Dave Crenshaw's Blog, page 52

Defeat The 7 Agents of Business Chaos

The Con. The Jack-Of-All-Trades. Overload. The Gorilla. Ms. Opportunity. The Siphon. The Jumbler.

You can defeat these 7 Agents of Chaos by becoming a focused business hero. Watch this video and learn WHO these villains are and HOW you can defeat them.

 

Action Steps:

After watching the video, please comment about which of the 7 Agents of Chaos are preventing you from achieving your goals.

Principles:

There are 7 Agents of Chaos in business.
To be successful in business, you must defeat these 7 Agents of Chaos.
Before you defeat them, you must understand them.

 

Use Your Boredom to Be More Creative and Productive

Do you ever get bored and reach for your phone to check for new text messages or Facebook updates? Of course you do. Everybody does.

Watch this short video to find out how to use your boredom more effectively.

Action Steps:

The next time you get bored, don’t reach for your phone or open your internet browser. Instead, allow yourself to experience being bored for about 5 minutes.
This is a lot harder than it sounds. Stick it out for 5 minutes.
After 5 minutes, get out a pen and a piece of paper. Write down anything that comes to mind.
You’ll find that allowing yourself to experience being bored leads to increased creativity and productivity.

Principles to Learn:

Article from Fast Company: http://www.fastcompany.com/1829462/want-be-more-creative-get-bored
More than ever before, people have a need to be constantly engaged and stimulated.
More often than not, people see boredom as a bad thing, a problem that needs to be “fixed” instead of something that needs to be experienced.
Rather than trying to fix it, approaching boredom with the right frame of mind will lead to moments of enhanced creativity and productivity.

Use Your Boredom To Be More Creative and Productive

Do you ever get bored and reach for your phone to check for new text messages or Facebook updates? Of course you do. Everybody does.

Watch this short video to find out how to use your boredom more effectively.

Action Steps:

The next time you get bored, don’t reach for your phone or open your internet browser. Instead, allow yourself to experience being bored for about 5 minutes.
This is a lot harder than it sounds. Stick it out for 5 minutes.
After 5 minutes, get out a pen and a piece of paper. Write down anything that comes to mind.
You’ll find that allowing yourself to experience being bored leads to increased creativity and productivity.

Principles to Learn:

More than ever before, people have a need to be constantly engaged and stimulated.
More often than not, people see boredom as a bad thing, a problem that needs to be “fixed” instead of something that needs to be experienced.
Rather than trying to fix it, approaching boredom with the right frame of mind will lead to moments of enhanced creativity and productivity.

Master Your Business With The Focused Business Model

Grandma said, “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.”

Sometimes grandma gets it wrong, especially if you’re in charge of the success of your business. Too often, entrepreneurs make it hard for their businesses to succeed by trying to do too many things at the same time.

Diversification is seductive. The more you do, the more likely something is going to succeed, right?

Watch this short video to learn how something called the Focused Business Model helps you to position yourself for successful diversification in the future.

Action Steps:

Comment below to share some of your own stories about individuals, or businesses, who have succeeded using the Focus – Master – Diversify model.
If you’re comfortable with it, comment below to share why you think so many entrepreneurs diversify too early. What is it, exactly, that makes diversification so seductive?

Principles:

The Focused Business Model starts with intense focus on your primary line of business.
Focus leads to success through mastery.
Once you’ve mastered your business, you are in a position to diversify your business. Doing the steps in the wrong order, i.e. diversifying too early, will stunt your ability to succeed.

 

The Focused Business Webinar: Free For Entrepreneurs

With all of that ambition, not to mention a tireless work-ethic, it’s amazingly easy to get distracted by every bright and shiny object of opportunity that crosses your path.

When you see an opportunity that looks downright tasty, you want to hunt it down, corner it, and then put it on the dinner table, don’t you? And your entrepreneur’s work-ethic tells you there’s plenty of hours in the week to do it.

However, in the process, you lose time, money, sleep and sanity, all because you lost focus on what your business does best. There’s another way to do it, a way that will make your business more profitable – and your life more peaceful.

Check out this short video to find out how!

Dave Crenshaw is giving his first ever, FREE, live-to-the-public webinar for entrepreneurs on how to build a Focused Business. All new! Register NOW because Dave is limiting attendance to the first 200 business owners and entrepreneurs who register and appear at this special, one-time-only event.

Action Steps:

Go to http://FocusedBusiness.com/webinar and register to attend.

Build a Focused Business: Success Lies Not in Breadth, But in Depth

NOTE: At the bottom of this post, I’m going to tell you how you can win a signed copy of my first book, The Myth of Multitasking.

Before you started your business, you probably worried about finding just the right opportunity.

But now that you’re running the show, there are almost too many opportunities for you to make money, aren’t there? It’s difficult not to be distracted by every “next great idea” that appears in front of you.

Ever felt like you’ve wasted time chasing “new” ideas that didn’t quite pan out? If so, this video tip is just what you’ve been looking for!

What about the book contest? Just for fun, leave a comment for your chance to win a signed copy of my first book, The Myth of Multitasking.

Action Steps:

Start a conversation by leaving a comment below. Share what you feel can best contribute to a focused business.
The businessperson who leaves the most insightful comment wins a signed copy of my first book, The Myth of Multitasking.

Principles:

“Effective” multitasking is a myth because you lose more time switching tasks than you gain by doing too many things at the same time.
Doing this at the “macro” level, splitting attention between multiple businesses, is like multitasking on steroids.
When entrepreneurs stay focused and committed to one business, they find it easier to succeed.
Olympians and businesses alike succeed not in breadth, but in depth; the strength of their focus.

 

How to Build a Stronger Professional Network

Your professional network needs to stay professional, but…

Aren’t your friends a lot less guarded around you than your business contacts? How do you tear down the walls that exist between you and your professional connections–without getting too close to them?

Watch the video to find out!

Action Steps:

Listen for “loose bricks” – i.e. personal interests you can use to make your professional connections more personal.
As soon as you spot a “loose brick,” write the information down.
Take action with an appropriate gift or exchange of information. Remember that nobody cares how much you know until you show them how much you care.
Share additional ideas on this page of how to build a stronger professional network.

Principles to Learn:

Personal connections are STRONGER than professional connections.
“Loose Bricks,” an idea by Brad Wilcox, applies as much to adults as it does to teens. They are the weak points in the walls we build around ourselves.
Identifying people’s “loose bricks,” or personal interests, and then taking action is one of the best ways to make your professional connections more personal.

The Myth of Business Systems

Most entrepreneurs recognize the need for business systems. Many books and gurus teach that without systems or standard operating procedures your business won’t last long.

And they’re right—but only to a certain point. If misdirected, an over-reliance on business systems can do more harm than good.

I’ve found many business owners hold common misconceptions about business systems. In this brief video I reveal the top four myths of business systems, and what to do about them.

Action Steps:

Watch this video and ask yourself: Have I been acting upon any of these myths in my small business?

Systems should be as detailed as possible.
The business owner should write the systems.
Systems should be perfect.
The system is the solution.


 Share your perspective or ask questions about business systems on this page.

Principles:

A Business System should be a brief sketch outline that you can use for training. Documenting too much detail to systems makes it ineffective.
The best person to document the systems is the employee using it.
There is no such thing as a perfect business system. We always want to improve and innovate processes within the business.
Business systems are only as effective as the people using them and the accountability provided to those people.

Micro Management vs. Effective Management

There’s management, and then there is micro management. Which method do you use? More important, which method would those you lead and manage say you use?

Many people who think they are being effective managers are shocked to learn their actions are stifling growth and creativity.

This brief video draws five comparisons between the less effective micro managers and true managers. Please watch, then share your own comparisons.

Action Steps:

Watch this video and ask yourself the following questions about your leadership style:

Do I give people flexibility in how to reach a desired result, or do I tell them how things should be done?
Do I take time to explain to people why something should be done, or do I just tell them what to do?
When I delegate a tasks, do I establish a clear WHEN, or do I demand things to be done NOW?
Do I hold people accountable, or do I constantly hover over them?
Am I helping those I manage to grow, or do I just want them to be compliant?


On this page, share any other comparisons that you see between micro managers and managers. Thank you!

Principles to Learn:

Effective managers focus on results more than methods.
Giving the “why” helps provide the motivation for people to follow through.
Effective managers focus on the WHEN. Companies with a Culture of When accomplish everything in a timely manner.
Effective managers hold people accountable. They do consistent follow-up and allow you freedom in between those follow-ups.
Effective managers want growth. They provide ways for the people they lead to improve over time.

Five Business Lessons from Batman

As an entrepreneur, you move fast. So fast, that you always need to keep your mind open to business lessons wherever and whenever you can get them.

This week, I wanted to share a few of those business lessons from an unusual source: Batman.

In this short video I share five critical lessons on entrepreneurship anyone in any business can learn from the Dark Knight.

Action Steps:

View this video and ask yourself the following questions about your business:

Have I located my right hand person, my Alfred, yet?
Have I invested in the best technology possible?
Have I created a clear dividing line between my entrepreneurial life and my personal life?
Am I regularly growing my network?
Does my business have a clearly defined set of values that we use for day-to-day decision making?


On this page, share any other business lessons you’ve gained from Batman or your favorite fictional characters. Thanks!

Principles:

Entrepreneurs can always be on the lookout for business lessons—even from fictional characters.
A dedicated personal assistant can free your time so you can focus on your Most Valuable Activities (MVAs).
The cost of investing in the best technology often makes up for itself through huge time gains.
If your entrepreneurial life and personal life lack a boundary line, the two can bleed into each other, damaging both.
Often, the resources you need to succeed in business lie within your network, not yourself.
Written business values can be an important guidepost for decision making.
Bonus: Batman is cooler than most other superheroes who got their powers the easy way.