Small Business Revitalization Blog

Have you ever wondered how Richard Branson built his empire from nothing?  What’s certain is that when he was 19 and larking about with his student newspaper he didn’t sit down and write out a business plan that included owning a couple of airlines, a space program, an island paradise and a financial institution or two!  

At 19 Branson was just like most small business owners… thinking really creatively about where  income could come from so he could pay the bills.  So what changed?  Those who dare to think big with their businesses are adept at taking the next step…

What’s different about their next step is that it is the step beyond what they can see clearly now.  Leaders who live large are willing to take steps into the unknown.  If you want to live a life larger than any movie star or business guru, this is the first and only step you need to take… and you’ll need to take a lot of them!!

So what’s the use of a business plan or strategic plan if stepping beyond the obvious is all that’s required?  Well, this morning I woke up at 4am (sleepless in Brisbane) dreaming intricate details of the products I’m creating for BlissTribe.  

Over the weekend we had done some creative brainstorming on BlissTribe and this had clearly carried over into my subconscious.   Last night those plans showed me the next steps beyond my waking imagination…that’s why I create plans!! I use plans to dream and to create… to develop my ideas beyond what I can see now… to catch glimpses of what else is possible and to discover what those ‘next steps’ could look like.  

Does this make planning sound just a little more interesting and appealing to you?  If you want to accelerate your business with ease… the Revive Business Coaching Planning Playshop on 21 June could be just the catalyst you require!

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In the course of my somewhat chequered career in marketing and sales, I worked for a range of small – medium businesses.  One of the oft quoted platitudes from business owners was “we’re family  here” – mostly said to entice employees to work enormous hours for no extra cash, to make unreasonable demands rather than requests and to create a general sense of guilt – as in: ‘we gave you a job…you owe us everything’ .  This approach is often coupled with vague promises of future rewards.

It makes you wonder what type of family these people had!! As an employee, working conditions like that generally bring the response: “ If that’s how you treat your family, I’d rather be an orphan!”

So let’s ask the multimillion dollar question that most business owners are really wanting to answer when they behave like this:  “What does it take to have employees do their best work and for everyone to profit?”

Well, integrity is a good start.  In western countries slave labour has been abolished for quite some time.  So if you truly intend to create a workplace that feels like home in the best possible sense then it’s time to get creative!

Carmen’s Fine Foods in Australia provides an inspiring example of what’s possible.  Ever had the pleasure of an office nanny… your car washed every fortnight… or a boss who actually asks ‘on a scale of one to ten, how stressed are you?’ each week and then does something about it?  Hmmm I didn’t think so!!  (And for the scrooges out there… Carmen’s has virtually NO staff turnover… ) wouldn’t you rather invest in keeping your team loving their work, than hating you and leaving as a result??

Just a thought… as someone who has sat on both sides of the fence… (maybe its time to dismantle the fence too!!).

If 'we're family here' is a value you hold in your business, what are you doing to uphold it?  Please share your creative ideas here...

If you are tired of throwing out your strategies time after time (or you need to throw out the ones you've got and revitalise your business!), the phenomenally useful book “Rework”, written by the founders of 37Signals, offers some of the best advice on business strategy I have seen in a long time…  consider these five little gems (and there's more Rework inspiration at www.onstartups.com) :

“Great businesses have a point of view, not just a product or service.”  If you ever wondered where to find your twenty of so points of difference to your competitors, this is a fantastic place to start!

“You have the most information when you’re doing something, not before you've done it.”  The best way to answer your strategy questions is to put your toe in the water and get real customer feedback.  Don’t just imagine… test and measure!!

“Saying yes when you should say no leaves no bandwidth available for the great rather than the merely good.”  What’s NOT in your strategic plan matters more than what is in some ways!!

“The longer it takes to develop, the less likely it is to launch.”  Quick wins… quick wins… quick wins are the key to getting traction and profits quickly. I launched a product for BlissTribe before I had a website… I was testing the BlissTribe concept and playing with ideas… now I know it has great legs and is worth putting lots of time into!!

“A business without a path to profit is a hobby.”  This is my favourite… I see this happening every day with new businesses… the funny thing is an hour or two spent on developing your business model (ie the plan of where your profits come from) will solve it!!

If you want some different perspectives on Accelerating Your Business strategically, the next Revive Playshop is for you.  21 June 2010 in Brisbane, Australia – miss it and you’ll miss out on insights that will make your business more profitable than you can imagine!!

There's more Rework inspiration at www.onstartups.com too - what's your best strategic business advice?  Share it below...

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Change is the only constant we have and the acceleration of change in the last 20 years makes you wonder what else is coming… can we really go any faster?  Change isn’t like a tap, we can’t turn it off when we have enough!  So what are our other choices?  

A common response is to go into controlling everything we can in the hope that we can ‘manage’ the change.  My preferred response is to go with the flow and create and generate more than we think possible with the possibilities and potentialities available to us as the winds of time shift and blow.

I am the first to admit that this isn’t always easy.  That project you are in love with that just isn’t working?  Could it be time to dump it and move onto something that will flow with ease?  (I did that with a whole business once – best choice I ever made!!!)  That business alliance that never quite delivers what you expected…? Maybe it’s time to let it go and open the doors for new business relationships that are more rewarding… (Done that too…)

In the past month I’ve had massive changes in my life and business… I’ve launched BlissTribe (v. exciting!!), sadly put my darling little dog to sleep (heartbreaking), made a choice to move in with my Darling (which means a move to the Gold Coast, a new Brisbane office and a quick reno on the house so I can rent it out!) … it’s enough to make your head spin with delirium!!! So, here’s what I do when it all gets too much:

• Pull right back on what I’m promising people so that I have time for rest and reviving me. Ensure there is time for nurturing, play and creativity (this feeds my ability to regenerate myself and keep moving through the overwhelm).
• Take more time off no matter what the business is demanding of me… nothing is more important to me than keeping myself in a flow state – from that I can see clearly what is required and everything works.  When I’m being a control freak, nothing works and I quietly have small meltdowns (not pretty!!).
• Make lists… and get stuff done in power hour blocks.
• Stay in the flow… if something isn’t working I move on and then go back to it later to see what’s possible.
• Ask a lot of questions of the ‘What would it take for ………………………. to happen with joy and ease?’ variety.  (That’s how I found a roofing company at my neighbors just by looking out the window at the right time… a great builder who can start tomorrow and a set of French doors in 20 minutes… yep, asking questions can save you a lot of time!!!)

I'm sure none of you have ever been in a situation like this... lol... so what do you do to move through the craziness of a life filled with change? Please share your thoughts below...