The days of the barrel-chested bully pushing you into a purchase are over. The charmer without substance now loses more than they win. Potential clients are more aware, more strategic and more educated.
We all need to take a breath and embrace the humbling – perhaps even embarrassing – truth:
Every week I get at least one call from a business owner who tells me that nothing is working in their business and they are very frustrated. They are very free to put the blame on factors they say are outside of their control. They blame their employees and their customers for lack of cash flow. They say they are trapped by their business and can never take any time off. As I work with small business owners, I have learned that in most cases those are self-inflicted wounds.
How productive you and your team are during working hours has a direct impact on the quality of what you deliver.
Here are some ideas where you can make some small effort/big impact tweaks to increase your productivity. Any business should be able to implement these hacks with relative ease and great results.
A couple of years ago, I was retained to help a struggling business regain its profitability. After six days, I told the CEO that the problem was not sales-related. The problem was too much overhead and debt. The CEO disagreed with my assessment – and to my great relief my contract was quietly terminated. The company went out of business eight months later.
Running a debt-free business is probably contrary to everything that you have ever learned. And you might wonder why you should do it.
