Every business owner deals with suppliers. Sometimes these suppliers are obvious: cafe owners need food deliveries, gallery owners need artists, shop owners need products to sell. If your business is primarily service based, you might need to think a bit more carefully to work out who your suppliers are.
What about:
Your internet provider
Your landline and mobile providers
Your web hosts
Your web design company
Your marketing consultant
Your print company
Your accountant or bookkeeper
Your virtual assistant
Your business coach
Your team of industry freelancers
Your social media consultant
Your copywriter
Your graphic designer
As a small business owner you’re probably unlikely to regularly use the services of all of these professionals, but I’d be surprised if you didn’t use any of them. These people are your suppliers in just the same way as a butcher or grocer are suppliers of a restaurant. After all, you rely on them to keep moving forward in your business.
I meet with small business owners every week and there are certain problems that come up again and again. One of the most common ones is problems with suppliers. Unfortunately, I think the reason many of us small business owners bump into issues with our suppliers is because we have become complacent with them.
This can work two ways.
One: if you’re complacent with your suppliers you may not notice when they’re doing a poor job
Just because you’ve been working with someone for a while doesn’t mean you have to continue working with them: especially if they’re not doing the job you need them to do. If you find yourself constantly complaining about your bookkeeper, or your virtual assistant, or your web host, perhaps it’s time to make a change.
This may mean sitting them down and setting new expectations for their work, or it may mean deciding to work with someone completely new. There’s no benefit in the familiar if it’s no longer working for you! Investing the time to source a new supplier could bring you a great deal more value in the long run.
Two: if you’re complacent with your suppliers you may not notice when they’re doing a great job
Being complacent could lead to the opposite problem: that you stop noticing what the people around you are doing, even when it’s really helping you out. This can be a problem as failing to appreciate your suppliers may damage your relationship with them. Taking the time to notice what your suppliers are doing and thank them for their hard work is a simple but effective way to maintain effective working practices.
Of course, there’s another issue with being complacent about how well your suppliers are working. If they’re doing a really good job that’s not quite on your radar, you may be missing out on additional work they could do for you. They may be able to get double the results for you if you were to free up a few more resources for them to work with: but you’ll only know this if you take the time to evaluate their progress.
So when was the last time you re-evaluated the people your business works with? Sitting down to look at the facts, figures and results could be a big eye-opener.
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Have you ever heard what Thomas Edison said after years of work trying to get lightbulb prototype after lightbulb prototype to work?
“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”
Isn’t that a great way to think about failure? By considering each wrong step as a kind of progress, Edison was able to keep moving forward with his efforts. And, of course, it all paid off: he did eventually patent the first commercial lightbulb in 1879.
I think we could all learn a lot from this mindset. When we get something wrong, we often immediately categorise it as a failure. Unfortunately, doing this has two results:
It makes us feel bad
It can stop us from trying new things in the future
When you get something wrong, it can be very tempting to just give up on it. This is especially true in business when we often have to put ourselves far out of our comfort zone in order to grow. Perhaps you’ve tried a new marketing campaign and got very little response, or maybe you launched a new service with great fanfare only to find that no one wants to book it.
Experiences like these can be really demoralising. I know because, like all business owners, I’ve had similar experiences myself. But before you give up, consider this: what if Thomas Edison had given up just one lightbulb prototype earlier? He would never have found the one that worked and would therefore never have been able to enjoy the results of all his hard work leading up to that point.
The best way to deal with failure is to change your mindset. This is where tools such as NLP techniques can be really helpful for business owners! If you could reframe your thinking to consider each so-called failure as a learning experience, how would that change the way you worked?
You’d feel more able to freely experiment
You may find that creative thinking would come more naturally to you
You’d be able to embrace a more playful innovation style
You’d be less afraid to get things wrong
Your big picture vision would be far less impaired by worries and doubts
Experimentation would be much more fun
Simply changing your attitude to failure could have a huge impact on how you feel about trying new things and putting yourself out there. It could help you to embrace the idea of beneficial experimentation and give you the confidence to try new things with your business that you’ve been wary of in the past.
After all, every time we try something new and it doesn’t have the result we’d hoped: we’ve learnt something. Each one of those lessons is incredibly valuable as we can put what we’ve learnt into practice next time we try. For example, that new marketing campaign that didn’t get results? Next time you can try something different because you know that particular technique didn’t help you reach the right people. And that new service that didn’t get enough bookings? Consider it an opportunity to learn about what doesn’t resonate with your customer base in order to move closer to something that does.
How do you approach failure as a business owner? I’d love to hear about the ways you’ve turned a negative experience into a learning opportunity. Why not share your stories on the Green Shoots Coaching Facebook page?
These days many of us business owners are communicating with our audience more than ever before. A lot of us write blog posts, send out regular newsletters, tweet, send Facebook updates and publish LinkedIn articles all as part of our regular marketing activity.
All these communication methods are effective and I speak to many clients who’ve had great success doing these things. However, I do think there’s a risk of getting so caught up in these digital conversational opportunities that we forget the value of direct two-way communication.
Let me ask you a question: when was the last time you picked up the phone to talk to a client? Many of us have become much more comfortable communicating from behind our computer screens and have forgotten the benefits of a quick phone conversation. Phone calls are more personal, often quicker for sorting out details and offer much more opportunity for ‘reading’ the person you’re talking to.
In fact, it’s not just phone calls that many of us are forgetting the value of. Business owners invest so much time sending out content to mailing lists, blog followers and Facebook fans that we sometimes miss out on the benefits of pro-active direct communications. A quick personalised email to a previous client – just to check in – could result in a new opportunity. This type of direct two-way conversation often reminds previous clients how much they have valued your work in the past and may inspire them to commission you again now or to recommend you to a contact.
I was reminded of how beneficial direct communication can be just before Christmas when I got in touch with a client I hadn’t heard from in a while. I’d thought of them earlier that week and wondered how they were getting on in their business, so when I had a spare fifteen minutes between appointments I decided to pick up the phone and catch up with them. It turned out to be a very serendipitous phone call: the client had just come up against a challenge she wasn’t sure how to deal with and my call prompted her to book a coaching session.
This kind of direct communication doesn’t have to be ‘salesy’ or uncomfortable. If there are some clients you haven’t heard from in a while, why not check in with them? You could:
Give them a call jus to ask how they are
Offer them a complimentary review
Compliment them on some recent work or an article they’ve shared online
Share a glowing review you’ve heard from one of their customers
Let them know about a service or event you think they’d benefit from
Tell them about an event or promotion you’re running
Share a link to an article you’ve read
Of course, none of this is to say there’s anything wrong with social media communication. I think it’s brilliant, and the results often speak for themselves. My point here is that simple direct communications can also have huge value – especially when it comes to keeping in touch with clients you’ve worked with in the past.
Oh, and a final reminder… two way communication does work two ways. If you’re lucky enough to receive a direct communication from a client or potential client: make sure you remember to reply!
Running a small business is not for everyone. A small or micro business can offer a huge range of benefits and opportunities… but also comes with more than its fair share of challenges! I come across many of these challenges again and again, both in my own business and those of my coaching clients. One of the most difficult to address is the question of where the business owner ends and the business begins.
Have you come across this issue? It can be particularly tricky for service-related businesses. After all, when you are the product how can you maintain separation between you the individual and you the business?
Is this all sounding very familiar? You may be at risk of being ‘eaten up’ by your business if:
You can’t take any time of from your business because no one can replace you
You spend more time talking to your spouse or partner about your business than anything else
You regularly give up your free time to catch up on work
You can’t remember the last time you spent time developing non-work related skills or interests
You spend more time networking with other business owners than you do socialising with friends
You spend a lot of time using social media exclusively for your business
You feel you are caught up in growing your business rather than taking time to consider an ideal work/life balance
You mainly define yourself by what you do in your business
It can be uncomfortable to feel that your business is taking over your life. This is true even if you are very happy with your business and absolutely love what you do! It’s important to take pride in your work and business, but when things get out of balance it can start to cause problems.
After all, no matter how much you enjoy running your business or how successful it is, we all need to take regular time for ourselves. Becoming one and the same with your business twenty four hours a day, seven days a week is unlikely to be a healthy choice in the long run.
Want to make sure you don’t get trapped in a situation like this? Here are some little ideas from me for how to make sure you get breathing space and retain your identity even when you’re running what feels like an all-encompassing business.
Set non-negotiable time off
Most business owners find it difficult to mentally ‘leave’ their business at the end of the working day. There’s always more to be done and it’s easy to fall into the habit of working all evening and all weekend. It’s probably unrealistic to tell yourself that you’ll stop doing this completely… but what you can do is set yourself small pockets of protected time off. This could mean making a promise to never work after 9.30 in the evening, or blocking off weekend mornings to spend with family or get out into the fresh air.
Learn a new skill
Investing the time to learn a new skill can be incredibly rewarding. Doing this when the new skill is purely recreational is even better! If there’s a hobby you’ve always been interested in, why not make this the year you give it a go? Learning a musical instrument, taking up a new craft or joining a sports group can all be excellent ways to make space in your life for something that’s just for you.
Expand your business team
It’s difficult to maintain separation between you and your business when everything falls on your shoulders. Bringing in outside help can be an excellent way to remind yourself of this distinction. Don’t worry: expanding your team doesn’t have to mean taking on a member of staff. Engaging the services of a virtual assistant or freelance professional for just a few hours a week could reduce pressure and act as a helpful reminder.
How do you avoid getting eaten up by your business? I’d love to hear your tips and strategies. Why not share them with me by commenting on this blog post?
It’s the start of a brand new year and many of you will have sat down over the last few days to make New Year’s resolutions for your business. I’m a big believer in the power of goal setting… so it may surprise you to know that I don’t advocate making resolutions at New Year.
There is, of course, absolutely nothing wrong with setting achievable and realistic targets for your business. Unfortunately, in my experience New Year’s resolutions don’t typically fall into this category.
Why is this?
The problem with making resolutions at New Year is that we often get caught up in the the magic of the season and decide on targets that are just too lofty. No matter how determined you are, it’s unlikely that you’ll be able to completely transform yourself or your business overnight!
Progress is really important in business and it is vitally important to make sure you’re regularly setting and reviewing targets.
So how can you do this in a way that works?
If you’re determined to make a positive impact on your business in 2016, there are many effective ways to do it. Below are nine of the most useful pieces of goal-related advice I share with my coaching clients.
Keep these in mind when it comes to target setting and you’ll find your efforts are much more successful than they have been in the past.
Forget year-long resolutions. Instead of setting one big goal for an entire twelve months, aim to work towards smaller quarterly or monthly targets.
Think about the realistic rather than the ideal. After all, you can only start from where you are right now.
Give yourself permission to consider what you really want for your business rather than what you think you should want.
Don’t try to do it alone: appoint yourself an accountability partner to use as a sounding board and keep you in check.
Sit down regularly to assess how well you’re doing, what’s gone well and what didn’t go the way you expected it to.
Give yourself a pat on the back for each success, however small. Running a business isn’t easy and it’s important to give yourself the credit you deserve!
Recognise that it’s generally the progress that matters, not the end result. Big changes happen one small step at a time.
Don’t keep going back to goals that don’t work, if you haven’t been able to make progress towards them after numerous attempts, it may not be the right direction for you to be moving in.
Focus on getting better at reflecting on your past successes and challenges. That way you’ll be better equipped to make wiser business choices in the future.
Did you find these suggestions useful? I’d love to share more advice with you throughout the year. Why not connect with me on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn to see regular blog post updates?
The last few days of the year are a common time to reflect on the previous twelve months. I know a lot of people who will be taking a few days to think about their successes of 2015, the things they enjoyed doing most and the things they wished they’d done differently.
It’s far from unusual at this point in December to look back at last year’s New Year’s Resolutions with a fair amount of guilt. How long did you manage to stick to your diet, savings plan or gym schedule once January rolled around?!
This year, I’m suggesting that you launch yourself into 2016 with a more long term plan in mind. Instead of choosing one of the standard easy-to-forget-about New Year’s Resolutions this New Year’s Eve, why not spend these last few December days really thinking about where you’d really like your life to be in twelve month’s time?
Depending on where you are right now, you may wish to consider…
Growing your business sustainably
Engineering a career change
Moving towards a better financial position
Improving your health
Making a positive impact on your community
Create a better work/life balance
Managing a significant lifestyle change
Working on your personal relationships
Designing a less stressful routine
Challenging yourself to further study
Once you’re certain about what you want to achieve, you’ll need think seriously about how you’re going to make it happen. There’s no reason to rush to do this before the calendars change! In fact, you may want to give yourself some recovery time after the excesses and social obligations of the December celebrations have come to an end.
I think the most important thing to remember about any resolution or goal you set for yourself is that things are unlikely to happen overnight. It takes time to make changes worth having, and it may be weeks or even months until you really see the benefit of your hard work.
Of course, if you’re really serious about what you want to achieve it will all be worth it! Here are a few suggestions from me on how to manage you goals and successfully launch yourself in to 2016.
Set SMART targets
The key reason why only 8% of people are successful in keeping their New Year’s Resolutions is because most of the goals we set for ourselves are unrealistic. Instead of setting yourself up to fail, I suggest sitting down with a notebook and pen and plotting out some SMART targets. SMART stands for specific, measured, attainable, realistic, time-bound. When you set goals using these pointers as a guideline, you can be sure you’re setting yourself a well-thought out realistic challenge.
Find yourself an accountability partner
It can be difficult to motivate yourself to keep working towards your goals when you don’t have anyone to hold you to account. The simple act of bringing someone else in on your plans will make you far more likely to stick to them! You may find that talking to your partner or a friend about your goals (and theirs!) will inspire you to keep going. If you think you’ll need a bit more of a push in the right direction, a professional coach could be the ideal accountability partner. They’ll be able to help you work towards targets, set new ones and effectively evaluate your progress through the year.
Put review dates in your diary
Many people start the year with big goals but quickly forget about them. If this is something you’ve done in the past, there’s an easy way to avoid it. Go through your diary now and add a monthly reminder to review progress on your 2016 goal. It doesn’t have to take long: half an hour is long enough to remind yourself what you’re working towards and what you need to do to get there.
Celebrate your successes along the way
Working towards a big goal can take a long time. Keep your enthusiasm along the way by making sure you celebrate each success on the journey, however small. Celebrations don’t have to be expensive or extravagant. Baking a cake, lighting candles at dinner, taking a day trip or gathering a few friends together can all be great ways to mark the occasion and keep you feeling positive.
Last week I shared part one of my thoughts on the twelve business challenges of Christmas. Your response was great: thank you. I’m sure many of you found it reassuring to know so many small business owners are experiencing similar challenges.
We’re getting closer and closer to the big day and though a lot of small businesses are excited about the celebrations ahead (me included!) it’s easy to feel as if your to do list will be never-ending.
Know the feeling? Go on, give yourself a few minutes of downtime to read through my Twelve Business Challenges of Christmas. If you missed part one, you can catch up here.
On the seventh day of Christmas… not having anyone to do an office Secret Santa with
At this time of year it’s easy to feel as if you’re missing out by not having colleagues. You may speak to friends and family members who’s workplaces are buzzing with festive spirit while you’re in your home office all alone. Of course, when you run a micro-business there’s no one to do a Secret Santa draw with!
On the eighth day of Christmas… having to balance increased social expectations
Christmas is often the time of year we receive the most invitations. Parties, get-togethers, performances, catch ups and dinners can quickly fill up your calendar leaving little time for anything else. This is a particular issue if you have young children off school for the holidays as the evening may be the only quiet time you get to catch up with work. It can be tough to say no to social expectations at Christmas, but you may need to turn down a few offers in order to stay on top of your business.
On the ninth day of Christmas… constant interruptions from delivery drivers
Buying online is an excellent way to reduce the pressure of Christmas shopping but it will mean your usually peaceful home office is subject to regular interruptions from incoming deliveries. This is annoying enough when the packages are your own… but anyone who works from home will know the added frustration of being summoned by the doorbell to take in packages for neighbours!
On the tenth day of Christmas… working at home surrounded by tasty Christmas goodies
Once the Christmas supermarket shop has been done and packed away, the temptation to raid the cupboards for goodies can be strong. If you do a desk-based job from home it can be easy to get into the habit of festive snacking while you work. The odd mince pie will feel like a real treat, but if the habit takes hold you may find excessive sugar starts to negatively affect your productivity.
On the eleventh day of Christmas… knowing when to give yourself time off
It’s easy to be extra hard on yourself when you’re the boss. I’ve spoken to countless small business owners who struggle with actually giving themselves time off. At this time of year you will need to grant permission for at least a little holiday. Some business owners find it helpful to turn things around and think about what they would expect from an employer: and then grant themselves those same benefits!
On the twelfth day of Christmas… re-adjusting to quiet time once it’s all over
The build up to Christmas can be massive. But once the presents have been opened, the food’s been eaten, your festive guests have gone home and the kids are back in school, you’ll need to re-adjust to the quiet time that’s left behind. A lot of people experience a wave of post-Christmas blues, but it can be even more of an adjustment if you’ve enjoyed a lot of social time over the holiday period when you usually spend the work day alone.
Have I missed your biggest Christmas challenges? Hop on over to the Green Shoots Coaching Facebook page to get involved in my informal Christmas ‘support group’ for small business owners.
And of course: Merry Christmas! I’d like to say a big thank you to all my clients, associates, coaching friends and blog readers for your support this year. Here’s to a fantastic end to 2015!
The holiday season can be a wonderful time of year. In the weeks to come most people will be enjoying delicious food, festive drinks, gift-giving and family time. Of course, that’s not to say that December is without its challenges. In between the Christmas joy and cheer… many of us will be tempted to tear our hair out!
This is definitely true for business owners. Christmas can bring with it a whole host of business challenges, and some of them can be seriously tricky to navigate.
In the spirit of the season, I’ve put together the twelve business challenges of Christmas. You’ll find the first six below, please check back next Monday for part two.
On the first day of Christmas… having too much work
In some industries, December is the busiest time of year. This makes sense if you run a restaurant or gift shop and you’ll probably have drafted in extra staff to make sure things run smoothly. However, many small service-based businesses also find themselves rushed off their feet as their clients request all current projects finished off for the end of the year.
On the second day of Christmas… not having enough work
Of course, the opposite can also be a problem at this time of year. You may find things go quiet in the run up to the big day and the week between Christmas and New Year can often be a time for tumbleweeds! Though it’s great to be able to take some time out, a quiet December can create problems for January’s cashflow.
On the third day of Christmas… childcare providers breaking up for the holidays
If you have school aged children it can be tough to manage childcare during the two week Christmas holiday. You may also struggle with keeping your routine with pre-school children, as private nurseries and childminders often close their doors for a week or more in late December. Family time is precious, but if you’ve got a desperately long to do list it can be difficult to really appreciate it.
On the fourth day of Christmas… family commitments during business hours
School nativity plays, visits to Father Christmas’ grotto, visiting relatives and lunch invitations will often crop up during your key working hours. Finding a balance between taking time out to enjoy these and keeping on top of business commitments can be extremely frustrating.
On the fifth day of Christmas… Christmas party jealousy
Here’s one for micro and small business owners! All the talk of fancy Christmas parties might make you green with envy, especially if your spouse has one to go to and you’re not invited. Luckily, you may not have to miss out all together: many networking organisations hold special christmas dos designed for solopreneurs.
On the sixth day of Christmas… having to explain your business to elderly relatives
Many micro business owners and freelancers will have to tackle the yearly task of fielding questions from confused relatives about exactly what it is they do. Here’s a suggestion: consider it an opportunity to practice your elevator pitch!
Can you identify with these business challenges?! I’ll be running an informal Christmas ‘support group’ for small business owners on the Green Shoots Coaching Facebook page! Why not pop over and share your festive business woes?
When I tell you that there are only seventeen days till Christmas, how does that make you feel?
If the emotions that spring to mind are excitement or sereneness, that’s great news. But if the thought of tinsel and present-wrapping has you panicking, you may want to stop and have a good think about how you’re going to handle the holidays ahead.
Running a micro business can be challenging all year round. When you’re in charge of a one-person-band it can often be tricky to know where your personal life ends and your business starts. Many micro-business owners work from home, which can make the festive period particularly hard to navigate.
No need to worry! There are plenty of things you can do to holiday-proof your micro business and ensure that things stay running smoothly despite the festive chaos.
Here are a few suggestions from me:
Find a back up workspace
Many of the micro business owners I work with are also parents. This means that over the school holidays they often lose their quiet home-based office to a flurry of child-related activities! Depending on the age of your children and the availability of childcare, there may not be a way to avoid this. In these cases, the most productive thing you can do for your business might be to find an alternative workspace out of the house. The library, your local coffee shop or a co-working space could be a real business saver!
Diarise when you’re working and when you’re not
Almost all of us will want to take a well-deserved chunk of time away from work over the Christmas period. When you run a micro business it can be tempting to aim to squeeze in a couple of hours work even when you’re supposed to be relaxing. My advice is that you shouldn’t do this! All business owners need downtime, and the festive period is an excellent time to shut up shop and while away a few chilled days with family. Decide now when you’re going to work and when you’re going to take time off, write those dates in your diary and stick to them!
Handle the Christmas shopping online
When there’s little separation between work and personal life, sometimes the only way to keep things calm on the business front is to make sure your personal tasks and errands are under control. Christmas shopping can be very stressful: so it’s wise to get it out of the way as early as possible. Buying presents and the festive food shop online can help keep seasonal stress under control and means you’re less likely to have to lose valuable working hours battling the shops.
Plan recovery days
Christmas and New Year is a time for family, and many of us will be planning to spend time with family. This may mean traveling to see them or perhaps inviting them to visit us. Whichever way round you’re planning on doing this, do remember that it’s likely to be more time consuming and tiring that you think! I advise yourself to schedule a ‘recovery day’ either side of family visits where you don’t expect to get a great deal of work done. Forgive yourself for this lack of productivity and know that in the long run you’ll reap the benefits of giving yourself that time to recharge.
If you’re a micro business owner I’d love to hear how you’re planning to manage the festive period. Are you counting the days till you sign off for the break or are you dreading the whole thing? You can share your tips and insights with me here.
I believe that one of the key factors in being successful in business is to never stop educating yourself. It doesn’t matter whether you’ve been running your business for twenty weeks or twenty years: there’s always a new lesson to learn.
Occasionally these business lessons crop up in unusual places. I noticed one recently when I watched the classic Christmas film Miracle on 34th Street.
In the film, a man working as Santa Claus in a large New York department store decides to approach his job a little differently. When a child asks for a specific toy for Christmas, Santa tells their parents where they can find the toy at the best price… meaning that he often sends them to a competing store.
At first, this policy seems counter-intuitive. After all, isn’t Santa telling customers to go and spend their money elsewhere? It soon becomes apparent, however, that by putting the parents first, Santa gains their trust and turns them into fiercely loyal customers.
The idea of putting your customers first, even before profits, sounds so obvious. And yet often we forget how important this is! I’ve worked with many business owners who are struggling to grow their business simply because they’re lost sight of who their customers are and what they need.
This is something I have always tried to keep a firm hold on. In fact, I like to think that I have a fairly similar policy to Santa Claus in my own business!
I offer each potential coaching client a complimentary initial session for us to get to know each other. Coaching can be such a valuable tool: but it only works if you’re working with the right coach at the right time. During these initial sessions I am able to assess whether a client is really ready for coaching and whether I feel we make a good match. If they’re not ready for coaching, or if I don’t think I’m the right coach to help them navigate their current challenges: I’ll tell them.
In most cases I’m able to make alternative recommendations. It may be that there are other resources that would be most useful to that customer, such as a book or training course. If necessary I can also usually recommend a coach who will be better suited to them at that time.
This policy doesn’t just exist at the early stages of customer relationships. It’s something I endeavour to keep in mind throughout the process. Sometimes my customers will reach a point when they’re ready to move on to a different type of coaching such as a more structured ‘growth coach’ programme. Again, I always tell my clients when I feel that this is the case and make sure they are fully aware of the various options that are open to them.
Experience tells me that customers really appreciate this honesty. Some of them show this appreciation by returning to me further down the line when they’re ready to work with me, while others show it by recommending my services to colleagues or contacts.
Like Santa Claus in Miracle in 34th Street, I believe that giving your customers what they need is the best way for any business to function, even if in the short term it means telling them that a competitor is offering something that will better fit their needs.
Have you ever learnt a business lesson in an unexpected place? I’d love to hear the story! You can tell me all about it on Facebook.
Photo by Ruth Hartnup
