Every now and then you get handed a slow week – usually the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day, but sometimes you’ll get a quiet week other times during the year.  Maybe you’ve officially taken the whole week off – which is great!  However if you’re like most business owners, you’re ‘working’ this week, you’ve just planned it to be slow.

Slow doesn’t have to mean unproductive though – here are a few ideas of what to focus on to make sure it’s a great slow week and not just…well, slow!

Finish your planning

Planning is a four letter word for most entrepreneurs – it runs counter to your instincts…and for most of us it’s just not any fun.  But if you want to succeed, you need to at least go through a planning process.  It doesn’t have to be complicated – try this:

Identify your top 5 priorities for the next year…if you could get these 5 things done / achieved / etc. you’d make it a great year!

Identify at least 2 or 3 key targets you want to hit – usually one of them is revenue, but it could also be profits, number of new clients, some sort of quality metric.  The key is to make sure it’s something easy to measure and it’s a valid, important measure of your business success.

Finally – with the above in mind, identify the top 5 (or so) things you need to get done in the next 90 days.  What will move the ball forward?  What’s achievable?  Be specific and layout at least a framework of how you’ll do what you’d do.

Make a list of people to contact

Your long term success is also going to be driven by the company you keep…and if you don’t make time to stay in touch, you’ll lose out on a lot of opportunities. 

Make a top 20 list of business (and some personal) contacts who are likely to either refer you business or be a great contact for you in some other way.  Once you’ve got a good list, make a commitment to meet with someone on the list at least weekly.  Relationships only get built when you spend quality time with people.

Take a nap!

It’s a slow week, take some time and give yourself permission to relax a little bit.  Seriously…when was the last time you took a nap (and being sick doesn’t count).  You’ll be amazed at how good you’ll feel after a quality nap.

Clean off your desk

There have been tons of studies that prove that clutter on your desk, in your office causes stress…and with that stress you’re going to be a lot less productive.  Don’t believe me?  Try doing a great cleanup job on your desk…and let me know if you don’t feel way better about what you’re doing afterwards. 

My experience is that it’s like a weight coming off your shoulders…one that you didn’t know you were carrying!

Hang out with family and friends

This one’s obvious – the reason you planned a ‘slow’ week in the first place was to build in some time to relax, but if you’re like most business owners, life often gets in the way of your plans.  An important email comes in, you get some phone calls you have to handle, you just remembered a commitment that had to be done…before you know it the week’s up and you didn’t spend any time with those most important to you.

Don’t let that happen.  On your slow week…make sure you build in hard stops and walls for your business activities…and give yourself some quality time away.

What are the most important things you do on a slow week?  I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below, especially if you’re just relaxing around this week!

Shawn Kinkade   Kansas City Business Coach

Photo by Arvee5.0

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Sometimes a big hammer is the best tool for the job, but only if you’re using it the right way!

This past weekend I headed down to my parent’s house to meet up with my brothers and do some ‘clean-up’ around the house.  It was great to see everyone and other than the 95 degree heat and the 95% humidity it was a good weekend to get some stuff done.

One of the big jobs that needed to be done was taking down an old metal shed building that was out behind the house.  I don’t know for sure, but I’m guessing that shed was close to 40 years old – it was primarily made of aluminum with an all metal frame on a concrete base.  After that much time, it was full of all sorts of junk, old wood, lots of spiders and a couple of other critters.  It took a while, but we got everything out and then it was time to start demolition on the structure.

We quickly found out a few things: 

-  For a really old shed, it was in remarkably good shape with very few weak points. 

-  Saws that cut metal are pretty cool, but really loud and tend to burn through blades quickly.

-  A sledgehammer – used properly was the easiest way to bring the shed down in pieces!

My brother had brought along a really cool metal saw that seemed like the best tool for the job.  However we found out the saw worked but it was tricky and had a tendency to get fouled up.  What worked best was a well placed swing of a sledgehammer  – that could quickly knock out the bolts holding the panels together.  Knock out 3 of them and the panel came free.  It was hot, dirty and tiring work, but once we figured out the trick of it, things moved along pretty quickly.  (And there was something cathartic about swinging that hammer…!).

What does this have to do with anything related to business?  A few things struck me as we were working on this shed (not literally, but you know what I mean…):

Find the right tool if you really want to get the job done.

We cut our time in half once we figured out how to use the hammers vs. using the saw. 

Are there things you’re doing in your business where you’re not using the right tools?  Could you leverage a different approach for stuff that takes you a long time?

Even the right tool won’t help if it’s not focused.

Swinging the hammer wildly didn’t do anything (other than wear you out).  You could easily take a dozen swings in the wrong place and not make any progress…but if you took your time and focused in on what you were trying to do, a single well placed swing could pop a panel right off. 

Are you or your team swinging wildly at things or are you focused in on high leverage opportunities?

Anyway you go, it’s still hard work.

Even with the right tool and using it the right way, it was hard work.  But if you really want to get something done, that’s what it’s going to take. 

Do you have things on your to do list that you want done, but aren’t getting the effort needed to make it happen?

Bottom line – I’ve talked about it before, a recurring theme for success is the need to focus your efforts.  Be clear on what needs to be done and don’t try to do to many things at once and before you know it, that shed will be down and you’ll be on to the next big thing!

Have any stories about finding the right tools, or the right people to get the job done?  I’d love to hear your thoughts – share them in the comments below.

Shawn Kinkade  Kansas City Business Coach

photo by The National Guard (a guy who’s working way harder than I did…)

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Culturally the US has a real problem when it comes to trying to keep up with the Joneses (who knew there was a wikipedia article on that phrase?).  Business owners and entrepreneurs aren’t immune from this issue and probably even have it worse than the general public.

As an entrepreneur starting out, you are going to work very hard and likely not make much money for at least the first year and probably the first couple of years you are in business.  Once you do build up some momentum and start making some money, you’ll have a lot of pent up demand and the desire to tangibly prove to the world that you’ve made it!

The problem is that this mindset can drive otherwise successful business owners into a bad spiral – causing lots of stress, making less than ideal decisions and generally hurting the business and the owner.

All because the owner has forgotten (or doesn’t have) their own definition of success.  Because absent your own definition of success you are likely to fall into someone else’s definition of success and keeping up with the Joneses.

Let’s face it, money is a hot button psychological issue for most people – it’s why a lot of people struggle with sales and with business in general.  Business owners feel a lot of pressure to make a lot of money, they like to win and in most ways, making money is the scorecard for the game.

I’m not saying that you shouldn’t try to make money (I’ll leave that to our political friends). That’s one of the primary reasons to go into business and it’s tied closely to independence which is another big driver.  The issue is that a money only focus leads you to significant problems:

There’s never enough money…

If making the most money is the only way you can win, you are in trouble.  Why?  Because there’s never enough money – you always feel like you should be making more!  (Just ask the NFL owners and players about how much money they need).  In short, you’ve set yourself up in a game you can’t win.

Money isn’t really motivational

For most people, studies have shown that they are driven by money only up to a certain point and then it becomes mostly a non-issue.  Daniel Pink’s book Drive (about what motivates people today) does a great job breaking down key motivational factors and money doesn’t really come into play once you’ve got the basics covered.

Bottom line – you’re trying to impress others (including your family) with all of your tangible success. Causing you to feel continuous and mounting pressure to grow the bottom line (or worse, just revenue) as much as you can.  That’s a clear path for stress and bad decisions if I’ve ever seen one.

A different approach?

Alternatively what if you were to define your own version of success that addresses ALL aspects of your life that are important to you?  Yes – money would be part of that equation, but only up to a certain point.  You would also be focused on how you’re spending your time day to day.  Are you doing stuff you enjoy?

Are you treating others in a way that makes you feel good (clients, employees, vendors)?  With a strictly bottom line only focus, you are likely treating people the way Wal-Mart treats their vendors…squeezing them at every turn to maximize margins (although to be fair to Wal-Mart…they don’t hide what they are, so if you’re in the game with them you should know what you’re getting into).

Is time away from the business a success factor for you?  Time with family?  Time with friends?  The ability to learn new things, master new skills?  What’s really important to you?

Take a hard look at your business plan and see if it reflects your definition of success?  Or does it currently just look at money generated every month as the only scorecard?  The most successful business owner is the one that’s getting exactly what they want out of their business…not the one making the most money.

What your definition of success?  Have you felt like you’re chasing dollar signs sometimes?  I’d love to hear your thoughts – share them in the comments below.

photo by sabby3000

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Do the right things and be patient. That is easier said than done. As most of us are painfully aware following the Kansas City Royals has been one of the most challenging tests of perseverance and patience in the history of professional sports. The 2011 season is young, but it appears Dayton Moore’s plan of doing the right things (developing young talent through the Farm System; the foundation of the franchise) and patiently waiting for the results is starting to payoff…stay tuned and read on.

Approaching your business with the mind set of doing the right things and being patient is also easier said than done. If you are going to have sustainable long term success in your business you must build a strong foundation. Short cuts usually only yield short term results. And the process of building a strong foundation takes patience.

I recently heard someone say a “nanosecond” was the amount of time between a stop light turning from red to green and the car behind you honking the horn to go. Let’s face it, in this “now society”, results can never come fast enough. Don’t misunderstand, there is nothing wrong with having accelerated growth in business, but more often than not the companies that achieve this successfully have taken the time to put the tools in place to facilitate that growth, and that takes patience.

What steps have you taken to build a strong foundation in your business? If your business had an opportunity to grow 50% this year, is the infrastructure planned out to handle that growth? Not all growing pains can be prevented, but the pains can certainly be minimized when time is spent building a good foundation in a business. Your employees will know what their roles are and why each of their roles is important to the success of the business. The more employees understand the importance of their role, the more ownership they take in the business. Don’t under estimate the power of communicating this to your team. And most importantly, if you want it to stick, it needs to be written down.

How important is patience in business? That can be debated, but most companies that find success, do not find it over night. It takes time to build a customer base, a reputation, and a track record that speaks for your business even when you’re on vacation. It takes patience and commitment to keep doing the right things and letting time do its thing. What you can do, is be sure you are making decisions that close that time gap as much as possible.

2000 years ago, the Roman, Seneca said “Luck is when preparation meets opportunity". So this idea isn’t a new 21^st century revelation. True preparation can seem unimportant at the time, and it certainly takes patience because the result of it is often not immediately recognizable or measureable.

The recent hail storm that passed through Kansas City is a perfect example of Seneca’s famous quote in action. Although all the roofing companies in KC will have increased business due to this storm, the companies that have spent time developing detailed plans on how to respond to a hail storm will by far have the greatest success and financial windfall associated with it. For those select companies, the detailed plan is part of their foundation and I assure you the time spent preparing it seemed much more insignificant than having the plan in place when the hail storm hit. In the end, they didn’t get Lucky; they just introduced Preparation to Opportunity.

What are some of the right things you have done in your business to build a strong foundation? How do grow aggressively with patience? I would enjoy hearing your experiences.

Chris Steinlage   Kansas City Business Coach

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It’s the start of a new year and the possibilities are endless!  Although that sounds like a great situation, the problem is that the possibilities are endless, and if you’re like most business owners (or most people for that matter) it’s easy to get overwhelmed when you have that many things you could focus on.

What tends to happen is you get distracted with all of those possibilities and you ultimately don’t make all that much progress.  Your efforts are diluted, you get distracted before things really get done and there’s not a serious push behind any one effort.

If you really want to hit what you’re aiming for in the long run, you will be a lot better off limiting the number of targets you have at any given time.  In fact I’d recommend thinking of it like an old fashioned revolver – you only get 6 bullets at any given time and you have to make it count!

Try this experiment

Take a few minutes and write down everything you’d like to get done in the next 3 to 12 months that’s not part of day to day operations of your business.  Here are some common examples:

• Hire a new resource / salesperson, etc.
• Learn more about Social Media
• Develop a marketing plan
• Implement a new marketing tactic (or two)
• Do a competitive review on pricing and positioning
• Update the website / build a website
• Create new content that educates your prospects
• Look into getting new hardware
• Find someone to partner with for sales
• Roll out a new product / service
• Upgrade to a new accounting package
• Plan a big event for later in the year
• Refine your biggest and hairiest processes

What’s on your list?

The possibilities really are endless and as you spend time on any one of them, they could easily spawn more ideas and more things you could do.  On top of that, the day to day reality of work is constantly throwing all sorts of fire drills at you as well, so not only do you have a huge list of top priorities (which are all great ideas) but you also have a bunch of urgent operational issues that have to be fixed right now!

There’s a better way!

Going back to the example of a six shooter – look at your list of possible projects and pick out no more than 6 that would really benefit you if you could get them done in the next 90 days.  If you have stuff on the list that take more than 90 days, break it into logical phases that could be accomplished in 90 days.

The key to really making this work is to have the focus and the discipline to only work on day to day operational issues and your six bullets!  At the end of the 90 days, hopefully you will have successfully completed some really important projects and you can pick up to 6 more.

If you can really stick to this, I guarantee that you’ll find yourself getting more done and getting farther ahead than you ever have before.  The combination of intense focus on a small number of really important things make this a very powerful strategy.

What would you use your 6 bullets on for the 1st quarter of the year?  Is this an approach that would work for you?  Share your thoughts in the comments below, I’d love to hear them.

Shawn Kinkade  Kansas City Business Coach

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