Small Business Information |
|
How to Remove Stress from Owning a Business... Forever!
I meet and talk to hundreds and hundreds of business owners every year and do you know what I've discovered? Virtually all of them are regularly suffering from stress. It dawned on me while running a seminar one day... stress is caused by pressure. Isaac Newton's Second Law of Motion says for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. That means in order for there to be pressure there must be resistance. Its impossible to expert pressure on something unless there is resistance. So in order for you to feel pressure (and hence stress) there must be something you are resisting. And when you feel stressed you can also feel like you're under pressure. So here's the magic solution to removing stress. Find out what or where you are resisting. That may be easier said than done however, so I'll give you some examples. Often business owners feel financial stress... with too much month at the end of the money. So what may cause this cause of stress? Lack of action to change their financial situation. If the business owner was to learn more about their key performance indicators (KPI's) they could see where they could improve simply by accurate and detailed measuring. Once they have measured many of their numbers in marketing and production (or distribution) they can begin to try new ideas to improve their situation. Let's face it; you can't do nothing when you feel stressed. That's called resisting change. You must DO Something! Find a way to make some changes. Otherwise the pressure will continue to be there and even increase more over time. Business owners often resist getting an education on sales, marketing or measuring systems and as a result they often don't know enough about the performance of their business by looking at the KPI numbers. They don't know how many customers that are buying from them in a week. They don't know what their ability to produce work is in regards to how many customers they service in a week and they don't know if they are making a profit or not each day or week. As a result they stress because of the huge amount of unknown variables. What you resist persists. But what you look at disappears. If you face your challenges and see where the cause of your stress lies, the problem disappears. If you don't it will keep on persisting. Learn your business KPI's and you'll understand exactly where you need to focus your time every week to "work on" your business. Then you'll find yourself proactively solving problems, even before they appear. Then you'll rarely if ever feel stressed again. I've found it's less stressful to grow a business fast than it is slowly. When you're growing fast you can only do so with application of information and by understanding your growth numbers. While if you're not growing you're often not improving, that's where pressure comes from, stagnation. A rolling stone gathers no moss they say and a growing business has less stagnation and hence resistance. Keep changing and you'll rarely be standing still long enough for pressure to build. Imagine what your life in business could be like if you never felt stressed again, only excitement. You can do it! Tim Stokes is one of the best business builders in Australia and possibly the world. He has a unique ability to generate dozens of profit generating ideas in very little time. His knowledge on setting up KPI's is extroardinary with many accoutants wanting to work with him to understand how to measure. To find out more about Tim, his amazing results and his extraordinary ability to find ways to measure go to http://www.bbms.com.au
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Small Business Secrets: Self-Confidence Can Be Arranged At first blush this idea might be difficult to wrap your brain around. That's because you've been taught that self-confidence is achieved through mastery of knowledge or skills. Does Your Company Have a Business Image Manual Every business regardless of size needs a "Business Image Manual" to protect their band. Even the smallest companies with only a few employees is well served when there is a business image manual in place. For 15 years I ran a small business, which I eventually franchised and later expanded to 23-states and 4 countries. What I had learned after franchising is that; I should have written my image manual 10-years prior. At first my business was just me alone; like most small businesses, but then due to my hard work and customer service, I had to expand to meet demand. Each time I added people to the team, I seemed to be rehashing over and over again my theories on business image. Often I would have to harp on the issue with part time employees or even summer help. What I needed was a manual. However, being a head strong entrepreneur in those days, I like many entrepreneurs of small businesses said; "What do I need a bunch of manuals or even a business plan for that matter?" After all most of us know our businesses very well and we do not have to write it down. We just know thru intuition what will work and why and surprisingly we end up making few mistakes, but when we do they are usually quite large and costly lessons. Mobile Pressure Washing and Cleaning Scheduling If you own a mobile car washing, pressure washing or auto detailing business you know that when your crews and machines are parked and working that you are making money. You also know that when those units and crews are driving or stuck in traffic you are losing your shirt in costs and inefficiencies. If you are to expand your mobile washing business to multiple units running in multiple cities you will need to have a strict scheduling policy and operations manual to insure that efficiencies are maintained. Today with the highest fuel costs ever in our nation's history and the increased traffic over the last five years it is ultra critical that you plot out your routes, customer locations and time with precision. How to Start Home Based Travel Businesses Home based travel businesses are no longer the wave of the future. Home travel businesses are the hot trend right now. So if you're considering becoming a travel agent, this brief guide will provide you with information you need to know. The Key To Success - Choose The Right Partners Do you promote yourself as offering prompt, reliable and quality service? The Key to a Successful Business Where would a business be without a business plan? A business plan sets the course for the future of the business. It gives the business owner or manager a sense of direction, listing the objectives and goals of the business from the outset. Employee Relations Manual Sample Outline Most smart entrepreneurs and all large corporations have Employee Relations Manuals. Nearly all businesses with over five or more employees have some sort of employee manuals but not all have Employee Relations Manuals for their managers. It is important in today's litigious lawyer trap to have a good policy in place to protect you from a bad decision or improper handling of an employee situation by a manager. All too often a minor incident can lead to a problematic situation and end up in court, union arbitration or a hefty fine from a government regulatory agency which often tend to side with the employee, regardless of fact. Conquering Confidence Killers for Small Business Success "The way to develop self-confidence is to do the thing you fear". -- William Jennings Bryan Serious About Writing A Business Plan... Start A Business Plan Library Tap these treasures of ideas. The best money you can spend is money invested in your business plan education. Don't shortchange yourself when it comes to investing in your dream. Start gathering samples of business plans and collect business plan books and get a business plan library started, it can change your future. Here's what your library needs to show: that you're a serious student of business strategy and planning, finance and economics, selling, and writing. Small Business Success: Thriving During Change (And Landing On Your Feet!) If I had $1.00 every time I heard someone say " I don't like change or, change makes me uncomfortable" I'd be a millionaire. Some people thrive on change ? they love it and even create more of it. Others view change with anxiety and resistance. So often, we don't associate potential, excitement and wonder with change. Instead, we react to it; we try to control it; we create situations and problems to avoid dealing with it. We experience change daily in many forms ? the clothes we wear, the food we eat, the conversations we have, traffic patterns, the WEATHER. Business Valuation is Critical What is Business Valuation? The term business valuation is the method by which the business worth is determined. This usually happens when the business is for sale, when the business is looking for extra funding from the banks, when the business is considering taking on extra investors, or where the business is looking at merging with another organisation. Fire the CEO If you are the boss and you think your job is to run the business, you are dead wrong. Your job, the most important job in any business, is to market the business. Tips For Successful Home Show Businesses Opportunities for home show businesses have never been more abundant. If you're thinking about joining the ranks of those in the many show businesses at home available, use these quick tips to get going. Covenants Not To Compete: Another Franchise Quandary Imagine that you have operated a successful franchise business for the past several years. Your franchise agreement's term expires in the near future and you are contemplating whether renewing the agreement would be a wise business decision. In the past couple of years it has become all too apparent that you are receiving little, if any, benefit or assistance from your franchisor. Yet, you continue to pay the franchisor thousands of dollars each year in royalties and other fees. You therefore decide that it would make better "business sense" to operate independently after expiration of your franchise term. After all, you are very familiar with the business and have worked extremely hard in developing and establishing a solid client base to enable you to continue running a profitable and prosperous operation. Genius Time? It Matters I frequently give presentations at small business gatherings, providing me the opportunity to have engaging conversations with owners about the challenges they face. Based on their input, the economy continues to plug along, heading in the right direction, and distancing itself from the difficult journey of the past few years. However, the resulting business climate is considerably different than before, with greater competition and higher customer expectations. Success as a small business owner requires maximizing your daily productivity, so you can focus more on the big picture and less on the many things that eat away at your day. Finding a Venture Capital Firm Many ventures are faced with the challenging task of raising venture capital. The first part of this process is finding the right venture capital firm (VC). While this may seem simple, it isn't. There are thousands of venture capital firms in the United States alone, and going after the wrong ones is one of the most common reasons why companies fail to raise the capital they need. Entrepreneurs and Franchisors Watch Out New Franchisors and Entrepreneurs need to watch out as they enter into the world of franchising. What advice can I give to a new franchisor, I was asked today by another entrepreneur with a wonderful new concept; what are the tiger traps that lay ahead? How to Profit from a Concrete Roof Tile Business Concrete Roof Tile Business: During the 2004 summer season, storms plagued the United States. Damages from the Hurricanes in Florida alone sent resources in the southern states scrambling. The shortage of qualified roofing professionals and supplies were felt immediately. Roofers from all over the United States began hunting down supplies and heading south. There were also many people who saw a roofing business opportunity and invested in roof tile businesses. Setting Prices - Pricing Your Consulting Services THE PSYCHOLOGY OF PRICING Small Business and Over Regulation Over regulation of small business is so intense it is getting hard to make a buck. |
home | site map |
© 2005 |