Specialties: Strategic and Tactical growth for Membership Organizations, Business Management & Development
People are sometimes surprised to learn I have a coach. “But you’re a coach yourself, Jim! Why would you need a coach?” It is exactly because I’m a coach that I know how important it is even for coaches to have a coach.
A property manager friend of mine recently asked me what he can do to make sure his business is a success. He’s feeling behind the eight ball right now, not just with all the talk of a possible recession, but with the day-to- day grind of running a business. I told him I had two pieces of good news:
I was going to start this article by saying In uncertain times, it is essential to add value to your clients above and beyond what they expect. Then I realized there’s a big problem with that phrase in uncertain times. When are times not uncertain? We can never predict what’s coming next: Just when you think you’ve got smooth sailing ahead, something happens to disrupt the economy or your business or your life. Just when you think you’re in for a rough patch, something happens to clear the way.
We’re halfway through the year now, and this is a great time to ask yourself the question: Am I on track or off track?
If you want to know how healthy your body is, what are some numbers you pay attention to? Probably everyone would say BMI (or weight), blood pressure and cholesterol. Your doctor would add blood sugar, resting and variable heart rate, and the levels of hormones and vitamins like thyroid and vitamin D.
It’s usually not because something’s wrong with the product or service or even the delivery. It’s because the business isn’t getting in front of enough of the right kind of people.
I hope that title got your attention, because I’m serious. I am seeing way too many people gambling with the life of their business, and it worries me.
People are talking a lot right now about the Great Resignation. Everyone I know is losing people or worried about losing people, and everyone agrees that it’s harder than ever to hire.
I’ve heard from several people recently that they’re reevaluating their business. They don’t mean they’re reconsidering how they run their business but whether they should be running a business at all.
I hope that title caught your attention. That’s not exactly how people put it when they ask me about franchises; they like to word it more politely: Does owning a franchise increase your odds of success in business? What they really want to know, though, is Is a franchise worth it?