Dave Crenshaw's Blog, page 46

Perspective: The Secret of Small Business Improvement

Imagine running and then…SMACK, hitting a brick wall. Painful, right? Now do you blame that wall for being there or yourself for running into it? Truth be told, it doesn’t matter so long as you get around, over, under, or bulldoze through that darned wall!

All small business owners contend with problems, both internal and external. Identifying the cause of such issues is natural. In fact, it’s healthy. Yet, the way most people look at problems is, in fact, part of the problem itself!

How do we look at problems the right way…the way that leads to solutions? Watch my short video and find out!

Action Steps:

Write down one thing you’d like to see change.
Ask yourself, is this problem Internal-focused, External-focused, or Knowledge-focused?
Comment below and tell us how YOU reframed your problem as Knowledge-focused.

Principles:

Focusing on one issue at a time provides direction.
The way in which we view a problem will determine our ability to resolve it.
All Internal-focused or External-focused problems are really Knowledge-focused in disguise.

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Time: The Competitive Edge for a Seasonal Business

We go bonkers when a favorite sports team succeeds and for good reason! It’s fantastic to be a part of a winning team.

Do championship teams just jump on the field and “do it?” Of course not! Months of off-season groundwork and sweat preceded that victory.

If you have a seasonal business, it’s no different. Using the off-season wisely can lead to year-round rewards. In fact, professional sports teams make ideal role-models for small business preparation. Watch my short video and learn why!

Action Steps:

Use the off-season to hire and train employees so they’re ready for the rush.
Improve business systems and plan strategy for the upcoming season during slow periods.
Comment below to tell us how YOU hone your seasonal business during the off-season.

Principles:

Much like professional sports, a seasonal business should use the off-season to train and plan.
Making the most of an off-season enables businesses to bring their A-game when it counts.

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Business Systems and The Myth of Common Sense

Raise your hand if this phrase has escaped your mouth in the last month: “Why don’t my employees get it? It’s just common sense!”

Sound familiar? I hear this complaint regularly. It seems like a famine of common sense is the bane of entrepreneurs worldwide.

So, how do you stop the hand-holding? What role do business systems play in making your sense “common”? Watch my short video to find out!

Action Steps:

Document your business systems so employees can refer to the procedures you favor.
Have your employees repeat the task or procedure to remember your system.
Comment and inform us how YOU help people “get it.”

Principles:

Common sense is only a set of individual life experiences.
Business systems don’t really exist until documented.
Workplace “common sense” can be created through repetition and training.

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Business Training: How to Teach Your Team What You Know

When initially learning to drive you didn’t just jump in and speed off. At least I certainly hope not! Someone was showing you the ropes…with one foot on the safety brake, right?

Similarly, no employee is going to perfect their tasks without some business training. Now, much of what your team learns will come from your example. What did your example teach them today? Scary thought.

But you can also be a more active participant. You can control what and how they learn. Watch this short video to discover my three-step, no-nonsense training method!

Action Steps:

Teach others through a three-step process:

Demonstration
Practice
Observe


Keep business training constructive through a 2:1 ratio of positive and critical feedback.
Tell us how YOU teach employees in the comment section below.

Principles to Learn:

Regardless of career choice, we’re all teachers to some degree.
Successful managers and leaders teach employees on-the-job skills.
Business training doesn’t need to be complex, just consistent.

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The Art of Employee Recognition: Acts of Awesomeness

“Employee of the Month” was a great way to inspire employees…in 1975. Now it’s something better suited to a punch line in an episode of The Office or a Dilbert cartoon.

As a small business owner, you don’t have to do things the stuffy old way. It’s time for the new hotness.

In this video, I share a method one of my clients discovered for motivating and recognizing exceptional employees. Watch this quick video to get this “awesome” tool!

Action Steps:

Apply Acts of AWESOMENESS: Consistently and publicly reward exceptional employee contributions.
Don’t just reward the exceptional employee, but also the individual who called attention to their great performance.
Comment below to share how YOU celebrate employee recognition.

Principles:

Too often we become obsessed with things that aren’t working, which can be a real employee downer.
Rewarding people for finding the good encourages a positive mindset.

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EntrepreneurSpeaker.net is now live

Looking for an Entrepreneur Speaker for your next event? My new website up to specifically promote my speaking to small business and entrepreneurship groups.

If you’re looking for an Entrepreneur Speaker please visit: http://entrepreneurspeaker.net/

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Like Success? Found a Focused Business

Successful businesses share a few things in common. They’re stable, they’re capable, and they’re strong. A focused business is an ideal business.

Yet so many businesses are chaotic. They’re vulnerable to slow yet steady decay.

Why? Call it a flawed foundation.  They’ve built their financial future upon sand.

Watch my brief video and find out how to make your small business ROCK, instead.

Action Steps:

Consider where your business is strongest and answer this question: what role has focus played in our success here?
Consider where your business is weakest and answer this question: how can we encourage a more focused business in this area?
Use our comments section to share your thoughts about how focused—or chaotic—your business is.

Principles:

A focused business is “fortified,” “durable,” and “solid,” much like granite.
A chaotic business is synonymous with words like “weak” and “vulnerable,” much like sandstone.
Chaotic businesses suffer a slow but steady loss of sales to more focused ones.

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FREE Training Series: The Busy Entrepreneur’s Guide To Business Success

Wearing most of the “hats” in your business can create some unique challenges. In a typical day, chances are you’re responsible for more than most people can realistically do in 8 or even 12 hours.

Do you find yourself struggling to:

Generate leads and revenue?
Manage or secure capital?
Identify obstacles and pitfalls around every corner?
Manage your time more effectively?
Keep up with the latest technology?

For most entrepreneurs, the answer is a resounding, “YES”!

That’s why I’m excited to announce a brand new FREE training series, hosted by Verizon Wireless!

Click here to grow your small business to its greatest potential.

The Busy Entrepreneur’s Guide to Business Success is a FREE 5-part webinar series, featuring myself and 4 other leading business experts, sharing strategies, tips and secrets that can make you more productive and more profitable.

My presentation, Five Secrets to Help You Uncover Hidden Time in Your Day, will take place on November 19th. In this presentation I’ll share real-world tactics that every small business owner can use to get a 20% or more increase in productivity.

I’ll be covering all of this in more detail in The Busy Entrepreneur’s Guide To Business Success, and I look forward to “seeing” you there!

Click here to grow your small business to its greatest potential.

By the way, here’s a full list of the speakers and presentations you’ll get access to when you sign up:

Sydni Craig-Hart – 5 Easy Ways to Market Your Business and Increase Your Profits When You’re Always on the Go 


Melinda Emerson – The Top 10 Reasons Small Businesses Fail 


Laurence Hayward – Finding Capital and Managing Your Finances So Your Business is Prepared for Growth 


Navarrow Wright – How the Technology You Deploy Can Save Your Business Money 


Dave Crenshaw – 5 Secrets to Help You Uncover Hidden Time In Your Day

You already know the above areas are critical to the success of your company. But with limited time and resources, it can seem impossible to focus on all of them.

That’s why I’m so thrilled about The Busy Entrepreneur’s Guide To Business Success. Verizon Wireless has put together an incredible lineup of business leaders who understand first-hand the challenges you face as a small business owner. And we’re here to guide you down the path to making your small business more efficient, lowering your operating costs, and maximizing your bottom line.

Space is limited—so don’t miss out! Click the link below to sign up now and to learn more about the insights you need to create more success in your small business today.

Click here to grow your small business to its greatest potential.

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Which Motivational Documents Actually Help Workers Stay Focused?

Culture statements, missions, visions, values, credos, secret handshakes, etc. The list goes on and on. At best, a megaton of company literature distracts you, employees, and customers alike. Not good.

Too much definition can become overwhelming. What happens then? Chaos! Confusion! Disinterest! Obviously, your motivational documents shouldn’t cause those. Yet small businesses need direction and vision, right?

So how do you curtail the catechisms and help employees stay focused? What’s essential and what’s excess? Watch my video and discover the only three motivational documents any small business needs.

Action Steps:

Always have a Value Statement, Company Vision, and Cause to correspondingly define how your business does things, where it’s headed, and what it stands for.
Stay focused by deciding which additional motivational documents actually matter and culling the rest.
Use our comments section to tell us how you motivate employees.

Principles:

Excess often hinders more than helps.
Simple motivational documents are very effective at helping you and your workforce stay focused.
Think beyond money when defining your business and its purpose.

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Appease Question Vultures and Stay Focused

Picture two dozen unread documents at your desk, at least 25 time-contingent emails within your inbox, with a do-or-die meeting in three hours. Then somebody knocks on your door with a “quick question.” Did your concentration just get obliterated? Yes, it did.

Your time and focus is valuable, but co-workers need attention too. More importantly, they need answers to individual questions. While responding might help prevent a mistake, getting back on track isn’t easy.

Balancing leadership with personal tasks can be challenging, but is possible. Watch this quick video and learn a simple trick to stay focused, keep your workers happy, and increase productivity.

Action Steps:

Stay focused by emphasizing an office culture of “when” rather than “now.”
Organize regular 1:1 meetings where workers can ask questions and offer comments.
Use the comment section to tell us about your strategies for answering questions and scheduling co-worker meetings.

Principles:

Answering small questions can sap your time and concentration.
Create a routine that maximizes your ability to stay focused and productive.
Scheduling 1:1 attention is a very effective means to control day-to-day interruptions. 

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