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.
Showing posts with label contingency. Show all posts
Showing posts with label contingency. Show all posts
How the dashboard came into play this week
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!
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!
Aye! We're in Scotland!
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!
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!
Over planning can be Overkill
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...
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...
Battery Power - your small business contingencies
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?
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?
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