Make It Happen!

It is a wonderful thing for a business to step from start-up into the threshold of growth…but often this is a pivotal moment for many businesses.    I have a saying or mantra that I refer to when working with business owners and students, “It isn’t what happens to you that counts the most, but rather how you respond to what happens.”   This is very true when it comes to organizational change.   If you don’t respond well, it can be the deal breaker for your business and before you know it things are spiraling out of control, and possibly be at risk of circling the drain. As you prepare for growth or enter into it, consider some of these strategies or best practices to help your business or organization deal with change in a constructive way that will result in a stronger and more dynamic company that will be creating energy and positive cash-flow as it grows. 1)         Know your vision, clarify your vision and share your vision. ...

Maybe it was the was the influence of being a child in the 70’s and the impression I got from those great movies like Saturday Night Fever, Roller Boogie or Xanadu , but I have always found great inspiration from all things DISCO.   So, a few weeks back, I was reminded of this when I was shopping with a good friend in an eclectic boutique.   The store had many cool things for sale, but the one thing I wanted to buy was a disco ball.   Unfortunately, the shop owner was not willing to part with this, so I decided to just go ahead and order one online.   I was so excited when this arrived!   I took it straight to my office at the college and decided that it had to be installed in that office.   Working in an educational environment, sometimes things can seem very “institutional.”   We need to have things around us that inspire, motivate and foster creativity.   That is exactly what has happened!   I can’t believe the difference this disco bal...

Do you ever catch yourself in a moment and think…”wow, I am really responsible for this,” or “seriously, this is great, something must be wrong…wait,” or “I am really happy and successful, surely there must be doom lurking somewhere, right?”   What is wrong with us?   Why is it that we seemed to be programmed to doubt ourselves when things are going in a positive and optimistic direction?   Why do we question our own success? FEAR…we are scared to think about what might happen if we actually succeed.   If we reach our goals, what is next, how will we reach the next one and how much harder will we have to work?   What happens if we don’t reach the next goal?   Is it that we are setting ourselves up for failure?   Be honest, how many times do you bow out of a challenge because you are afraid that at some point you will not succeed?   Does it make you a little uncomfortable and uncertain when you can’t anticipate what will happen? FAILURE…hav...

Are you giving your employees what they need?   When you look at the talents and skill sets of the people you have on your team, do you recognize and respect each person for their individual attributes?   Each person on your team is different and they are motivated and driven by various factors.   It is important that you are able to satisfy those sources of hunger for them.   As I have worked with many students who hope to be small business owners in a particular industry or field, I see many of them take jobs to generate some much needed cash flow.   When they take a job in their desired area of expertise, it can be both beneficial as well as a detriment.   The satisfaction that they get from working in this field often gives them “just enough” to keep them in that job and they lose interest in that immediate desire to start their own venture.   It can be a double-edged sword so to speak.   As a business owner with employees, you must keep ...