I think it is safe to say that most of us would recognise that the business environment is a pretty uncertain place at the moment.
Most people are quite nervous about the future, and cash flow is something which is more than ever at the forefront of everyone’s minds (or at least it should be). So there is a natural desire to regroup, stay safe, save money, and possibly even some thoughts about becoming smaller. However, this cautious outlook may well be exactly the wrong way to go.
All businesses necessarily must keep growing to survive, for as soon as they stop moving forward, bit by bit they will wither and die. Just standing still will inevitably put you at a disadvantage with your competitors, but taking backward steps will only exacerbate that issue. You will soon find as the owner that your motivation and drive starts to dwindle, and gradually you will lose customers, and the business ultimately grinds to a halt.
So what should you do? As everyone knows it is very hard to raise finance at the moment, so investing in the business is difficult. However, at the very least you should be looking at ways to grow the business using your current resources, and then with innovation and good planning, and clear projected cash flows and targets, you can maintain the enthusiasm within your team, and be ready as soon as things become a little easier.
Don’t let fear hold you back, be positive and keep doing things to bring you closer to your goals.

So the holiday season is upon us and after a tough year or so, there is no doubt we all deserve a break. However, what will a break mean to the success of your business, and as the business owner can you really afford to go away? The next few weeks will tell you if you have a business or a job.
If you find that without you everything comes to a grinding halt, and that no income is being generated, and that you customers will only speak to you, then without doubt you still have a job, albeit one which is responsible for the success or otherwise of the entire business. So your holiday (if you take one) is likely to be taken with the laptop constantly beside you, and a phone stuck to your ear. Not the best way for you to get way, or for your family to be able to have some quality time together. If you recognise this scenario, isn’t it time you thought about changing it?
Creating a business that works without you, which generates income, and which runs smoothly whether you are there or not, doesn’t just happen. You need to have the right staff in place, have systems and procedures to allow them to do their jobs consistently and efficiently, and ideally have repeat business which produces monthly revenues, so there isn’t the constant need to find new customers. Granted this doesn’t happen overnight, but wouldn’t it be nice to be able to take your holiday, and still know that the business is working well in your absence and that on your return you want to be spending weeks catching up and fighting fires.
Perhaps this holiday, take some time to think this through, and decide on your return, to take the first steps.

When I started out with business coaching, I still had a lot of self development to face up to. Understanding your own strengths and weaknesses is key to this process, because like anything, knowing where you stand in the first place, allows you to make decisions about how you want to change things for the better.
Taking a DISC personality test is a great way to find out a lot more about how you behave in many situations. This is a very quick and simple test which determines whether you are good with people, outgoing or reserved, or more task orientated. Once you know where you stand on this scale, you can identify the traits which you may consider are holding you back, and then actively start to do something about it.
When I first started prospecting for new clients, I found that my personality meant I was far too scared of rejection and upsetting potential clients. Consequently I spent lots of time making friends, but getting very little business. As a result I consciously made an effort to change my ways, and bit by bit I grew in confidence and knowledge, and changed my sales process, so that now my conversion rate is excellent, and my return on time invested in sales meetings is superb.
Think about things limiting you way forward. Perhaps it is time for some self-analysis and facing up to facts.

Having recently watched the shambles, which some might kindly describe as the England football team, it made me reflect on what could be going on behind the scenes to record such awful results.
On the face of it Fabio Capello is a strong manager who doesn’t stand for any prima donnas. He lays down the law, and expects everyone to play by his “rules of the game”. Most people will normally like and respect this. Knowing where the boundaries lie gives people security, and they can decide if they want to play ball, or whether they want to risk stepping over the line. However, for this to work properly there must be consequences for not following the rules, but in the case of the England team unfortunately I suspect that the consequences simply are not uncomfortable enough for them. Of course this is pure speculation, but I believe that as they are all over paid, over-rated, spoilt young men, and therefore the threat of losing their place in the England team simply does not matter enough. Furthermore because there is now such a small pool of English premiership players to choose from, they know they have little chance of being dropped anyway.
Bringing this back to more familiar level, I see this sort of thing happening in business everyday. Business owners being too “nice” to their staff, because they think it is better to be part of the “gang”. Often staff are not clear on what their responsibilities are, and therefore cannot be held responsible for the outcome of their actions – so no consequences.
Strong business leadership sets clear boundaries. The team need to know what is expected of them in terms of responsibilities and accountabilities, and what will happen if they do not perform accordingly. Fairness, consistency and good management through delegation get respect, as this creates a strong business which will make everyone happier.

One thing I often find when I start working with a new business, is that there is invariably at least one employee who is not pulling their weight, and who is hoping that so long as they maintain the status quo, no-one will notice. They realise they are on to a cushy number, and are being paid, often quite well, to do essentially very little. The trouble is, that on the face of it whilst they may appear to be hanging on to a key role within the business, probably more because they have been with the business for a long time (and therefore must know how it works), than through actual merit. In fact they are avoiding the key issues that need to be dealt with, and blaming other people and other events for their own shortcomings.
In my experience, the business owner is often aware of this situation, but is afraid to face up to it and sort it out, because it seems easier to leave things as they are. Furthermore, to justify this to themselves, they often find excuses and reasons for why this person is not performing, thereby justifying their decision not to confront the issue.
One bad apple can bring an entire business down. These things need to be faced up to and resolved. Often it is the fear of having to explain to someone that they simply are not up to the job which stops the owner from sorting it out, that and the obvious need to fill the vacancy with someone new.
The simple facts are that unless you deal with these situations you are simply allowing a problem to grow and possibly ultimately explode in your face. In fact by removing someone from a position for which they are not suited more often than not you not only benefit your own business, but you allow that person to find a job to which they are suited, and where they no longer feel the stress and strain of being someone that they are not.