Stay small or go broke
As a business owner and entrepreneur, there is nothing more apparent than when you sit in a room full of other like-minded individuals, that you are a little different.
If one of my "normal" friends were sitting there, in that room, they would be terrified. They would have ran out as fast as they can, without looking back. Everyone was talking, almost all at once. They all had their ipads, iphones and pens and paper ready to hear - you are not going to be believe this - JACK DALY. Not that you wouldn't believe that someone would go and see Jack Daly, but because most of the people in the room had seen him speak on sales, not once, not twice, not even three times - but more than 5 or 6 times - BECAUSE he is that good and everyone in that room knows that to build their businesses, they need good management, strong marketing, and SALES. And, when it comes to SALES there is no-one more qualified or better at giving small businesses insight, than Jack Daly.
If one of my "normal" friends were sitting there, in that room, they would be terrified. They would have ran out as fast as they can, without looking back. Everyone was talking, almost all at once. They all had their ipads, iphones and pens and paper ready to hear - you are not going to be believe this - JACK DALY. Not that you wouldn't believe that someone would go and see Jack Daly, but because most of the people in the room had seen him speak on sales, not once, not twice, not even three times - but more than 5 or 6 times - BECAUSE he is that good and everyone in that room knows that to build their businesses, they need good management, strong marketing, and SALES. And, when it comes to SALES there is no-one more qualified or better at giving small businesses insight, than Jack Daly.
I have seen Jack Daly speak at least a dozen times and each and every time, I walk away with something; some point that I have missed before or something that I just needed to be reminded of.
"You have two choices; to stay a small business or to go broke. What's your choice?" Jack asks the crowd. Well, it sure isn't to go broke and staying small is ok, but really? Am I sitting in that room to stay small? "Few make it to the next level." Harsh reality, but very true.
It's important that as a small business that you understand your business, have a structure in place, a defined business plan, processes and a VISION.
Our vision is simple; to get 1000 clients in 5 years.
What's your vision?
Next question; what is your culture like? If you are anything like me, I love the idea of having the best culture in the business, but somehow every now and again it falls down a bit and has to be picked up. Honestly, I don't know any small business that doesn't have the same problem. Talking to my entrepreneur pals, they all say the same - except those of course who sell "culture courses" or put their names in the hat to win "Best places to work" awards.Culture is something that you have to work really hard at. Someone on my team wrote a blog the other day about how she hadn't really connected properly to one of her co-workers. "That is terrible - right?" You betcha it is - but it is reality. Do I know the names of every single person who works with me, their birthdays, their partners names, what they like to do on weekends? No. Sadly, I don't.If you want to build an awesome company that is very successful, you have to invest in culture and you have to know the names of every person who is on your team. Maybe not just their names, but perhaps, what they like to do on weekends. Cheat sheets are allowed, but you know what I am trying to say! Stay connected and engaged with your people and build a team around that. Ask them for their buy-in on every thing you do. Hire slowly, fire fast. Keep people who believe in your brand and have something to offer. Give people on your team the tools to excel and if after doing that, they don't - then get rid of them!
"If it's not your job - then you don't have a job!"
"A small business doesn't grow sales - it grows people," says Jack. Another pearler. How do you grow people in your organization to improve your bottom line and deliver a reason why your clients and prospects should buy from you rather than the competitor down the street?"How are you getting your clients excited about your business and your brand?"
Is your culture by design or do you have a culture by default?
"Your business plan is what you are - your culture is who you are."On today's agenda @ourculturecheck:
1. Identify what type of culture we really want to have and put a plan in place to make it happen.
2. Appoint a culture champion in every office.
3. Engage more at every level.
4. Put a strategic plan in place to ensure that every single person has the right tools to do their jobs and then re-set KPI's around what they need to achieve.
5. Get out of sales and focus only on our people.
Not rocket science - but a reminder for us all.
Thanks Jack!
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