Your Business Life

So who thinks meetings are important? I suspect many people would say, meetings are just a waste of time, especially in a small business. Most business owners I meet say they haven’t the time to meet formally, but they will chat over a cup of coffee periodically, and hope that that will be good enough. The trouble is, although they think they are saving time by having a fleeting meeting now and then, in reality they are almost certainly wasting more time than if they sat down with a proper agenda, and conducted a fully minuted meeting.
Most small businesses see meetings as a chore which is at best optional. So, although everyone will agree to meet in “2 weeks time”, when it comes to it there is always something more important to do, for several of the necessary participants, and so it gets postponed and postponed until it is no longer relevant.
I believe that meetings carried out regularly, with a clear agenda, strongly chaired so that people stick to the point, and all minuted with clear actions to be carried out by named people by a set time, are of huge benefit to a business. They help to keep communication going between all the different facets of the business. Each person should report on his or her area of responsibility, actions should then be agreed so that everyone is clear of where the business is heading and what is required to do that, and if conducted regularly (once a week, or at worst once a month), they can easily be completed within an hour.
Meetings run like this should be seen as important as a meeting with a key client or prospect. The chance to work on the business and keep it heading in the right direction is every bit as important as making new sales

Earlier this week I met with a very friendly business owner, who was keen to listen, and wanted to know what I could do to help him with his business. The business was going OK but as is often the case he didn’t really know what his break-even was, so was floundering in the dark. He acknowledged that this was something that he urgently needed to deal with, as was his marketing and his team management (among other things). In other words there was lots that needed to change and most of it quickly.
Then came the crucial point – when did he want to start? His reply was typical of many “I can see I need to do all these things, but why don’t we leave it for a month or two, just while I sort a few things out and get on a more even keel”. Now this person had been in business for 22 years, and nothing much has changed in that time (i.e. no structure, no systems, and no control) so why did he think anything was going to change in the next two months? Of course I pointed this out, and told him that he knew and I knew that he was kidding himself if he really believed this. The truth of the matter is that until he faces up to facts, nothing will change, and when I call him in 2 months time, the answer will be exactly the same
Sadly there is nothing unusual about this. In fact the vast majority of people are prepared to keep muddling through, rather than have to actually start to be pro-active and do things that whilst uncomfortable, will change their business and their lives for the better.
So next time you find yourself saying “I’ll just do…. before I make the necessary changes”, take a close look at yourself, and ask yourself the true reason for putting things off. If you genuinely want change, start today with the first steps. You’ll be amazed at what you can achieve if you keep taking small actions towards your goals.

I am reading a great book at the moment called ”Conquer the Chaos” by Clate Mask and Scott Martineau, which is all about the growing pains involved when starting a small business.
Essentially it states that Chaos is all but inevitable when you start out, and until you learn how to handle it, and grow the business sufficiently to overcome it, it will be ever present in one form or another.
A chapter which particularly appealed to me was that about “Disciplined Optimism”. Being the eternal optimist as I am, I have often been criticised for looking too much on the bright side, and perhaps over stating the situation, which the authors describe as being blindly optimistic, as opposed to the disciplined optimism they prescribe.
So for those of you who like me may err on the side of blind optimism (although this is better than negativity), where you may kid yourself that everything is coming up roses, they advocate a longer term view. Instead of sticking your head in the sand with the belief that everything will just be all right, maintain the belief that your business will gain the envisioned success, but be prepared to embrace the brutal facts of your current reality, and then face up to them and deal with them because you want to, not because you have to.
In this way you will be far more likely to take action when things go wrong, and perhaps even be more aware of potential or real problems, before they become critical. Take note of the nagging worries, and confront them. Treat them as temporary obstacles; deal with them and then move on towards your ultimate goals.