, this will take far more proactive and aggressive actions on my part than what I have done in my business in the past in obtaining new/more clients. So, I am excited by the challenges of both of these different attempts at "expansion", and will be sure to keep you all posted as to their results.
In the meantime, I hope that you all take this time to revisit and review your own plans for your businesses for the next 12 months, and wish each of you a successful and fulfilling 2009!!
The new year always brings with it a sense of renewal, and for many, triggers a set of promises of things they'll do differently this year. The stereotype, of course, is that such "resolutions" never last very long, and so are normally pledged to with a large anticipation of falling short anyway.
So, I don't want any of you to set any "resolutions" for your business for this new year, lest they suffer the same fate as the personal resolutions many people make and soon break.
Instead, what you should use the new year for is a chance to revisit your strategy and plans for your business. Look around at what might be different this coming year from last. Will your position in your market still be the same? Will it be challenged by new competitors? Can you identify skill sets that, if you could hire them, would help launch your business to the next level? Will your customers change the way they buy?
As I have undertaken this exercise for Vista Enterprises, my financial-controller-for-hire and income tax prep business that is my "main" business, I have identified the need to grow and expand my clientele even further in 2009, and most importantly to do it more proactively than the traditional "wait for the phone to ring from client referrals" method that has been the driver of my still-fulfilling business growth for the previous 14 years.
I have had a look at "expansion" through a few different lenses, and have chosen a few strategies to pursue. One is through actively working on expanding one specific segment of my income tax business, and for the first time in my business, I will be placing ads in a few targeted places over the coming months, seeking to gain many new clients within this one market. To me, this is a bit of an "internal" expansion, where I am being active to tap further and more aggressively into a market I already have a little bit of a presence in, and within my existing geographic reach.
The other view of "expansion" that I have had is more "external", in looking to broaden the geographic reach of my financial controller/bookkeeping services, well beyond my city and hopefully across several provinces. Again, this will take far more proactive and aggressive actions on my part than what I have done in my business in the past in obtaining new/more clients. So, I am excited by the challenges of both of these different attempts at "expansion", and will be sure to keep you all posted as to their results.
In the meantime, I hope that you all take this time to revisit and review your own plans for your businesses for the next 12 months, and wish each of you a successful and fulfilling 2009!!
Do as I say
Well, over the holidays I had two of our own recommendations for small business owners bite me in the butt. Matt and I talk about have systems in place that don't allow you to miss important steps in business; and we encourage to have a contingency plan in place too. Two times this past fall I got sloppy and now I'm paying for it! So I thought maybe we could all (and mainly me) learn from my mistakes:
1. I accepted a credit card payment from someone I didn't know. I took an imprint of their card which includes the credit card number and their name. But that's all. The card got declined, but the customer walked away with the product. Those of you that have read the book, what should've I have done? I should have wrote down their address, email address and phone number to follow up in case that happened, not to mention to follow up from a customer service point of view. And even better - I should've called in the number right there on the spot instead of waiting until after the event.
2. Throughout Kingston I often get asked by clients to buy my book, and if I have a copy on me I give it to them right there and then (don't want to loose the sale, right?). However, sometimes the customer doesn't have exact change on them or we don't have a pen to write down a credit card number, etc. Since I usually know these people I'm not worried as I can follow up with them about payment... if I remember that is. In 2008 we have probably given out 5 books to people and forgot to write down who. It's hard to follow up when you can't remember with who. Trucker readers what should we have done? Write it down right there, or leave ourselves a voicemail if we don't have a pen; have one master record of accounts outstanding; follow up with 48 hours of delivery, and the list goes on.
So, in looking back, what did you miss in 2008 that you'll be sure to fix for 2009?
PS - if you one of the 5, consider this your follow up and please pay up! Thanks.
1. I accepted a credit card payment from someone I didn't know. I took an imprint of their card which includes the credit card number and their name. But that's all. The card got declined, but the customer walked away with the product. Those of you that have read the book, what should've I have done? I should have wrote down their address, email address and phone number to follow up in case that happened, not to mention to follow up from a customer service point of view. And even better - I should've called in the number right there on the spot instead of waiting until after the event.
2. Throughout Kingston I often get asked by clients to buy my book, and if I have a copy on me I give it to them right there and then (don't want to loose the sale, right?). However, sometimes the customer doesn't have exact change on them or we don't have a pen to write down a credit card number, etc. Since I usually know these people I'm not worried as I can follow up with them about payment... if I remember that is. In 2008 we have probably given out 5 books to people and forgot to write down who. It's hard to follow up when you can't remember with who. Trucker readers what should we have done? Write it down right there, or leave ourselves a voicemail if we don't have a pen; have one master record of accounts outstanding; follow up with 48 hours of delivery, and the list goes on.
So, in looking back, what did you miss in 2008 that you'll be sure to fix for 2009?
PS - if you one of the 5, consider this your follow up and please pay up! Thanks.
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