Do you know people who are SO busy they don’t’ actually accomplish much? I do and they are often clients. Mostly the executive ones to boot!
You know the type, usually sales orientated, they rush around being ever so busy, travel from here to there, meet so and so and then rush back home only to go out in the evening to meet and greet and ‘to relax’….well maybe I was there once too, many, many years ago, until I understood how to manage my time and priorities.
When you have a new business or one that is growing very fast, there is a great temptation to just keep running and hope that everything else will fall into place. Can I just say this wrong, wrong, wrong…….. many a business has been lost with this attitude, one of mine, many years ago, included!
You have to stop and think, not just once a month when the accounts need addressing, but every day.
What did I achieve today, what did I do that that was PROFITABLE? Not in six months time but NOW? How much money did I incur (spend) as overhead’s? What have I contributed to the Profit line today?
You really need to understand profit and some reason and for some business people, profit is like a dirty word. Let’s get this straight; in you don’t make profits on a regular basis you don’t have a business.
My clients engage me to tell them like it is. Whether it’s for Mentoring or Coaching, I do tell them; and if they don’t listen, do I care, they pay me anyway? Of course I care; each and every business is a personal quest for success. Theirs as well as mine, I care madly when my advice is unheeded or just plain disregarded, particularly when I control parts of the company on a temporary basis.
Last year I took on a medium sized business that was in the ‘Home Care’ sector. They did repairs and maintenance to properties and gardens which included electrics and plumbing’. A licence to print money I hear you say!
“Can’t get electricians or plumbers for ‘love nor money’.”
Somehow they managed to just break even most months…oh my! Why were they not reaping the rewards of the skills they had.
Well there had been an in influx of well qualified Europeans coming into the country at that time, but hey, they were local and had got a good reputation (well maybe not that good).
They had started of with great ideas and they had business cards printed and work flowed. Then came ‘builders drift’, insufficient materials for the job in hand, trips to the wholesalers, the late start, the mid morning breakfast, the late lunch and the early finish….because the customer required it? I beg to differ. No wonder they were struggling.
So, where did they do wrong? Lack of control and I can’t say this often enough, if you have any kind of business, someone, somewhere has to have control. Total control, particularly of the money, even in a partnership, one person needs to be in control of the finances.
In this case I took over the bookkeeping on a temporary basis and got them out of the red and into black; by gosh was that a struggle?
Lack of care and attention, lack of business control, lack of financial control…I could go on but I am sure you get my meaning.
To get back to my original thoughts; my work is mostly with small, young and struggling business so I know from first hand whether they have the right mindset to succeed or not. Some are OK and will get there in the end and some I know at the outset will not ever see their dream fulfilled.
I tend to work with the former (as they will be able to pay me, even if’s only months later) but on occasions I will bite the bullet and see a failing company back to full strength, just by force of character and the use of my skills.
If you are business coach and mentor you will know exactly what I am taking about. If, on the other hand you are a business entrepreneur, you may think this is a ‘load of tosh’, your prerogative my friend. Please be aware, that your business may be fine right now but you may need some real and expert helping the future, please don’t be too shy to ask.
Diane Holliday
Coaching, for the hyperactive executive! - To learn more about this author, visit Di Holliday's Website.
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Di Holliday
(Visit Di's Website)
Diane has been in the business world for
over 40 years and in that time has amassed
an aray of skills that she now imparts to
her clients. Her clients can be
individuals or small and medium sized
business taking the challanges of change
and growth. Her coaching skills enable
managers and executives to understand
themselves and develop as true, skilled
and valuable business people.
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