IGNITE Your Small Biz!

Face time not facebook: Social Networking Unplugged

2011-05-06T06:51:00.000-05:00

Face time not facebook: Social Networking Unplugged

View more presentations from Lindsey Fair.

Superstar business, part II

2010-04-04T11:30:00.004-05:00

One of the businesses we featured in our book, Trucker Management: Driving Your Small Business to Success, was Mino's take-out Greek restaurant here in Kingston. We lauded them for the way that they were able to make their business space stand out amidst the retail strip mall they are located in, and at the same time be consistent with their branding, by having an eye-catching facade that resembles Greek pillars.

Recently, I noticed that they have proven themselves exceptional again, by doing something I mentioned in a blog post last fall about using neighboring vacant space to help draw attention to your own business. Check out the pic to see how they are being exceptional in their business space in two ways now - their pillar facade, and their signage, pictures and arrow in the vacant space one unit to the left of them!

So, you think you're smarter than a surgeon??

2010-02-19T16:00:00.007-05:00

In our book, Trucker Management, we propose that small business owners use "Circle Checks", similar to those used by truckers to check on the safety of their rigs, as an easy, concise way to keep track of all the small details in their businesses, and to present their best image to customers, employees, etc.. The idea is that if you are regularly forced into taking a few minutes to step back from your business and eyeball things the way impartial third parties would, by having to complete your Checklist, you will see things that you might otherwise miss amidst your busy work each day.

I'm sure there are many business owners who would scoff at the need for something like this, already feeling like they are in relatively complete command of their business, tuned in to everything such that a Checklist is nothing more than a silly nuisance that would add no value.

Now we have some pretty powerful support for our Checklist approach. I recently saw an interview on TV with the author of the new book "The Checklist Manifesto: How To Get Things Right". In the book, he argues that no matter the level of expertise one has in what they are doing, performance can be improved by the regular use of checklists - establishing routines to follow each and every time, no matter how well-prepared you otherwise think you are for the task at hand.

His first example, of course, is airline pilots. Here is a group of people who are well trained and expert in their field, but who regularly use checklists to ensure their optimal performance (ie. arriving safely). But what the author, Atul Gawande, did was extend this rationale to unusual places. He is a surgeon, perhaps the single group of professionals who we perceive to be as trained as they could possibly be, as expert in their fields as one could become. Once his surgical team implemented the use of checklists, they saw all sorts of dramatic results in terms of declines in rates of infection, etc. - very real, important, tangible results, from a group of uber-trained professionals who might otherwise think they wouldn't need to use a tool like a checklist.

I haven't yet been able to read the book, but it is next on my list and I am anxious to get into it. It has received rave reviews already from the likes of Malcolm Gladwell and Steven Levitt.

So, I hate to say "we told you so", but......"We told you so!!". No matter how expert you think you already are in your business, no matter how well you think you have things under control, even surgeons have found remarkable results from using a checklist approach. The changes for your business in using our Circle Checks might not be as dramatic as saving a human life, but could it be as much as saving the life of your business??

A Sign from Above

2010-02-09T14:40:00.002-05:00

On our way back from Ottawa, we passed through a small town and saw the best sign message ever. It had me smiling the whole back to Kingston and still thinking about it 2 days later.

It was one of those light up signs that you can change the letters. Over the years it seems to be that churches come up with the most clever things to write and they've done it again.

This sign said "Sign broken, message inside."

How clever! Love it!

Who's more important?

2010-02-06T14:18:00.004-05:00

Staff or customers? This is definitely a tough question for business owners. Without staff you can't get as much done, without customers there's no point in getting stuff done.

The other day a local tourist destination said to me that their staff was more important than me - the customer. They didn't say it out loud or directly, but rather in actions. The 3 closest parking spots were all reserved for staff, directors. Customers need to park further away. We're obviously not as important in their mind. But without a customer, would they be a destination?

The danger of over-entrepreneuring

2010-02-02T18:06:00.004-05:00

I was working with a client the other day whose business has relatively large cash deposits each day, 7 days a week, along with all of the merchant credit and debit cards they process. They had become disgusted with the 50 cents, or whatever the nominal amount was, that they were paying the bank for each deposit they were making. So, they decided to begin making a deposit only every 3 or 4 days, instead of every day. Deposits are always made by night deposit drop by a manager on the way home, so reducing the number of deposits wasn't saving staff time/cost to make them, simply saving this 50 cents per deposit bank fee to process.

While I admire their attention to detail in looking for cost savings any/everywhere, this particular one was a little ridiculous to me for two reasons. First, holding so much cash on hand for so long just begs for trouble from theft, etc.. If all I have to pay is 50 cents to feel secure that my cash for that day is safely put into my account without any further worry about it, to me, that's a bargain.

Second, and more importantly, is that grouping deposits like that makes it harder and more time consuming for me to do my checking/review of their books, since I now have to add daily amounts together to match to a single deposit on the bank statement. The 50 cent savings from the bank is easily being more than offset by increases in my time, which is billed by the hour.

Now, I'm not normally one to complain about taking money from a bank, but I think this is a classic case of an entrepreneur making a bigger deal of a cost than it really is. Sometimes business owners will find these things because they object to the principle of paying it (this particular client has a hate-on for the banks as it is, so wasn't even phased when I explained it was costing them more for my time - it was justified in his mind if he got to screw the banks in the process).

Other times, this kind of harm-inducing tinkering comes about when entrepreneurs are bored or suspicious of their own successful operations. Businesses that are running well and experiencing consistently growing sales and profits are prime candidates for over-entrepreneuring by owners who have a natural uneasiness about things operating "smoothly", and so they invent things to fix that don't in fact need fixing. They have struggled so hard for so long to make their business successful, turned over every leaf in finding and fighting to get the business to this stage, that it seems soul-shakingly unnatural to them to not still be finding things to change.

And, so when there aren't big things to change, they get out the microscope and find the little things to change. And, they make a change, because their experience has conditioned them to believe that's what they need to do. They cannot simply leave things be, because it feels wrong to do so. And, the result can be unnecessary, or even detrimental, changes to something that was just fine as it was.

As an entrepreneur, do you have the ability to know when to say "enough", and avoid the peril of over-entrepreneuring? Do you have someone around you who will tell you when you can't see it for yourself?

The cloudy crystal ball

2010-01-19T17:46:00.003-05:00

As a new year starts, we turn the page on one of the most challenging years for businesses small or large. Its hard to tell, now, where things will be headed in 2010, and what you can expect in your own businesses based on how overall economic health and trends will impact it.

My crystal ball seems to be cloudy - I see contradictory evidence all over the place. This past year has seen the independent small retailers in the downtown of my hometown devastated, with several high profile and long-time landmarks of the downtown retail scene finally unable to hang in any longer. Yet, I see a large number of my local clients in other industries thriving, enjoying the best years they have ever had. Indeed, my own financial controllership/tax business is up over 17%, having already billed the equivalent of my last fiscal year in just 10 months of this one.

From larger businesses around town, I see other signs of economic confidence that have been surprising. The local Mercedes dealership has recently opened a huge, glimmering new showroom (this is consistent with a presentation I heard in December where it was explained that after discount car-maker KIA, the next best performers during this economic downturn were luxury brands like Mercedes, BMW and Lexus). McDonald's just opened a new, larger location near my house and mothballed the one around the corner it replaced, surprising not only in the context of the economy but with respect to trends and views of fast food these days.

So, unfortunately, I have no better insight about 2010 for you at this point - my crystal ball seems clouded with uncertainty. But, then again, if it had of been providing me with all the right answers before now, I would be writing this from my beach side villa in the Caribbean......

Disappointing Discounts

2010-01-08T14:26:00.002-05:00

Yesterday it dawned on me. I've thought about it before, but yesterday I actually felt it - completely frustrated about a sale a local retailer was having. It's there 'we're closing' sale so everything is at amazing discounted prices. Sounds good right? Not if you are me.

I bought a bunch of stuff from that store before Christmas, some as presents, some as not. I didn't shop there because of the deal or because they were closing, but rather because I wanted to support them and I wanted what they were selling. But now I feel slighted.

People that may have never shopped there, nor supported them, are now privy to great deals on the SAME MITTS I bought from them at full pop. How is that fair? Their true shoppers / supporters pay full pop, and the bargain hunter (whom is never loyal) gets the deal? ARGH!

So, trying not to be the one that complains without offering a solution here are some ways that businesses (maybe not this one since they are closing shop) could not frustrate their loyal customers and still move their stock:

1. let regulars know about the sale dates in advance so they can decide if they will shop now or wait until then.
2. give regulars (with proof of recent purchase or something) a larger discount then just walk-ins.
3. have a regulars day.

Next time you're going to have a sale (and it seems like this is the month for them) or discount something, please, PLEASE don't disappoint your loyal regulars.

Give the best holiday gift - and for free!

2009-12-08T19:21:00.005-05:00

As the holiday season gets rolling, its a natural chance for us to take a moment and think about the people and businesses who are important to us, and express our thanks to them in very tangible ways. It might be a holiday party for employees and associates, perhaps a card or gift basket for important clients and sources of referrals. This one time of year, we make the time to express the appreciation that we likely feel all year round, but are too busy, etc. to do much meaningful about it. This time of year is our "catch-up" time for our good tidings and feelings of appreciation.

No matter the occassion, we all like to give gifts that are remembered by others - ones whose impact on the recipient is lasting and deep. Sometimes its hard to do this for our business relationships, partly due to the time and money we have to devote to the gifts for these relationships, and sometimes because we simply don't know those people well enough to find something truly unique or special for them.

So, here's a simple idea which might help you give incredibly valuable and memorable gifts to those other businesses that are important to yours. And, best of all, its free!

As you are preparing your holiday card for each business or associate this year, take a moment and think through your network of associates, friends, mentors, customers, etc., and see if you can identify just one single person or business from amongst that vast, diverse group to refer to the recipient of that card. Now, a quick email or phone call to that person or business to see if its okay for you to include their name and contact info in the card for an after-holiday-season follow-up by the recipient, and voila, your card now includes a gift with an opportunity to provide a lasting and memorable benefit - a warm lead for future business. I can't imagine a better business-to-business gift than that.

Most of us already get enough fruitcakes and gift cards from family and friends during the holidays. Here is our chance to do something truly special for those who are most important to us in our businesses. How many of your business contacts will truly remember and deeply appreciate your gift of a high quality referral this year?

Outside feedback....from WAY outside

2009-11-25T08:25:00.002-05:00

At a keynote presentation I made a few weeks back, I learned of an interesting project that the business owners of that town had recently undertaken. They had arranged for business owners from another town about 200 kms away to spend a day secretly visiting their businesses, and examining the town as a whole for how it assists them by way of signage directing visitors to the main commercial area, etc.. They, in turn, then spent a day in the other city returning the favour, and afterwards, the two towns exchanged reports on what they saw, where they felt improvements could be made, etc..

While these folks ended up disappointed with the quality of the report they received from the other town, I think the idea is a great one. In Trucker Management, we talk about the need to have people other than yourself (employees, customers, etc.) do the same Circle Checks of your business space that you should be doing, in order to get an unbiased, third-party evaluation. This idea of partnering with people who pose no immediate competitive threat to your own businesses by being geographically distant enough, simply takes that notion of independent feedback to the next level.

Perhaps you should consider approaching your local Chamber of Commerce or other business association to organize a similar partnering program for your city or town!

Attitude + Preparedness = Excellence

2009-11-11T09:04:00.002-05:00

I was at a client's the other day, and overheard the administrator/receptionist on the phone speaking with someone trying to visit their offices, which are located within a larger complex and around which parking is very hard to find. After she gave very concise and helpful driving directions to the person on the phone (who was obviously new to the city) and discussing parking options, it became pretty clear from the conversation that the driver didn't have any change for parking meters (it turns out, in fact, he had just recently arrived from overseas).

Without hesitation, this staff person offered to bring change down to the street to give to him as he drove up, hand him the change through his window, and then he could be off to find a spot. This was a great example of attitude and preparedness combining for an excellent experience. Not only was the staff person happily willing to accomodate this person by travelling down the four stories and out into the street on a rainy day, but already had a petty cash fund in her drawer that she simply dipped into to find the funds.

She didn't need to ask permission from anyone to go out, nor did she have to search for the funds or use her own money. The company itself was prepared by having provided her the money and the freedom of decision-making in advance to enable this offer to be made by her, and her own attitude provided the willingness to make it happen.

What would happen in your business if there was a similar call/request come in? Would there be a similarly easy and positive experience?

What is wrong with this picture

2009-11-07T07:48:00.002-05:00

I had to rent a car the other day, it was a PT Cruiser. Not a bad car, but I was a little disappointed, it was missing 1 thing...

Can you guess what..

Earn your degree with us! (sorta)

2009-11-04T17:36:00.004-05:00

I was in our local Chapters book store the other day, and saw that Trucker Management: Driving Your Small Business to Success, our small business management guidebook, was displayed prominently on one of their walls that they had designated as their "Indigo MBA" section (Indigo is the chain of their sister stores), with several business and finance books included alongside ours.

So, it seems our little book has been drafted into service as one of the "textbooks" of this little bookstore fantasy graduate degree. I wonder if that now lets me refer to myself as "Professor".....likely only in the same make-believe world where this Indigo MBA is granted!!

What's your Sign say about you?

2009-10-26T21:52:00.003-05:00

I really wish I had a picture of this one, really. But I will try to draw you a mental picture of it. I was driving passed a very busy intersection on the weekend when I saw one of those light up changeable sign boards for a nationally recognized tutoring business. It started with 'does your 3-5 year old know how to read?' so it caught my attention as I have a 5 year old. So I continued to read and was totally shocked at the next line - 'bring them in so we can touch them'.

WOW!

I hoping that they either meant touch them as inspire them to read or 'teach them'. Someone really needed to be checking (AND FIXING) that sign on the way in. I can tell you one thing for sure, I'm in no hurry to take my son in to be 'touched'!

"Small Business, Big News" Signs

2009-10-20T18:03:00.003-05:00

I was driving on the highway between Vernon and Kelowna, BC last week, and at the roadside I saw a homemade sign congratulating someone on their first hole-in-one. It was a simple, hand-painted piece of wood with the happy message painted on in sloppy but legible letters.

Immediately, my brain flipped to the possibilities of how such a simple means of communication could be used by small business owners to give and receive similar congratulations on their business achievements. It would be easy for a group of business owners (perhaps via a Chamber of Commerce, a trade association, Business Improvement Association, home business association, etc.) to work with municipal authorities to create a "small business, big news" sign somewhere in town, celebrating the successes of its daring and dedicated entrepreneurs of all scales and sizes.

It need not be anything more complicated than your standard message sign with a few lines of space for the interchangable letters, like we see used commonly by businesses to advertise sales, etc.. Build one of those message boards into a sturdy, permanent brace, perhaps "prettied" up a bit with an overhead piece that says something like "Small business success!" (or something less cheesy and more original!), and allow the message below to change regularly to tout the achievements of local business owners - expanding to a new location, growing staff, winning an award, celebrating a "milestone" of length of time in business. The possibilities are countless.

In "Trucker Management", we talk about the need to toot your own horn at times as a small business owner. Maybe here's a way to amplify your horn so more people hear it!!

The silver lining can be golden for you!

2009-10-13T17:26:00.004-05:00

As many small businesses have been hit hard by the current economic situation, many towns are having more and more empty storefronts appear as merchants have to close down shop. At an event I was speaking at the other night, the merchants of a small town were talking about the possibilities it presented for their surviving businesses, in perhaps providing some additional space in which they can promote their businesses.

Landlords of vacant spaces will usually want to avoid empty, or brown-papered, windows at all costs. If you were to approach the owners of vacant commercial or retail space with nice big windows in high-traffic areas, you can likely come to an agreement that will allow you to use their windows as another display area for your own business, even if its only for a short while before they rent the space again. In fact, these spaces might allow you to do some really innovative and cool, eye-catching things you can't do in your own window or display space. And, if an entire window is too much space for you, partner with some of the other businesses around yours to create something that makes people stop and notice, and become more aware of all of your businesses.

As tragic as these times can be for the loss of other small businesses, sometimes there can be a silver lining amidst it for your own. Will you take advantage of it, and turn it into gold?

What's wrong with this picture?

2009-10-05T16:43:00.006-05:00

I don't think this one needs explanation. What do you see? I think this store owner needed to use one of our circle check sheets!

Communication Breakthroughs!

2009-09-30T16:30:00.003-05:00

If you are like Led Zeppelin and have experienced "communications breakdowns" that "drive you insaaaane" (my best textual Robert Plant impersonation!), I have good news. I know a couple of communication superstars. Like most real entrepreneurial innovations that impress me, and often motivate me to rave about them here, these are very simple, and immediately implementable by anyone.

Business communications are a messy and noisy realm these days, with all of the electronic options available to us in getting our message out to prospects, clients, associates, and service providers alike. And, there are inherent challenges in using these modern modes of communicating. For example, the inability to express emotions in emails (other than silly emoticons) can lead to misinterpretations and misunderstandings that harm business relationships. And, using emails as a promotional medium means you have to fight through the spam-weary recipients to actually get your message read.

My communication superstar #1 is a client who has put a very simple, but I thought very effective, message as part of his "signature" for emails sent from his mobile. Instead of the stock "Sent from my wireless device", he has made his say "Sent from my mobile device (please excuse conciseness and typos)". A subtle, but effective, way to let you know very plainly why his response might be as it is, and takes away most opportunities for the recipient to deem a short message as abrupt or rude, or one containing spelling errors as unprofessional.

My communication superstar #2 is a client who uses a monthly e-newsletter to share info about his business, info about upcoming shows and performances (he is a magician and speaker) and includes a link to view a video trick of the month (check his site out at www.trommater.com). At the very top of every newsletter, he lists the word count and number of minutes required to read the message. So, for busy recipients wading through overflowing inboxes, they can tell right away that Dan only wants about 2 minutes of their time. This helpful quantifying of the time commitment involved HAS to help these messages get read, instead of immediately being trashed or ignored because its unknown by the reader how long it might take to get through it. Maybe this kind of thing is common practice in e-marketing and I've been too quick on the "delete" button for others to notice, but Dan's newsletter is the only one I can recall seeing this innovation on.

Once again, "simple" rules the day in effective innovations or improvements to doing business. How will you become a communication superstar in your business?

Who do you answer to?

2009-09-22T17:30:00.003-05:00

Earlier this year I enrolled in an entrepreneurial coaching program that helps successful entrepreneurs take their businesses to even greater levels, and achieve a better work-life balance in the process. We meet in person for a full day every three months, and receive incredible tips and practical tools to help us implement the ideas we have discussed.

The program would have some value even if it only offered the training and these accompanying tools. But, I would suspect like most entrepreneurs, even if I have been given all the tools in the world to make this kind of thinking and changing as easy as possible, I know that I still am not very likely to actually implement most of it. Same old excuses we all use - too busy, too tired, no resources, etc..

But, the true genius of this program is that it has a high degree of accountability hard-wired into its structure. Throughout every session I attend, not only am I learning the new ideas presented, but I am also continually having to answer for how much/well I have implemented the ideas from prior sessions. I am now, in essence, accountable to my coach and the 20 or so other entrepreneurs in the room as to the progress I am making in utilizing what we've been taught. Makes it much harder to let all these tools and ideas simply go to waste, for fear of looking foolish in a room full of successful people.

I had actually thought about this idea of creating third-party accountability for my business a little while ago, even before I began this program. Being the sole owner of my business, I have no Board of Directors, or similar group, to answer to. I have a network of associates, friends and mentors who I will continually bounce ideas off of, but no one to "answer to", no one who is aware of my goals and will hold me accountable for my results.

I think most of us are wired like that, for whatever reason - whether its natural procrastination, or some subconcious fears or apprehensions, or simply a lack of devoted time to do it, most of the time we all have trouble actually executing plans with any reasonable degree of urgency, especially "big" ideas, like strategic changes in your business. So, we all need to find a mechanism that creates that urgency.

I think all small business owners should have a formal entity to which they answer. Call it a Board of Advisors, call it a Mentoring Panel, whatever - but a small group of selectively-recruited people (on a voluntary basis, who have your best interests in mind and relevant skills to offer) with a specific mandate (help you grow your business) and responsibilities (set, regular meeting dates, meetings with agendas and written reports, etc.).

I have committed to have mine in place before the end of this year, and in fact, a colleague of mine and I who are looking at starting a business together in the future have already discussed the need for such a group for us in that business as it comes to fruition.

Who will you answer to in yours?

A creative idea that truly "moves" you

2009-09-15T18:26:00.004-05:00

I was in Toronto last year and saw a really unique idea a small business was using to help get noticed and gain a bit of a competitive advantage in a very crowded marketplace.

I saw a cube van driving around that belonged to an independent mortgage company, and though I can't remember the exact wording on the truck, it was very clear that if you got your mortgage with them, they'd let you use this cube van for free to help move you into your new place.

Competing against all the giant financial institutions, I thought this entrepreneur really tapped into a clever idea to stand out for potential clients.

How can you "move" prospects to choose to do business with you today?

Can I hear your "watercooler"?

2009-09-09T17:43:00.002-05:00

Designing the customer-accessible areas of your business space is a tricky task - there are considerations of logistics, convenience, decor, functionality, etc.. No matter the type of business you operate - retail, professional service, hospitality, trades - there will likely be a "watercooler" space that your employees will naturally assemble at, mingle and chat with one another. Its kind of like the kitchen at a house party - some place where people will naturally congregate and talk. And, it might not be a place you would have expected in designing the space. But, effective managers or owners will watch their staff's behaviour to learn where the watercooler is, and determine if it is having any negative impact on the business.

I was in a restaurant the other day where the order entry/cash register terminal seemed to be the natural gathering point. When the space was designed, the location of this was obviously chosen for convenience - it was exactly between the two dining rooms, just beside a group of tables, and near the entrance to the kitchen - likely the seemingly "perfect" place for ease of use by the staff.

But, by also becoming the "watercooler", it might have some repercussions the owners didn't think about. As 3 or 4 staff habitually gathered there between trips to the tables and kitchens, they engaged in the kind of friendly conversation that you would hope for between staff. But, in this instance, it included one staff member telling the others about having to wait for a medical diagnosis for one of his family members, and how he really didn't want to be at work because as soon as his cell phone went off with the news, he was likely leaving.

He wasn't my server so I can't tell if his level of service was impaired (understandably so, if that was the case), but because I was within earshot of the "watercooler", I heard it all, and was left to feel uncomfortable, as if I was intruding on a very personal conversation. Imagine if the watercooler conversation was something even more uncomfortable, perhaps even offensive? How would that make those patrons within earshot feel?

If I were to come into your business, could I hear your watercooler?

Would you think to Circle Check this??

2009-09-02T18:08:00.002-05:00

In our book, Trucker Management, we talk about the importance of regularly doing a Small Business Circle Check in your business.

A Circle Check is essentially a brief pause and chance to objectively look at your business space through the same scrutinous eyes of a first-time visitor, rather than with your usual "million-things-on-my-mind-as-I-rush-in-and-out-the-door" eyes. This way, things that might reflect poorly on your business and easily be overlooked amidst the day-to-day rush of things have an opportunity to be noticed, and more importantly, addressed. If some part of your premises is in disrepair or dirty, if your signs and other notices are outdated, or some other "let-down" in your business has occurred, a Circle Check will let you identify and fix it before too many people have the opportunity to see it.

To aid with this, we suggest creating a checklist (or customizing one of the ones we have created), and include on it the different areas of the business space (interior, exterior), viewing things from different angles or viewpoints, etc.. There are a lot of "obvious" things or places to include on your Checklist, but often times, there are aspects of your business which ought to be included in these regular Checks that you might forget about.

One of my favorite ones is your voicemail/phone answering message. Is it current, is it clear? How about your hold music if you use some - I can't tell you how many businesses I have called where the tuning for the hold music has somehow been thrown off whatever station it was set to (yes, with all the available technology, things were still connected to an FM radio), and the caller hears an earful of static. Most business owners won't ever have to listen to their on-hold music or messaging in the course of their daily work, but things like this definitely need to be checked regularly.

However, I came across one the other day for one I hadn't thought of. I received a cash register receipt from a store, dated July 23rd, and the receipt had a printed message that said "Starting on February 15th there will be a change to our returns policy." Kudos for the initial insight to include this warning/notice to customers on the receipt way back in January or February, but that's a message that's more than a little stale by July 23rd. Even if it was still important that this change be communicated on the receipts, the message ought to at least be changed to "Since February 15th, there has been a change to our returns policy.", or something else more current and accurate.

Is your cash register receipt or invoicing documents included on your Circle Check? What else have you forgotten?

From pet leashes to the toy box

2009-08-23T15:57:00.003-05:00

I was in Merrickville, Ontario recently and saw a very simple, yet likely very effective, idea that a local business had implemented to make it easier for some of their customers to do business with them. For those that don't know, Merrickville is a small village along the historic Rideau Canal, that has a number of craft and artisan-type shops - a fun place for people to wander and browse, especially in summer.

As I was entering a small independant ice cream shop on the main street, I noticed that they had a "pet leash hook" installed on the front of their shop, just to the side of the entrance, with a small sign over it to explain what it was. Nothing fancy, a simple hook with a one-way locking arm screwed into the building, no more than a couple of bucks at the hardware store.

But what a difference it must make for their potential customers who are walking dogs, craving a nice homemade ice cream cone, and otherwise might be stuck trying to figure out how to make a purchase! No need to leave one person in a group outside to hold the leash while everyone else goes in, no need to worry about asking if its okay if the dogs come in, no wondering about the dogs' safety tied to the stop sign post a few metres away, the nearest such item to tie off to.

Are people out walking with their pets a huge portion of their clientele? No, of course not - I'd guess no more than 5-10% during the peak summer months of July and August. But this shop found a simple and easy way to make it SO much easier for this small sub-segment of their clientele to do business with them.

I got thinking about how to apply this to my own business. I have a number of clients with small children, but only a very few number of them who ever actually have to bring them into my office with them when meeting with me. But, for those instances, perhaps a dozen a year, the meetings are often rushed and awkward, with impatient and bored kids wanting to do anything but have to sit in a dull office while their parent talks to me (and understandably so!).

So, I have brought a couple of toys into the office to have them on hand now for the few instances when this happens. Hopefully, the result will be similar to the ice cream shop and its pet leash - something simple that I've done in my business to make it markedly easier for a small segment of my clients to do business with me.

Now, if only I could get an ice cream machine in here......

Are you open?

2009-05-10T07:01:00.002-05:00

Happy Mothers Day to me! Today, while I was having a nice hot bath while the family went to get me my coffee, a Trucker Management moment presented itself. Not to me, but to my hubby. He went to a different Starbucks then usual (that's where the problem started) and pulled into the drive thru, waited for about 10 minutes and no one came. So he pulled around front and finally found the hours on the door, which if he squinted just right it looked like they open at 7, but it was only 6:55am so he went to get gas first then would get coffee. He came back at 7:10 but still no one around. So he thought maybe they were just getting a late start and waited for another 10 minutes and still nothing. Finally he got out of the car to go read the 14 point font on the door for the hours and it didn't open until 7:30! So, he left and went to our usual store. The funny thing is, is that we use this exact example in Trucker Management. Most people need to know your hours when they're in the car. So test your hour sign, can be seen from the road, parking lot or car? Is it posted at your drive thru? Not to mention, that today it's the mothers who had to be up before 730 that really needed a coffee!

What's so freaking hard about keeping a list?

2009-02-15T16:30:00.005-05:00

I have had two occassions in the past few months where I asked local businesses to put me on a "notification list" for something, only to be told both times that they didn't do that, for similar but different reasons.

One was a doctor's office who was waiting for a piece of equipment to be returned from being repaired, which I was to come in and have a test done on. They didn't know when the machine would be returned, but instead of compiling a list of patients due to be notified when the machine was returned (myself included), I was told that I'd have to "keep calling in to see if its back yet." They gave me the excuse that they had far too many patients to worry about in their clinic and wouldn't have time to do such a thing as create, maintain and then call a list of patients waiting for this equipment to return. In addition to the poor customer service experience this gave me, I also wonder if a busy clinic fielding endless "is it back yet?" calls (especially when its still not back yet and at least one more call will be required from that patient) eases or compounds the workload for the staff there compared to keeping a list?

The other was the local theatre who told me that only single tickets remained for the show I wanted to see, but to check back closer to the show date as the promoter sometimes releases tickets they won't need but which have been set aside for them initially. Again, I asked to be put on a list to let me know if that indeed happened. The told me that they couldn't do that since they have "eight people working in this office", inferring that it would be impossible to coordinate a single list when there are eight people dealing with the public at any one time. Lets pretend for a minute that simple and effective database and email programs DIDN'T exist that could solve this problem in one fell swoop. Even if we were stuck back in the 1950's, surely there is a spot on a wall to clip a central clipboard of "contact these people if the promoter releases tickets for show X".

In each case, these businesses placed the onus for contact and follow-up on me as a customer or client, when there is no reason they couldn't have managed that process themselves. And, in each case, it has caused them any potential business I could have given them in these regards, as I haven't and won't undertake a game of phone-call lottery with them.

Are there any processes our practices in your business that unreasonably place responsibilities on your prospects or customers? Is it costing you sales? Are you or your staff using excuses to avoid making simple administrative changes in your business that would eliminate them?

"Defensive driving" for your business

2009-02-11T19:31:00.004-05:00

One of the greatest investments my parents made was to send me to Young Drivers of Canada to learn how to drive, and using the techniques their "defensive driving" approach teaches has quite literally allowed me to drive out of and avoid three serious car accidents in my lifetime. Yesterday provided the third.

The roads were a terribly icy mess all over town, and as I sat stopped in the middle of three lanes at a red light, my defensive driving habits kicked in and I checked my rearview mirrors to see what was happening behind me. I saw a car coming up in the lane to my left that was going fast enough that, given the conditions, I was pretty certain he or she wasn't going to be able to stop before the cars ahead in that lane. I worried he might try to ditch to the side and head my way out of instinct. So, I changed lanes and moved over to a vacant spot in the right-hand lane, just as this other car began a 720 degree spin around both the left (his) and the middle (previously, my) lanes.

Had I not been watching what was happening around me, in conjunction with an awareness of the general conditions all around, I would have had the side of my car smucked, and my day drastically altered for the worse. In "Trucker Management", we talk about having "rearview mirrors" in your business to always see what's gaining on you - namely, your competition. But in general, much of the ideas of Trucker Management at their core are simply about awareness - paying attention to your surroundings, whether its your competition, your physical space, your staff, your finances - whatever. The basic principles of defensive driving are much the same - simply being aware of all that is happening, and may happen, around you, so that you can proactively take steps to protect yourself, regardless of the actions of others.

Have you been "driving" your business defensively lately, always aware of the conditions and actions of others around you? Are conditions (ie. the economy) changing? How are others around you behaving in these conditions (ie. drastic price-cuts or blow-out sales by your competition to aid their cash crunch)? Do you need to "change lanes" to avoid a costly and inconvenient impact?

Whatever it takes

2009-01-30T11:39:00.002-05:00

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..

2009-01-28T13:35:00.003-05:00

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.

The holidays are over - can your customers tell??

2009-01-18T13:44:00.003-05:00

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!!

Happy New Year - what does 2009 mean for you?

2009-01-12T13:49:00.004-05:00

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!!

Do as I say

2009-01-07T11:59:00.002-05:00

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.

Oops....here's one who forgot!

2008-10-30T08:00:00.003-05:00

Lindsey's post from the other day reminded us about the importance of undertaking that daily routine and constant repetition of the practices we discuss in Trucker Management - doing that Circle Check of your business space regularly to check on its condition, and looking at your Dashboard often for the most recent measurement of the different aspects of your business.

Last night, after teaching a class at the local college, I was headed for a lazy-man's dinner from a drive-thru at a fast food chain. Taped up on their menu board was a piece of paper with a typed notice that said: "Today, October 28th, the restaurant will be closing at 10pm and re-opening tomorrow, October 29th at 7am." Problem was, I saw this notice at about 8:45pm on October 29th.

Such "expired" notices on businesses is one of my pet peeves, and was a big part of the motivation behind looking to develop the Circle Check to help business owners avoid such things by having an easy tool to use each day to check out their premises. Obviously, here was a business that had NOT done a Circle Check at any time on October 29th, or they would have removed this expired note.

This is surprising that it would happen with an international fast food chain, whose rules and regulations are usually so strict, and their routines so entrenched. But, it goes to show, that kind of lack of attention or apathy can settle in to any business. Did you outperform this international franchise today by doing the proper Circle Check of your business?

Be a good driver!

2008-10-24T09:34:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I presented a workshop in Barrie Ontario on networking. Driving there and back (and getting lost in the middle) I was on the road for 8 hours. Not a lot of excitement along the way, but one road sign did stick out and made me think about our book. I didn't have my camera and even in today's world of technology I can't seem to track down an image of it to share, but it said "Be a good driver, check your truck daily."

That fits so perfectly with the analogy we use in the book. "Be a good business owner, check your business (inside and out) daily." When was the last time you did a circle check or looked down at your dashboard?

Kelowna a Success!

2008-09-26T08:53:00.006-05:00

Last week Matt and I took the trip out west to train a bunch of young professionals on building an efficient and successful team. The challenge was called 'Assembling Success'. Now, we've done this exercise all over the world to over 150 people and this one had them all beat!

Without giving away all our trade secrets, the objective is loosely around trying to make as many products in the allotted amount of time. Typically we see anywhere from 1-10. I think the count on this team... over 30 (before the stealing rampage began that is).

I'm not sure why this team was more effective, but they sure assembled a successful team! Good work!

PS. Check out our new website - www.igniteyoursmallbiz.ca.

Not just a book anymore!

2008-09-16T13:25:00.003-05:00

Ok, so we never were just a book, but now our website shows that. IGNITE Consulting now has a website with just a page about the book (Trucker Management for those that don't have a copy yet). It provides information on our training, speaking engagements and who we are. So have a peek - let us know what you think - www.igniteyoursmallbiz.com.

On another note, Matt and I are off to Kelowna tomorrow to do another training session for JCI called Assembling Success. Next week we'll post some pictures. In the meantime, we're still looking for training opportunities, so if you know of any let us know!

Listen to your CB - People are talking

2008-08-21T15:05:00.004-05:00

Last weekend I participated in the Women's Art Festival. Throughout the day I had many people talk to me about the difficulty finding beach glass now a days with all the recycling and plastic. They also told me about all different sources of media talking about this.

I was completely unaware of any media covering anything about beach glass; and being a beach glass artist this is really important for me to know. I could be missing opportunities to be featured as an expert, showcase some of my rare pieces or even just be in the know when customers talk about the media story. So I may not have been successful in listening to my radio (in this case it was literally the radio, not just a metaphor, and some print) to catch the media stories, but at least I was listening to my CB and heard my customers talking about it.

Here's one of the stories one of the customers passed on to me from the Art Festival. It was in National Geographic Magazine.

PS - if you're wondering where the CB / Radio analogy comes from.. from our book Trucker Management.

Simple = Effective (The "duh" Factor)

2008-08-09T15:55:00.004-05:00

Sometimes the most simple ideas are the ones that seem to elude us the most, but also prove to be the most effective.

I was in a parking garage in Ottawa this week, and saw an idea so simple in execution and so obvious in solving a problem, but yet is the only place I've ever seen it.

A common source of frustration, even comedy (thanks to a Seinfeld episode), is the notion of trying to remember where you parked your car when entering a large store or shopping mall. They have invented gadgets for our keychains to help us find our cars in crowded lots, and they have numbered and lettered lanes and aisles and levels of parking lots. Yet still we often seem resigned to the fact that this frustration is simply all part of the experience we face when entering such a parking lot or structure.

The one I was in the other day had a very simple wall-mounted dispenser beside the elevator of little paper cards pre-printed with the level, sector and side (east or west) of where you had just parked your car within this massive garage that spanned an entire city block. Those waiting with me for the elevator must have wondered a little about my sanity when I exclaimed "Duh! Of course!" out loud. But the idea, so simple, and so obvious once presented, struck me full on. How could this not be in EVERY parking garage in the world by now??

What aspects of doing business with you have people perhaps simply resigned themselves to enduring as an unavoidable part of the experience, that maybe, just maybe, such an easy solution exists for you to resolve this for them?

The Birdhouse Challenge in Jasper Indiana

2008-07-24T06:23:00.003-05:00

Matt and I presented a full day of workshops in July in Jasper Indiana. Over 50 people were at the conference. One of the sessions was the Birdhouse Challenge where teams are paired off to live the life of an entrepreneur from start to finish, concluding with promoting their product. In the 70 or so times we have done this session, we have never had a team actually make a commercial...until now. So here it is.

How the dashboard came into play this week

2008-06-10T16:39:00.004-05:00

Yesterday I submitted my letter of resignation as the Manager of the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Centre. A big step. In doing so, the Dashboard as we discuss in Trucker Management was in full action:

1. Roadmap - a plan to get to where you are headed (I had a business case and had several critics review and challenge it)

2. Logbook - record of where you've been (I looked over my accomplishments over the past 3 years to see if I had completed my original objectives)

3. Fuel Gauge - how long can you operate with the resources you have (I reviewed mine and my families to see if we had the energy and ambition to continue on the same path or move on)

4. Battery Power Gauge - what contingencies are available? (This was really important, what if this plan doesn't work, what will we do?)

5. Trip Meter - how long have you been on this particular journey (When I started the position I thought I would maybe be there 6 months, not 3 years. I enjoyed it for a long time, so I stayed, but when it became 'work' it was time to leave.)

6. Air Vents - rejuvenation and refreshment (A need for this was at the core of the decision.)

7. Most importantly CB / Dispatch - assistance. Running any type of business, and especially starting something new takes a team (even a proprietorship). So this decision includes friends and my family's support and encouragement.

I am excited to see where this new road will take me!

Book Signing Event

2008-06-01T06:54:00.001-05:00

This coming Thursday, June 5th from 5pm-7pm we will be doing a book signing event at Chapters (near Smitty's in Kingston) as part of their 10 year anniversary celebrations. Come learn about the book, future plans for Matt and I and get a signed copy.

Marketers are the ones that don't know what BRANDING is!

2008-04-14T18:02:00.004-05:00

I recently went to see a high paid speaker who is one of Canada's most well-known and wealthy marketing gurus and I was disappointed - yet again the marketing world has confused what BRANDING really means. She spent half of her talk discussing how non-marketing experts have a hard time figuring out what branding means and that only true professionals really know how to define it. Well, she's wrong. Marketers are confused and everyone else has it straight; and I can say this after owning a marketing company for years. Marketers have made the concept so complicated and tried to appear smart, but have gotten so far from the true definition even they don't know what it really is. She was trying to say that branding is the way others would describe your company when they see an ad or commercial - in other words what's the word on the street about your business, and what do the employees say it's about. I would argue this is your culture not your brand.

A brand, plain and simple, is a marking (burned or not as you see below) that labels something to a certain person / business. In others words, no matter how hard marketers try to tell you it's not about your logo - it is! You design a brand and stamp it everywhere. Whereas your culture is created over time and can't be designed, it simple happens based on the environment you create about and around your business.

Here's the true definition of brand according to http://dnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn:

trade name: a name given to a product or service
identification mark on skin, made by burning
burn with a branding iron to indicate ownership; of animals
a piece of wood that has been burned or is burning
mark: a symbol of disgrace or infamy; "And the Lord set a mark upon Cain"--Genesis

Expanding your circle check...and how we broke our own rules!

2008-03-17T06:51:00.002-05:00

I was driving past a bus stop bench in town the other day that had advertising on it, but with all of the snowfall we have had here, the sign was almost completely invisible. The poor realtor (I think that's what was advertised) who paid for that sign for this month has been tossing money away, since no one can see it.

If they had expanded their Circle Checks of their "business", to include any offsite locations where their business is "present", and checked in on this sign, they could have gone and cleared the snow away themselves, so that their money wasn't being wasted. Its one thing to do your Circle Checks around your "main" business space, but any other physical presence you have should also be regularly reviewed.

And we're guilty of this ourselves..... We had created a Facebook event for our upcoming Kingston small business training on March 27th, but we both failed to notice that somehow it got posted in Facebook as March 17th. It wasn't until a potential attendee told us it said the 17th, that we knew it was incorrect....despite both of us having viewed the page several times. More evidence of the need for Circle Checks - those objective timeouts to view things differently, where you can spot problems that you might not notice in a quick passing glimpse.

Aside from your office or shop, where else are you "present" that you need to check up on today?

Support for the Circle Check

2008-03-09T12:38:00.002-05:00

Recently we heard a presentation about the principles of lean manufacturing by Jim Beswick of Calgary, who helps companies become more efficient and successful by focusing on the processes and aspects of their business that lead to things that are truly valued by their customers, and minimize the time spent doing all the other "stuff" that customers don't care about.

One of the tools he talked about was an observation checklist, a tool he uses with businesses to have people simply stand still for a moment and watch what goes on, identifying things that are not working well, or efforts that are wasteful.

We were amazed at how similar this approach was to our own Circle Check, a tool that forces you to take that objective time out and stand back to look at your business space with fresh eyes. This approach of taking a break to see things as you don't normally see them amidst the mad day-to-day rush of work and business, is a necessary step to get a full view of your business, whether its monitoring the conditions of your physical space as with our Circle Check, or whether its reviewing efficiencies and waste as with Jim's work.

When was the last time you stood back and just "watched" your business?

Always look close to home

2008-02-25T08:44:00.004-05:00

During our world tour this past year, Matt and I have traveled all over North America and even some in Europe. At these events our average book sales ratio is 1:6. Lately we have been doing more training and speaking events closer to home (one because our family have said so and two because people have started asking for it) and suddenly our sales ratio is 1:4 and sometimes even better.

So even though the travelling is fun and exciting and sometimes can be easier (I know strange but true), it's important for every business to look close to home. What opportunities lie right in your backyard that you haven't seen yet?

So with that said... here's some information on our upcoming Kingston workshop.

Thu, Mar 27, 2008
8:30 AM - 11:00 AM
$60 (includes snacks, 2 training sessions, autographed copy of Trucker Management)

A Day in the Life Contingency Planning for your Small Business
In this interactive seminar, participants roleplay a full day of operations in a small business, brainstorming actions and reactions as everything that can go wrong does. By the end of the seminar, participants will be well equipped to transfer the lessons learned back to their own businesses, ensuring they have all of the necessary contingency plans in place to avoid costly disruptions. Useful tools that participants can immediately implement in their businesses will be provided as take-away resources.

Assembling Success
Do you have what it takes to lead your team to victory? Successful organizations depend on quick-thinking leaders, an ability to recognize strengths and weaknesses of team members, and plans that allocate resources for maximum efficiency. This fun and fast-paced session has teams competing to design and execute an assembly line, and get quality products to market more quickly than the others while facing unique challenges associated with the abilities of each team member. The lessons illustrated by this exercise can easily be transferred to any type of business or organization. Team leaders will have their decision-making and communication abilities tested in a hectic environment how will you measure up?

To register contact us at:
613-546-0222, info@truckermanagement.com

Meet the Meanie

2008-02-10T18:20:00.000-05:00

Those of you that have known me a few years have probably heard this crazy idea I had a back in 2004. The idea is that instead of fearing and loathing your competitors, embrace them, in fact, invite them for lunch or coffee. I believe in this concept so much that I developed a set of lunch sessions called 'Meet the Meanie' for different tourism operators.

It worked like a charm, especially for the museum industry. Each museum was struggling to promote themselves on such a limited budget. Collaboratively, they realized their budget for advertising was much greater and they could stretch it further. So they developed a joint brochure, ad campaign and a visit multiple museums passport type activity. It worked to increase the pie and not just the piece of pie, therefore everyone's pieces increased.

In the tech industry I have seen several competitors get together to post joint job ads. Two different ways that meeting your meanie can be effective.

Have you met your meanie? More importantly, have you thought of ways to work with your meanie, instead of fearing them?

Assembling Success Toronto-Style

2008-01-22T19:21:00.000-05:00

We had an enthusiastic group of young professionals at the JCI Central Region conference in Toronto, who came up with some creative ways to assemble their products in the "Assembling Success" exercise. In addition to having fun, they learned about allocating resources, assigning team duties, as well as aspects of communication and leadership & management. A big thanks to all for their participation!

Continuing the World Tour in 2008

2008-01-21T18:30:00.000-05:00

For those of you keeping up with the World Tour we've been on this past year, we're not done yet! Some of the places we are trying to secure training and keynote opportunities for 2008 are:

Iceland
Malta
Washington, DC
Florida
North Carolina
Quebec City
Ottawa
London, ON
Winnipeg
Northwest Territories or Nunuvat

If you have any connections or would like to help us plan something in any of these places (or anywhere else on the globe for that matter) please let us know.

Public promises

2008-01-14T08:52:00.000-05:00

I was in a restaurant in Belleville on Friday, and on my way to the washrooms, noticed the sign overhead, painted permanently right onto the wall, pointing the way to "Clean Washrooms".

As a customer, it was a great re-assurance that I was about to enter properly cared-for washrooms, with a permanent promise that no matter what time of day or week you went in, they were going to be clean (which they were).

As a business owner, I thought it was a great way to challenge yourself and your staff by forcing them now to deliver on a very public and permanent promise to your customers. How much of a difference do you think it makes to the staff in their care for and attention to the condition of the washrooms with that big sign overhead always promising that they will be "clean", as opposed to simply having a line in the staff manual or daily procedures checklist that the washrooms need to be kept clean?

Finding ways to publicize your business promises, so that you and your staff can see them as easily as your customers can, will help you ensure that they are top of mind, and therefore that you are constantly and continually delivering on them. What promises are you ready to post today?

Part Truck Driver, Gladiator and Mule

2008-01-12T13:38:00.000-05:00

I can't do this entry without admitting that yes - I'm a junkie...a Starbucks junkie. Everyday I make my way to the nearest Starbucks, order my caramel macchiato and look forward to reading the inspirational quote on the cup. Today was no exception. For the last month I have been looking for inspiration for my next blog entry - and thanks to Starbucks I found one.

The quote on my cup today was #260 "Playing in an independent rock band will eventually make you equal parts truck driver, gladiator and mule. Glamour is for those with trust funds." It made me smile - sounds a lot like being an entrepreneur.

On Wednesday nights we've been teaching a class at our community college on starting a business. Just this past week we talked about the lifestyle of an entrepreneur and how especially in the early days you are a jack of trades, including the chief cook and bottle washer, I never thought to include gladiator and mule too!

The best part about the Starbucks quote is the recognition that many jobs include similar traits to that of a truck driver - you need to be able to multitask, maneuver in dangerous situations and arrive alive. Great way to think when you're running your business.

Book Signing Event

2007-11-30T15:57:00.000-05:00

Where: Indigo Books, Princess St at Sydenham St, Kingston ON
When: Wednesday, December 5, 5pm - 630pm
What: Book Signing for Trucker Management, free goodies
Who: Lindsey Fair and Matt Hutcheon

Shameless Act of Promotion

2007-11-27T20:58:00.000-05:00

We try not to do this often, but don't want to miss the chance for the holiday season. For all you supporters, friends, contributors and people that just plain like our book - it's coming down to the wire to get a copy of the book to put under the tree this holiday season. To purchase the book simply go to: http://www.truckermanagement.com/. We'll even send you a signed copy!

Happy Holidays everyone!

The Power of Performance

2007-11-25T20:49:00.000-05:00

In many businesses, as the year nears an end, it's performance review time. Review of the team, the business and you the owner. I just recently finished performance reviews for my staff and although I have done several of these over the years, I actually think I got more out of giving them than I ever did on the receiving end.

As I took time to reflect on the strengths and weaknesses (opportunities right?) of each person, I would analyze where those weaknesses derived from. Was it their actions that contributed to lack of results, or did it actually come down to mis-communication or mis-expectation on my part? More often than not, as I seriously thought this through I realized that it was that the full objective of the tasks wasn't disseminated down or that the bar that they would be measured against wasn't clear. I was often expecting them to be adaptable and resilient and remain on task, but in many cases I didn't provide the tools to do so.

The power of the performance review comes in the delivery sometimes not just in the receiving end. So make sure to take the time to do a thorough review, for your staff but also for your own learning.

From Circle Check to Sound Check

2007-11-20T13:20:00.001-05:00

The Trucker Management approach to managing your small business uses a Circle Check to monitor the physical premises of your business - examining, watching, observing your space and your staff. But as I was reminded this morning, its important to do a "sound check" as part of your Circle Checks as well.

I was going through a drive-thru for my morning caffeine fix, and the person on the microphone today spoke very quickly and was muffled, so it was difficult to understand what she was saying. I have been there in the past and also endured "low-talkers" that were hard to hear as well. Most staff are quite easy to understand, but there are sometimes others who are not - I wonder if the manager knows about these differences in their staff and the impact on the customers' experiences?

Most of you won't be running your business through a drive-thru speaker like this, but the lessons are just as important. How do each of your staff sound, and from different locations in your space? Is one too loud, too quiet, speak too quickly? And without a drive-thru, you still have "invisible" communications with others in your business - how does each person in your business answer the phone? Like me, you have probably called businesses and been totally underwhelmed by the bored or apathetic voice on the other end of the phone. Or are people who call your business bombarded by a greeting recited so quickly from habit and routine that it is hard to follow or seems less than genuine?

Be sure to do your Circle Checks regularly....but also include a sound check as well. It will let you adjust the volume or change the channel amongst your staff if need be, and leave only music to the ears of your customers!

Avoid a "custom"-ized welcome

2007-11-17T17:00:00.000-05:00

As I entered the customs hall yesterday in Toronto to come back home from two weeks abroad, I was pleased to see a nice, modern well-lit sign welcoming everyone into Canada. My joy was short-lived, however, as further into the hall, everyone was met by not one but two shouting, impatient and unfriendly ladies, directing people into one line or another based on if they had connecting flights.

As I listened to their shrill voices, directing us as if we were either a group of misbehaving school children or a flock of sheep, I looked around at the faces of my fellow passengers, most of whom were coming into Canada as visitors. How embarassing. I could tell they were smirking at the tone and manner of these first Canadians they encountered, obviously unimpressed.

Lining up to go through customs is serious business, but it need not be so unfriendly. Proper training of staff to say "Welcome - connecting passengers in this line, and those staying in Toronto in this line" would be such an improvement over what I saw yesterday, and easily accomplish the same thing. Another example of how such a simple little thing can make a world of difference, as we have mentioned in previous posts.

In your business, is the welcome and first impression your visitors are getting better than that of the customs hall? You need more than a nice sign - the actions and comments of your staff can undo any other efforts you make, so watch them carefully to ensure they give the first impression you hope for!

Exceeding expectations on the mediterranean

2007-11-11T11:11:00.000-05:00

The Trucker Management World Tour has seen some networking and prospecting this past week in Antalya, Turkey at the JCI World Congress, meeting with young leaders & entrepreneurs from 106 countries.

Today, on my way to Cyprus for some needed R&R, I had braced myself for a terribly long layover in Athens due to the way the flights were originally scheduled. When I checked in for the first flight this morning, I then found out that the last flight was rescheduled now for over three hours later, making the layover about 11 hours.

Much to my surprise, and without asking or expecting it, the airline offered to give me a hotel room for the day along with lunch and dinner. Suddenly, the value I have received from this ticket purchase has grown incrementally, and as I write this post from the lobby computer, I am thoroughly impressed by the way Olympic Airlines has more than exceeded my wildest expectations.

What ways can you surprise your customers or clients with unexpected, but significant, value-adds to blow away their expectations??

Behind the Barricades

2007-10-23T07:45:00.001-05:00

I felt as though I was rushing the castle, jumping the moat and scaling the massive walls amidst flying arrows and boiling oil in an attempt to get to the fair maiden trapped in the tower.

I had to call an airline "customer service" line last night for our upcoming trip to Turkey, and found myself battling endless loops of automated responses, setting up digital voice ID's for my account, verifying passwords, giving up and returning no less than three different times. By the time I did figure out how to get behind the barricades and speak to a real live person, she was so very kind and helpful, eager to assist however she could, and it was a surprisingly positive experience.

Why they have to make it so difficult for me to get to that positive experience is beyond me. Had this not been a necessary question I needed answered, I would have long given up on trying to get through the barriers, and would never have had the positive part of the experience.

In your business, are there barricades that your customers have to surpass before they get the positive experience you work so hard to provide?

JCI Ireland National Convention Training Sessions

2007-10-22T08:00:00.001-05:00

About 40 young entrepreneurs from 5 different countries participated in the Birdhouse Business and Assembling Success in Cork, Ireland on October 13th. This was the first time every single team actually completed a birdhouse! Thanks to everyone for their participation!

Gather in Glasgow Training Sessions

2007-10-18T10:37:00.000-05:00

On October 11th we did two sessions at Gather in Glasgow (thanks Pippa!), which saw participants go through the Circle Check, A Day in the Life (contingency planning) and Elevator Pitch. Many thanks to our enthusiastic cast of characters!

JCI Glasgow training event

2007-10-16T16:05:00.001-05:00

Members and guests of JCI Glasgow joined us on October 10th for an evening of interactive training. This was our first training to a non-North American audience, and it was a great experience for us to see the subtle cultural differences come out in the discussions. The group did the Target Market Game, Assembling Success, and Elevator Pitch. Thanks to all those who attended after a busy workday!

Being Exceptional Escaped Them!

2007-10-15T16:11:00.000-05:00

We began our long journey home yesterday from the Scotland/Ireland leg of the Trucker Management World Tour (pictures from all training sessions to be posted over this week!), with the airline we were flying with from Cork to Edinburgh missing a chance to be exceptional and create cheerleaders for themselves in us.

When I checked in, I was informed that my bags were over the weight limit, which I expected due to the training supplies and books we were carting around, but for which I was forgiven by the same airline on the initial trip down two days prior. The check-in person quickly wrote out a slip and curtly sent me over to the excess baggage counter, where I was billed 105 Euros - about $140 CAD. Fair enough - they have their rules for good reason, and I "got away" with one on the way down anyway, so no reason to complain.

But when we boarded the plane, and discovered that the flight was less than one-quarter full, I was angered by the fact that I was still charged this when in fact I was helping the flight by having overweight bags (they actually had those of us in the first ten rows stay seated while the others departed to keep the plane steady, since there wasn't enough baggage weight!).

Anyway, fair is fair - I broke their rules, and so have no right to feel upset from being made to pay as a result. But, the airline missed a great chance to be exceptional in their customer service and turn me into a cheerleader shouting their praises to everyone I come across by not charging it to me, especially given the status of the flight.

Are you seizing every opportunity to create cheerleaders for your business?

(PS. redemption for the Glasgow airport after our unfortunate "left baggage" incident there on Friday (see "Slainte from Ireland" post) - the airline there didn't charge me the excess baggage charge either for the final flight home, where I was even more over the limits!!)

Slainte from Ireland!

2007-10-13T05:39:00.000-05:00

The next leg of the Trucker Management World Tour brings us now to Cork, Ireland. We had a very enthusiastic group of about 40 young professionals at our training this morning - pictures to be posted very soon!

We have talked in previous posts about the "Hotel California Complex", where your last impression about a place or business is as important as the first, and no matter how good of an experience you had, it can all be overshadowed by one bad experience at the end. We experienced this yesterday in leaving Glasgow. Adding significant stress and trouble to our very gracious and understanding hosts, we raced off to the Glasgow airport before heading to Edinburgh for our flight, in an attempt to leave a few heavy bags behind for a few days until we return to Glasgow to fly home.

After a skillful exhibition of driving to get us there quickly, we raced inside, found the "left baggage" office, and headed inside. We were met with "Left baggage? We don't have any today - the machine is down.". End of story. No alternatives offered, no compassion shown. The automated payment machine was broken, and the airport had no contingency plan in place for something that should have an easy alternative. The courageous efforts of our hosts were all for nothing.

Fortunately, we had another option (stashing them in Edinburgh instead of Glasgow), but imagine if we didn't have another choice? Halfway around the world, and forced to carry heavy luggage about to places we didn't need it.

Fortunately, Glasgow has one more chance to make it up to us (the rest of our experiences there have been fantastic) when we return to head home. In your business, you won't always get a second chance to make a last impression, so make sure they are all positive ones!

Aye! We're in Scotland!

2007-10-09T05:56:00.000-05:00

We arrived in Glasgow this morning for our whirlwind tour. It was a pretty smooth trip but I almost felt inclined (or inspired maybe) to give a copy of Trucker Management to the parents sitting in front of us that had a screaming 2 year old with them. Some of you maybe wondering how parents could benefit from a small business book? Contingency Planning 101! I got the impression that they thought their little girl would sleep the whole way since it was the red-eye flight, so they didn't pack any toys, books or very many snacks (as far as I could tell anyway because I never saw any). My experience as a parent of a 3 1/2 year old has taught me, hope for the best but plan for the worst. Snacks, diapers, toys, music, movies, bribes, a grandma to help. Pack anything and everything you possible can fit in a carry-on for your sake and the sake of the other passengers! I'm not sure who is worse off, the parents that can now nap with their very tired 2 year old, or us embarking on a new leg of the world tour!

Over the next 4 days we will be doing 4 small business events. It should be a busy week so keep visiting our blog for stories and pictures. On the weekend we head to Ireland for more training. The world tour is in full motion now!

Franchise Frustrations

2007-10-06T16:12:00.000-05:00

Even the biggest global franchises, ones you would expect to have systems and training so thorough and established as to prevent them, are still prone to making some of the most common mistakes in business related to lack of attention.

All of the ideas and tools in Trucker Management boil back down to one basic notion - in your business, you always need to be paying attention. To everything. The ideas and tools we offer can help make that a little easier for you, and this past week I saw not one but two franchises, even with all the resources they have at their disposal, be guilty of letting their guard down. (hmmm....I smell a couple of potential book sales!)

The first was on what for me was a rare foray into a large department store. I was shocked that, even with dedicated staff people standing nearby whose sole job is to greet people entering, the area where the shopping carts were stored was absolutely overrun by litter!! There was so much that it couldn't possibly have accumulated in the past hour or two, likely not even in that day alone! The discarded bags, cups, newspapers (where all this stuff came from, I don't know - it wasn't stuff for sale in the store!) made it difficult to even get a cart out of the paddock.

Then, tonight on the way home, I passed a fast food place whose sign outside was advertising the return of a special item. But, it read "There back!", instead of "They're back!" Incorrect grammar on signs is definitely one of my pet peeves - to me there is no greater indication that those running the business are not paying attention.

Take a quick look around your business - are you being better than these franchises??

The Official Trucker Management Book Launch Event

2007-10-01T09:26:00.000-05:00

Everyone's invited (but you do need to RSVP please) to our official book launch on October 23. There will be some free munchies, a game or two to showoff the book and of course signed copies of the book will be available for sale.

Launch Details:

Tuesday, October 23rd
5:00-7:00pm
Tango (331 King Street East)
Kingston, ON
Free munchies, Cash Bar
RSVP: info@truckermanagement.com

We're live!! Book available for sale now!

2007-09-28T17:46:00.000-05:00

That magical day finally came yesterday when we got our hands on an actual, real printed copy of Trucker Management!!

It was a great feeling to see everything come to fruition, and we want to thank all of our friends, family and colleagues for their continued support - it has been great having all of you ask us regularly about the progress of the book, and we're thrilled to now be able to share it with you!

The order function on our website at www.truckermanagement.com is now live, and you can place your credit card order there on our secure site. Our main shipment of books is coming in about 10 days, and so orders will begin to ship immediately after that. Our official launch will be here in Kingston on October 23rd - more details to follow soon.

As always, we are still looking for more opportunities for speaking and training gigs related to the book, and are looking forward to those we already have lined up for the coming months. Watch our website for updates on where we'll be, and please contact us if you wish to inquire about having us come and visit you.

And, at the risk of sounding like we spent too much time in Calgary last week....yeehaw!!

Colored Pics from the Book

2007-09-28T13:13:00.000-05:00

In our book (Trucker Management) we showcase some photos and businesses but the photos are in black and white. To get a real sense what we're talking about, it's best to seem them in color, so here they are.

A Day in the Life....in Calgary!

2007-09-25T07:32:00.000-05:00

We had a very enthusiastic group at our "Day in the Life" training session at the JCI National Convention in Calgary last Friday....and talk about dedication to their characters! Our "Sick Employee" actually was sick, and our "Banker" was actually a banker!

Here are a few pics of our cast in action - thanks to all those who attended!

Pet Peeve - Take my Money!

2007-09-24T08:57:00.000-05:00

One of the things that drives me batty is having to wait for an extended period of time at the end of a meal for the waitstaff to finally bring a bill so I can pay and leave - no matter how good the service had been to that point, and how tasty the meal was, a bad taste can remain in my mouth if the final part of my experience is a disappointing one.

Lindsey talked about this a few weeks ago with our "Hotel California Complex" experience in Atlanta, and we experienced it again twice last week with one of the restaurants in the Toronto airport. We ate there on both legs of our trip to and from the JCI Canada National Convention in Calgary. Both times, the initial service was very fast, from bringing menus to bringing the meals.

But, both times, we had an extended wait to receive the bill. Of all the things any business could be slack about in serving their customers, I am continually amazed by the number who don't seem in any hurry to take my money!

The lesson for any small business is to ensure that the experience you provide your customers is a consistent one from start to finish. They should feel as important and appreciated at the end of their experience as they did at the start. If you are quick to bring me a menu and take my order, but then slow or negligent in letting me pay and get on with my day, it feels as though somehow while I was there I became less important to you.

In your business, are your customers attended to the same way throughout their experience, or do you leave a bad taste in their mouth by letting your attention dwindle?

Not a Podium Performance!

2007-09-23T11:10:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, here in Calgary a group of us headed out to Calgary Olympic Stadium. We were all excited for the tour and the zipline. Upon arrival we got a brief introduction to the park while sitting on the bus, then handed a headset and sent out on our way for the self guided tour. The word guided should be used very lightly. We got to the top where the ski jumping happens and wandered around looking for something to look at. We didn't have a map, the headsets didn't work and none of us had ever been there before. When we asked a staff person what to see and do up there, he said that he only worked on the zipline and knew nothing else about the park. There wasn't a single sign or map to be found. The most exciting thing we saw at the top was the room where the current athletes in training kept their wetsuits - woohoo!

So, down to the bottom we went. Again not much to do, the museum was neat but nothing really to write home about (maybe just to write a blog about). The podium and flags out front where everyone wants their picture, was also a sad case of affairs with most of the flags being ripped and torn.

As we went to get back on the bus, the guide (well - not really a guide, more like just a staff member) asked us to pay inside - $14! I think since it was self-guided I should have paid myself for the tour, it definitely wasn't worth paying anyone else for it.

The only value I got from the day was a story, and for those of you that know me, know that I do like stories, I just wish this one had had a gold place finish.

YeeHaw! We're in Calgary

2007-09-20T09:21:00.000-05:00

Stop number 3 on the world tour! We arrived Tuesday in Calgary to a balmy 5 degrees and light flurries - much different then the 25 degrees and smog advisory in Kingston.

Tomorrow we're doing the Day in the Life of an Entrepreneur training session at the JCI Canada National Convention. There are over 125 dynamic young leaders registered from across Canada. Wonder what they'll think when they see the costumes they have to wear - not your typical conference training session!

Check back in a few days for some pics and stories about our trip.

Over planning can be Overkill

2007-09-18T09:11:00.000-05:00

We always talk about (and even write about in Trucker Management) that planning, from business planning to contingency planning, is key to small business success - and it is. At the same time however, there comes a time when enough is enough and it's time to stop planning and start doing.

A Junior Chamber chapter this year experienced how over planning can be overkill. JCI provides tools and templates for the individual chapter to complete a yearly business plan. The challenge is that the organization has a pretty diverse mission and a vague target market (only defined by age). In one city, the JC's may look like a business networking association, in another a community club and in another a social group. The other challenge is that the Board of Directors completely changes over every year, so the plan starts from scratch every year. Every chapter struggles with trying to be everything to everyone. So, this chapter we're talking about, spent many months planning who they were, who their target market was and what programming would occur. Then when the President had to leave half way through the year, the new board had to go back into planning mode before the first plan was complete. For 7 months the chapter was planning what it would be doing for the year, even though the year was almost over.

In September, the chapter realized enough is enough and that the planning phase had actually deterred members from attending and joining. So in September they DID something, not just talked about it. The talk on the town the last few weeks had much and improved.

A good quote to sum this up is:

Ready. Fire. Aim.
is better than
Ready. Aim. Aim. Aim. Aim. Aim...

Silent but deadly

2007-09-10T08:21:00.000-05:00

Sometimes "quiet" communications in your small business can actually be quite "loud" or deadly in their effectiveness, and I recently saw two great examples of this.

The first was a home daycare in Whitby, who kept a giant scoreboard out front of the home, with large two-foot letters that looked like this:

Infants 0
Juniors 2
Seniors 0

What a simple, but powerful, way to let everyone passing by how many available spots you had! Imagine the administrative time they save by not having to answer endless phone calls about if they have any free spaces!

The second is something I noticed recently here in Kingston. For a while now, there has been a 1-800-Got-Junk truck parked in the very front corner of a strip-mall parking lot at a very busy residential intersection. The first time I saw it, I thought maybe it had been left there for the night for convenience. But, having seen it there now every time since, it must be deliberately being parked there for visibility. Because their branding and other communications strategies are so effective (including having the phone number so clearly plastered down both sides of the truck), simply parking the truck and leaving it there in a high-traffic area shouts a loud reminder to hundreds of people a day about their services.

Does your business's silent communications shout as loudly as these examples?

Pet Peeve - Things I Shouldn't Know

2007-09-07T11:52:00.000-05:00

In Trucker Management, we talk about how your staff, not only their appearance but also their behaviour, are a big aspect within the interior of your business space, just like your decor, displays, etc.. One of my biggest pet peeves in business is having to endure listening to employees talk about things that I shouldn't know or have to hear about - crappy schedules, bitchy co-workers, or other gripes that reflect negatively on the business they are working for.

I was in a coffee shop in Manotick the other day, and while waiting for a bagel, learned about how two managers were hammered beyond comprehension the first time these two staff people met them (presumably not at work but at some non-work event). I learned, in far too much detail, about the way they slurred their words and vomitted on a lawn.

But perhaps even more importantly, because these two obviously have no regard for these managers in the way they spoke about them, neither then did I. My senses became immediately more acute for finding faults in the business operation, because I expected there to be some given the negative perceptions I had of the management without even seeing them. All of the sudden, the toaster was taking too long, the lobby floor was too dirty, and I was convinced somehow my order would be wrong when I got it.

This is an experience I have to endure far too often in many businesses. Watch and listen to your staff carefully. If they are having inappropriate conversations in from of customers, correct it immediately. You never know what I might learn about you that I don't want to know!!

Little Things, Big Difference

2007-09-01T20:00:00.000-05:00

In Ottawa yesterday I saw another few examples of businesses doing small, easy things that made a big difference.

When we arrived at the hotel we were staying at, one I had been to before, I noticed a New Zealand flag flying outside, next to the Canadian ones over the entrance. I thought maybe the owners were from New Zealand, and proudly flying their colours. When we got inside, we discovered that in fact the New Zealand Rifle Team were headquartered there, in town for some sort of competition. Imagine travelling around the world, and being greeted with your flag outside your hotel! Talk about being exceptional in your business!!

The second example was at the restaurant we had dinner at last night. Shortly after we ordered, the waiter came over to inform the two people I was with that they had run out of the type of bun they ordered for their burgers, and to find out what other option they wanted. Within a few minutes of that, the manager was at our table to give them a coupon for a free shake. Not a big thing, but impressive that they were so eager to compensate for something we hadn't even given a second thought to as a problem.

Some more examples of easy, simple ways to be exceptional in your business, and in the experiences you create for your customers. What little things are you doing in your business to be exceptional??

What's Your Sign (Saying)?

2007-08-13T19:49:00.000-05:00

Many businesses use those signs with rows of spaces in which they can change around letters, either as stand-alone rentals, or often on the bottom part of their main "logo" signage. This clever marketing tool allows them to keep their messaging current, informing potential customers of the latest specials, or simply offering clever messages to help build their brand and get noticed.

On a one block span of my city, I saw two businesses today who are failing miserably at utilizing this key marketing tool. Not only are they not using it properly, it actually detracts from their business.

One is a bar/nightclub, whose sign said "TONIGHT" in big red letters on the top line, and then had....nothing....on the bottom three lines beneath it. Wheweee!! Let's round up the gang and head in there tonight!! Are they closed...or just boring??

The other is a computer sales/rental place, who has a sign high-up on the side of their building. The sign is still advertising "XMAS TOYS", which is bad enough itself for the obvious lack of attention that has been paid to keeping it current, but the bottom part of the sign now says "GET DRUNC", thanks no doubt to the clever work of some of the local students. This could be forgivable if the "GET DRUNC" was fixed as soon as it was noticed....but I know it has been that way for at least a month!!

Your signs say a lot about your business...especially those "temporary" ones where you get to change around the message frequently. What is your sign saying about you?

Action in Atlanta!

2007-08-06T15:30:00.000-05:00

We had a great time with the two training sessions we did at the JCI MetNet conference in Atlanta. Attached are a few pics of our participants in action. We've always warned you that at our sessions you don't simply sit in your seat and listen to us talk...and here's the proof!

Thanks to all those who attended in Atlanta for being such good sports and making it fun for us too!

Hotel California Complex

2007-08-03T13:39:00.000-05:00

So our International readers may not get this, but the Canadian readers sure will. The Eagles had a successful song called Hotel California. The last line is 'You can check-out any time you like, But you can never leave!'. Last week in Atantla I had that exact experience, and it made me think that first impressions are not the only important thing - last impressions are equally important.

As I was trying to check out of the hotel (which otherwise was exceptional), the line-up was out the door and the staff all seemed very panicked with the large crowds. Checking out took over 1/2 hr - which is the last contact I had with them and leaves a little bit of a sour taste in my mouth when I mention their name to anyone.

Then again, at the airport our flight experienced a 1 hour delay in the airport and then another hour and half delay once we boarded. Now, we can't exactly blame them for the weather (although some people tried), but there were still things they could have done better so that I wasn't so frustrated:

more frequent updates on the situation
food & beverage service
de-board until ready for departure
music or movies

Maybe the Hotel California complex is part of their tourism strategy, but I don't know if it's a good one. Lasting impressions are a combination of first and LAST impressions. What impression are you leaving your customers with?

Bestseller here we come! First book sale made!

2007-07-28T16:47:00.001-05:00

With the final printing/publication date of Trucker Management still two months away, we are thrilled to announce that we have our first paid order in hand!

Muchas gracias to Sergio from Puerto Rico for making our first sale an international one! He will receive his signed copy as soon as it rolls off the presses.

If it's broke....maybe DON'T fix it!

2007-07-28T10:18:00.000-05:00

In one of the training sessions we delivered yesterday at the JCI MetNet Conference in Atlanta, GA, we had participants out and about doing their own Circle Check of the hotel we were in. As we discussed the various aspects of the hotel that they checked on, and the faults they found, the natural tendency of course is to talk about the need to fix them immediately.

One of our participants brought up a great point, and asked if it wasn't possible to make a place too sterile or too "perfect". As we discuss in Trucker Management about being "exceptional" in your business space, a key component of that is being "consistent". And so, if your business or brand or image is not one of perfection, or your customers are not expecting (or even moreso, don't want) a pristine environment, then your Circle Checks take on a different flavour. You need to look much less at things that need to be "fixed" in a traditional maintenance sense, and more at things that are consistent with the expectations of your customers.

This was reinforced last night when we headed out to one of the midtown bars. The target market of this place was obviously 20-somethings, perhaps largely students, and the decor, staff dress, drink prices and selection and even admission policy ($5 for guys, no charge for women) reflected that. Once inside, we noticed that the ceiling wasn't finished - simply exposed beams and insulation. In many businesses, spotting this in a Circle Check might scream "fix it!". But, for this business, this absolutely fit. Here was a business that understood what was and wasn't important to their clientele in creating and maintaing their space. Scuffed wooden floors and exposed ceilings enhanced the business instead of detracting from it.

A professional office needs its exposed ceiling finished or fixed immediately..... a bar for 20-somethings doesn't.

The Unconscious Circle Check

2007-07-26T09:05:00.000-05:00

I was having dinner with a couple of friends the other night in a new restaurant, and over the course of our time there we surveyed the space and commented to each other about things we saw within the operations and premises that maybe could use some improvements. Although this was just a matter of our dinner conversation given the entrepreneurial nature of the three of us, we were essentially doing a Circle Check of the business and its space without setting out to do so.

The need for doing regular Circle Checks of your small business space was proven very clearly - even without formally undertaking or consciously intending to do so, we as customers were giving the space our own critical evaluation as an indication of the business' likely success. It is simply inherent human nature that people will examine their surroundings and make judgements or decisions based on what they see. As a business owner, you need to ensure that when visitors to your space do this, they get only a positive message about your business.

Your customers are doing their own, informal Circle Checks of your business space, so you better make sure you are doing them too to catch what they might find!

The Quiet Try-It Method

2007-07-15T10:30:00.000-05:00

Twice in the last month I've come across 2 businesses using the 'quiet try-it' method of launching their business. Now, coming from a marketing background, I'm used to the 'go big or go home' approach with big grand openings and big media announcements. So at first I wasn't totally into the idea of the quiet approach, but I'm always up for something new, and was happily surprised.

The first business was a very unique service offering in Kingston, a hair salon catering only to children. The quiet approach for them actually worked to drum up interest in this 'secret' new business with an invite only event. It got people murmuring about it all over town. And when the moment was right she then did a big grand opening.

The second business was a restuarant - a world where everything that can go wrong during a grand opening - DOES! By using the quiet method it gave them menu feedback, an opportunity to work out the kinks in the kitchen and create some revenue before the official launch.

This is like a pre-opening circle check, not just of the premise but of the actually service as well. Well Done!

Timing is everything

2007-07-04T08:28:00.000-05:00

On June 26th, there was a big grand opening gala event for a new business opening here in Kingston in an increasingly competitive market. The event was going to include appearances by local politicians and other celebrities.

News of this special event was spread through direct mail pieces delivered by hand through Canada Post. Problem was....I received my "invitation" on June 27th.....and my sister had hers delivered to her home on June 28th.

All the money that went into the planning, design and printing of these glossy, full colour pieces was all wasted for at least two areas of the city by the delivery not happening until after the event took place. How much confidence would you have then in this business being able to properly meet your needs if they can't even coordinate such an important piece of information properly? Is your small business avoiding the same negative impression to potential customers in the way it communicates to them?

2007-06-25T09:26:00.000-05:00

Well, another milestone down! We are so excited that our website is now officially launched - www.truckermanagement.com. It provides a detailed overview of the book, some of our training seminar and keynote descriptions and more information about us. Soon you will also be able to pre-order copies of the book through the site as well. Thanks to the team at Inter Kingston for their expertise in getting the site finished.

We also started our "world tour" last week in Brantford, Ontario. We have World Tour t-shirts highlighting the cities we'll be visiting during our international book launch and training tour that you can buy too! We're still looking for more cities to add to the tour, so any help you can provide, we'll gladly take you up on it.

The book is finally off to the publisher too - so it's been a crazy few months - but we've hit the road at full speed and are gearing up for the official launch in early September. The next stop on the World Tour is Atlanta at the end of July.

Lastly, remember that we frequently update our small business blog with short tips and tricks for small business - so visit it often http://igniteyoursmallbiz.blogspot.com. So we'll keep you posted as the time draws closer, but look for official book launch events in the fall!

Lindsey Fair and Matt Hutcheon

Policing Your First Impressions

2007-06-17T19:52:00.000-05:00

I would never have thought that as I was being given my $300 ticket by the police officer yesterday morning on the side of the highway, that the polite, respectful manner in which he addressed me, and the time he took to explain clearly my options, would be the customer service highlight of my day.

When I arrived at my destination a few hours later, a hotel where I was to give a training session related to Trucker Management to a group of JCI members from across Ontario, I went to the front desk and said "You have a JCI Conference here this weekend?", expecting that the clerk would provide me the name of the meeting room. Instead, I was answered with a shrug of the shoulders and a smirk that could only be interpreted as "I don't know." That's all. No "I'm not sure, let me check for you." Nothing.

Thankfully, a maintenance worker was closeby, and heard me ask, and as the desk clerk continued on with her other work without answering my question, he gave me the name of the room.

When a ticket-issuing police officer beats your business for the feeling of "welcome" someone enjoys, you have some work to do! Make sure to properly police the first impressions your staff are giving your visitors.

Battery failure!

2007-06-09T17:01:00.001-05:00

One of our previous posts was about your small business "battery", or your contingencies you have in place to fall back on when "normal" things fail.

I saw firsthand a perfect example of a battery failing at one of my clients' the other day. They had a problem with their credit card processing terminal one evening, and had about 8 or 9 charges that they had to take manually. When they attempted to run them through the next day once the terminal was working, they found out that two didn't have all the information they needed. The staff had neglected to take down the final four numbers of the card in one instance, and the expiry date in the other.

So, as a result of this business not having it's "battery" properly charged by way of their staff all being properly trained on how to take down a manual credit card charge, this business was out $134!

Not only do you have to have the back-up plan in place (ie. take card info manually when the terminal goes down), but your staff all need to be properly trained in how to use it!

In your customers' hands

2007-05-31T07:22:00.000-05:00

We've all likely seen ads, listings or flyers in hotel rooms for nearby order-in food places, but when I checked into the Clarion Suites in Scranton, PA recently, I saw this kind of marketing stepped up another level. The paper sleeve in which I was handed my room key had printed on the back two special offers from Domino's Pizza for hotel guests, the phone number and hours of delivery. Much more effective than simply a flyer in the desk drawer, or a listing in the guest services directory that I might never see - they got right into my hands so that I had no choice but to notice!

What ways can your business jump out that little bit further ahead of your competition, and get right into the hands of your customers?

Battery Power - your small business contingencies

2007-05-23T08:10:00.000-05:00

One of the things that smart entrepreneurs will do is create and constantly monitor their "back-up" systems. Just like a trucker has their battery as a back-up to potentially keep their cab heated and emergency lights on if they have a breakdown on a deserted piece of highway, small business owners need to have their own contingencies in place for when they have a "breakdown".

The other day I experienced a properly charged "battery" in action. The automatic ticket printing machine in the municipal parking garage I was entering was not working. At the peak of morning traffic on a busy downtown intersection, this could have been a messy situation with people unable to enter the lot and clear the street. However, the battery was fully charged, and the situation was handled without problem. The staff person in the booth simply handed me a handwritten ticket with the time of my entrance on it, and when I left much later in the day, the new staff person processed this ticket without hesitation or trouble. Pretty impressive for a municpal government operation!

Is your small business battery charged up just as well?

Being "Exceptional" for free

2007-05-14T18:14:00.000-05:00

In Trucker Management, we talk about the difference between simply doing the "basics" in your business, or being "exceptional". I ran across a couple of examples of businesses being exceptional recently, which show how you can do so without it costing your business any more money.

Firstly, 21 Degrees, the company who services my furnace and air conditioning unit in my house, have a great way of answering the phone. Instead of the expected "21 Degrees, can I help you?", they answer with something along the lines of "It's a great day here at 21 Degrees. How can I make you smile today?" Something that costs absolutely no more than employees giving the "standard" greeting, but so much more effective. Every time I call them, it makes me smile just hearing them say that.

Secondly, the Waring House is a restaurant, conference centre and cookery school in Prince Edward County, west of Kingston. They are in a rural area and so have a septic bed with which they need to be careful of what waste ends up in there. In the washrooms, instead of a harshly worded warning in bold letters about what NOT to put down the toilet, instead there is a nicely decorated sign that says something like "Welcome to the country! The Waring House is serviced by a septic bed which means that only the one-ply biodegradable toilet paper provided and natural waste can pass through the toilet. Please ensure all other materials are discarded in the trash can." Instead of a stern warning, you receive a welcome, and an explanation.

What ways can you find in your business to be "exceptional", without costing any more money than being "basic" costs?

Update on Trucker Management

2007-05-08T16:53:00.000-05:00

Things continue to progress towards the printing of our book, Trucker Management. Looks like end of June or early July, and we'll be sure to keep you posted.

We are also already working on securing dates for our "World Tour" to promote the book and offer interactive and innovative training sessions related to the book content. We already know we'll be in the Brantford/St. Catharines area in mid-June, Atlanta in late July, Manitoba and Alberta in September, and hopefully the Maritimes in October before heading to Turkey in November, with other dates and locations to be announced so keep checking in here!

For all of you who have already begin to help us find partnering organizations in each location, THANK YOU! And if you'd like to help us set our sessions up in your neck of the woods, please let us know.

Please watch this space over the coming weeks for more frequent posts, more ideas and thoughts related to small business and entrepreneurship, as well as some more hints and sneak peeks at our book content!

Ok, so the book is behind schedule...

2007-04-08T20:52:00.000-05:00

Well this will probably come to less of a shock for most of you than it did for Matty and I - but our book is a little behind schedule. We are now looking at a June launch instead of May. So if you're one of city tour organizers, please consider some June dates instead.

Moments like this remind us that no matter how much you plan, no matter how many hours you put in, and no matter what business you're in - things change. A small business' business plan is always evolving from the moment it is written, and always make sure to have those contigency plans included!

We'll keep you posted.

First Impressions

2007-03-16T07:56:00.000-05:00

Recently around Kingston I saw examples of both great and poor first impressions that small businesses offered to anyone who happened to come across them.

First, the poor one. I saw a driver's ed car, complete with full company logos, roof sign, etc., driving around town, with a student inside on a lesson, with a badly DENTED DOOR. My first impression of this company in its ability to teach proper driving to its students was, obviously, not a good one! If I had kids, I'd be making a mental note NOT to take them to that company for their drivers ed!

The second one, which I thought showed the company was paying proper attention to its potential customers, was Source for Sports in downtown Kingston. Their large front windows were full of flyers showcasing various promotions, and in order to make them easier to see, they had put large sheets of white paper behind them on all of the windows. This made it much easier to read the information on them, so that their energy and money invested in these promotional efforts weren't wasted from them being too hard to read. But, more importantly to me, it showed me that this was a business "paying attention" to how it does business. They are aware enough of the circumstances and physical enviornment through which passersby will view the windows, that they knew those window items would be hard to see unless they had a background behind them.

In "Trucker Management", we talk about this idea of "paying attention" in your business, ensuring you take the time to view your premises as others will view them, so that you can anticipate needs like this. Doing so will show people at a glance that you are attentive to all aspects of your small business, and therefore they will be more eager to do business with you, believing you can properly care for their needs as customers.

Which of these two would you want your first impression to be like?

It's Done - well, kind of!

2007-03-06T09:23:00.000-05:00

The manuscript of the Trucker Management is printed and now in the hands of our content review panel members. They have two weeks to provide feedback before it goes to the editor.

A lot of late nights last week reminded me what it was like being an entrepreneur, but the warm fuzzy feeling I got this am when I opened the box of the completed manuscripts reminded me why I love being an entrepreneur!

Inspiration to perform - from shoes to cars!

2007-03-02T12:53:00.000-05:00

We were fortunate last week to attend a keynote address by Krista Green, Founder and CEO of Organized for Life Canada (www.organizedforlife.ca), and Author of "Get Noticed, Be Remembered". She included a story about how a reporter once asked Michael Jordan about why he wore a brand new pair of Nike shoes for each game. Aside from the charitable benefits that arose from him autographing and donating each pair, she inquired about if he didn't still think that it was a bit of an excessive indulgence, or perhaps a bit of a "spoiled athlete" demand.

He replied that whenever he puts on a brand new pair of Nikes, they make him feel like he can run and jump faster and higher than anyone else. And so, when his livelihood is based on him out-running and out-jumping everyone else, why wouldn't he make sure he gets that rush of invincibility before every single time he gets called upon to work? His performance as an athlete shows that it worked!

What are your own pair of Nikes to help inspire you to optimum performance in your business each day? What gives you that rush and confidence to be your best? For me, I would have to say it is my car. When I leased this car a year ago, a brand new model with only 27 kms on it when I picked it up from the dealership, I indulged a bit and got the leather seats, sunroof, and "Z" model (I think that just means it goes faster) of the car I wanted. At the time, I certainly wasn't thinking about how it could help my performance in my business in the future - in fact, it was more the opposite. My rationale at the time was that I deserved this for what I had already done.

But what I have come to find out is that it gives me that same kind of boost of confidence and energy just like Jordan's shoes. I love the way my car looks, I love how it drives, and love what it says (at least what I think it says!) about me as a competent and successful business person in driving a brand new car with some of those little "extras". I get a little boost each and every time I get in and out of it. Here's to hoping you find your own pair of Nikes!

Word of Caution: 'Definitely' Circle Check Your Blog!

2007-02-25T13:57:00.000-05:00

Well - you caught us! We didn't spellcheck one of our posts and we heard about it! We now have 22 people offering us editing services for our book. (Don't worry we've hired a professional team to edit and proofread the book so there won't be glaring mistakes like on the blog!) We should have heeded our own advice, it's a good lesson learned - CIRCLE CHECK YOUR BLOG ENTRIES!

The good news is that we know you read it! (Maybe that was our intention really). Thanks for the feedback, we've made the correction, and will be more careful in the future, so please stay tuned.

Circle Check City Challenge

2007-02-21T12:44:00.000-05:00

While we were in Toronto, Lindsey and I were in a small, independent bead shop on Queen St (called Arton Beads). (Lindsey for far more time than I!), and in my quick Circle Check of their space, I was impressed by the ways in which they made their relatively tiny space "exceptional" in a lot of ways.

Prices were very clearly marked on all items, specials and discounts were clearly communicated on signs throughout the store, and there were reminders to use your PST exemption and store rewards card for savings. For a non-beader like myself, the store appeared well organized so that items would be easy to find, even if it was a bit "institutional" or "functional" in its feel (in contrast to the more "inspiring" or "creative" decor of a competitor across the street - signs of the different markets they each pursue). The cash register in the back corner even had a sign over it that literally said "Yes, you can pay here."

That got me thinking about if this seemingly high quality of communication and "easiness" of doing business that their space offered to customers was the norm for small businesses in the hyper-competitive markets of a big city like Toronto as a "baseline" for the city, or was this business an exceptional anomaly? And, how would small businesses in other, perhaps less intensive competitive environments in smaller centres compare?

So, as a result, the Circle Check City Challenge has been born!

As we begin to travel to other cities more and more for our training sessions and in support of our book launch over the remainder of this year, we will be doing or own Circle Checks of random small businesses in different places, and posting our findings here. We are anxious to learn about how small businesses in different competitive environments are performing in designing and maintaining their physical space, and leveraging it for the maximum benefit in their businesses.

Stay tuned for the results!

The Subway Stations in Toronto - definitely not exceptional!

2007-02-19T11:08:00.000-05:00

Matt and I ventured to Toronto on Friday for an e-Publishing workshop and couldn't help but do a circle check everywhere we went - including the subway station. For you Torontonians, you have probably become so accustomed to it that you don't even notice the physical surroundings, but for an outsider like me, it was barely 'comfortable' let alone 'exceptional'. In our book, Trucker Management, we talk about the difference between a business that makes it comfortable for their customers vs a business that makes it exceptional. So back to my day, the reality and what it could have been better.

When I got into the subway, as a newbie, I had no idea where to start. Did I need to find the appropriate subway station or do they all meet in the same place? There were some maps around on the walls that helped me, but there was only one person working in the booth and the line-up was at least 15 people long. I saw a machine marked "tokens", so I put the money in and out popped a token. The only problem was, I didn't know what to do with the token. Did I still need to wait in the line and give it to the person? Or did this token work in the drop spots in the turnstiles? I was also still apprehensive about putting my money in, entering, and then realizing I was in the wrong spot with no way out. Everyone around me was going so fast. I didn't see a smile or a person that looked approachable for support. So on I went. When I got to the platform (I was at Union Station) there were two sides, with two trains going different directions. Thank goodness one of them was the Yonge Train and where I was going to was on Yonge. If not, I may have ended up on some other adventure I guess. At the end of the journey, I arrived in one piece - and fairly quickly too.

So how could the TTC have made my journey exceptional? Here's some ideas:

a big sign that says 'New to the TTC: here's some tips'
having ambassadors in the crowd seeking out and helping 'newbies' like me
providing better signage like 'you are here'
audio messages reviewing the steps of using the TTC
and maybe even more proactive and having information available on the train so that I could have read it ahead of time and being organized and prepared on arrival

Just what the heck are they talking about?

2007-02-15T15:37:00.000-05:00

To orient you a little bit in our approach to small business management, perhaps a brief explanation of our forthcoming book would be helpful, to make you more familiar with our “lingo”.

We developed Trucker Management to allow busy entrepreneurs to efficiently address both the small daily details and the long-term considerations of their businesses simultaneously. It establishes easy-to-implement routines and provides specific practical tools for use by the small business owner to “drive” their business towards success, similar to the long-established tools and proven practices used by truckers to drive their complex rigs towards their destinations through busy and unpredictable environments.

“Trucker Management”, both the book and the approach, consists of three main sections, each mirroring a tool or resource that truckers have available to help them reach their destinations.

The “Small Business Circle Check” ™ is the daily, objective physical inspection small business owners should undertake of their premises, both outside and inside, to monitor their maintenance and the ways in which they add value to the business overall.

Your “Small Business Dashboard” ™ consists of a number of gauges or instruments to better let you continually monitor the various human, competitive, financial and other aspects of your small business. Reading it regularly will keep you constantly informed about the state of your business and its components.

“Small Business Mechanics” ™ are the means through which you then actually implement action and undertake change, steering, accelerating or braking on your journey in business.

Hopefully these brief descriptions might help make future posts make sense!

Welcome!

2007-02-10T14:41:00.000-05:00

Hello and thanks for checking out our little online "soapbox".

We are a pair of career entrepreneurs whose personal and professional passions centre around helping other small business owners become successful. We know from our own experiences how challenging and intimidating it can be to declare yourself an "entrepreneur" and start your own business. And, even more so, how hard it can be to maintain and grow your business once it's started.

In 2005, we created IGNITE Consulting as the vehicle through which we could better share our own experience and ideas, offering innovative training and other resources to entrepreneurs, would-be business owners, and the entities that assist and support them. IGNITE stands for Innovating, Growing, Nuturing, Inspiring & Training Entrepreneurs.

Our most recent venture (okay, not MOST recent, as this blog probably qualifies for that designation) is to write and publish a book entitled "Trucker Management: Driving your small business to success". The book will be launched in May of this year, and accompanied by different speaking and training tours across Canada and beyond, and will include literally dozens of practical resources and immediately usable tools.

In this space, we will offer different ideas and observations about many different aspects of entrepreneurship and small business ownership as they come to mind, inspired by our surroundings and interactions, and hopefully many of which others will find useful and adoptable in your own small business. Some will undoubtedly relate to the content of our book, and much of it likely won't.

So, enjoy reading - and please feel free to comment along the way!.