Is your customer suffering from your growing pains?
As you grow, do you understand how your growth is impacting your customer experience? Lacking simple business operating fundamentals can dramatically impact your customer experience. Here is an example of a customer interaction that highlights potentially significant challenges internally as the company grows. Read to learn steps to take to avoid your customers suffering from your growth.
What can an 80’s power ballad teach us about navigating uncertainty?
Frozen 2’s “Lost in the woods” song provides a great metaphor for business owners that regularly navigate uncertainty and corresponds to good reminders about the benefit of a roadmap.
Does your rhythm of business have everyone playing the same song?
Marching bands use drums to keep everyone in step and moving with the rhythm of the music. Every business has a rhythm. Some rhythms are even and consistent, others syncopated. The rhythm of your business is what will keep the team moving in the right direction. What’s your rhythm?
Re-evaluate your activities now!
What does training to ski Mount St. Helens and returning to in-person business have in common? They both involve activities that may or may not be the right ones to get you where you want to go. When was the last time you evaluated your list? Not since the pandemic? You're in trouble... but it's not too late.
Are you ready to end the chaos that is your life?
Is each day a scramble to the finish? Trying to get as much done as possible, respond to team member questions and needs, deal with customers, moving so fast you often are not sure if you responded or simply thought of responding. It’s time to take the first steps in ending the chaos that is your life.
Am I going to the moon?
I have always wanted to be an astronaut and go to the moon. As the Mars Rover landed and my kid declared she wanted to build a rocket, it got me thinking. Does going to the moon satisfy my needs, goals, and desires for owning and running my business?
Find your “You are here!” sticker
To fully understand where you need to go, you first need to know where you are. Identify where you are on your roadmap and you’ll be better positioned to efficiently achieve your objectives. And that could lead to an opportunity for delicious cookies.
A newsletter? Why a newsletter?
Does a newsletter serve my business’s purpose? I asked the question and answered with a resounding yes.
The power of "thank you"
Last week was all about giving thanks. I find that "Thank You" is an incredibly powerful statement. I have so many people to thank for all that they've done to make me who I am. Let's not forget the impact a simple "Thank You" can have.
Do you enjoy running your business? Four steps to ensure you do
There are thousands of reasons people make the leap into business ownership, but that may not end up being what you enjoy most about the work of your business. After some time has passed, the excitement and enjoyment of taking the leap can be replaced by the exhaustion of trying to make it successful.
Pulling Through Monotony in a World of Uncertainty
The struggle is real. Monotony is real. We can get through this together.
Three tips for removing distraction from your to-do list
2020 has been a struggle for focus and consistent productivity. I've pulled together the tips that have worked best for me to kick distraction to the curb (at least temporarily).
Reset your 2020 goals
As business owners and leaders, it is easy to look at the plan you had for 2020, throw it out the window and swear off building a new plan. You might be thinking there is no reason to have a plan when everything is so unpredictable.
3 steps for regaining focus
We are all dealing with a lot and it has an impact on our mental, emotional, psychological, and physical well-being. It's harder to focus with so much to take in and digest. There are steps we can take to regain our focus.
Three things Chutes and Ladders reminds us about running a business
It didn’t take many rounds of Chutes and Ladders to see how the game mimics running a business. The valleys and peaks of running a business align with the chutes and ladders that send you backward and fling you forward while trying to reach your goal.
Getting back on track when the unexpected happens
We’ve all been there. Big and small wrenches completely out of our control are thrown at us when we least expect it. We are suddenly sideswiped by something we could have never anticipated, and every facet of life is impacted.
A control freak coming to terms with losing control
In our current environment, I feel like I am losing control of everything. I know I’m not alone. These are a few of the steps I've taken to get through my feelings of losing control.
Do your business’ values hold up in a pandemic?
Are your core values guiding the many critical decisions you are making for your business?
How structure and routine can make you a better leader
But when I realized that certain structures and routines could help get my team all moving in the same direction and focused on the right activities, I realized the benefits that can come with a predictable schedule.