Business Success Center

Proven programs that grow great businesses for great people who care.

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Owner’s Rule #1: 40,000 Foot Level Point of View

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Can you take the 40K Owner's point of view with your business? Photo credit: NASA.gov

Can you take the 40K Owner’s point of view with your business? Photo credit: NASA.gov

The Owner’s Point of  View

The “40,000 Foot Owners View” symbolizes the number one rule for owners who want to be successful: stay at the 40,000 foot level for planning and making decisions instead of getting bogged down in the day-to-day weeds of running and managing the business. This is especially important when using networking to grow a business. It’s a critical skill owners must have in order to survive the challenges and take advantage of opportunities. [Read more…]

Business Owners Hierarchy of Needs

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What motivates business owners? It depends on where they are in the owners' hierarchy of needs.

What motivates business owners? It depends on where they are in the owners’ hierarchy of needs.

You’ve probably heard of Maslow’s “Hierarchy of Needs”. He identified how a person’s needs dominate motivation and behavior and that there is a specific order in which they should be met.

His theory suggested that the basic needs (physiological, safety, love and belonging) had to be met before the individual will desire and pursue higher levels of needs (esteem, self actualization, and self transcendence).

If a need is not met, the individual will feel tense and anxious. Although people may have several needs at any time, one will dominate their actions. [Read more…]

Always Dress for TV

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Be ready. Have what you need to dress for TV.

Be ready. Have what you need to dress for TV.

Always dress for the TV camera.

My staff have always known if the media calls, come find me  — even in the bathroom. I know they are on deadline and I try to respond asap.

Sometimes it results in a story or comment from me. Sometimes for clients or colleagues. Sometimes nothing. But that media person now knows or remembers that I have ideas and contacts when they need them the next time. [Read more…]

How to Set the Best Price

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Is determining the best price a problem? Photo by luz from flickr.

Is determining the best price a problem? Photo by luz from flickr.

Are you having trouble determining how to set the best price for your products or services? That seems to be a common problem for owners of independent businesses.

Do it right and customers will be content, happy to pay you what you deserve, and you’ll be around. Do it wrong and you won’t. It’s that simple. [Read more…]

Writing Posts Dilemma; Seeking Solution

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I have a dilemma about writing posts. Instead of stewing about it, I thought I would write a post about it. Maybe some enterprising person has a solution.

The Problem

It’s not writer’s block. I can handle that. Here’s my dilemma: too much to do at the same time and no time to write posts or finish posts I start. I want to write but I really need to:

  1. Renegotiate the office lease.
  2. Entertain several set of out-of-towners, family members and friends who want to see our spectacular Texas wild flowers, celebrate birthdays, see me. I also need to host several business events and meetups.
  3. Make presentations and attend other training sessions.
  4. Talk to prospects, potential allies, media, and government officials.
  5. Work with new clients on their overall vision, positioning, marketing plan and develop a workable sales process with them. Some are startups who need to work through and create financials. Two are expanding.
  6. Maintain the progress of existing clients: a landscaper, asset manager, two software developers, and a security company. Keep in contact with former clients who are working on projects we put in place: an architect, 2 environmental firms, and others.
  7. Volunteer. [Read more…]

What a CFO Can Do to Improve the Sales System

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Role-playing dice have nothing on the role-playing CFO when it comes to improving the sales system.Photo by cal-harding from flickr. Role-playing dice are like the role-playing CFO whose job includes improving the sales system. Photo by cal_harding from flickr.

Role-playing dice have nothing on the role-playing CFO when it comes to improving the sales system.Photo by cal-harding from flickr.

What can a CFO do to improve the company’s sales system? What do they even know about sales?  You’d be surprised.

If you’re the CFO and CEO, the following applies to you. If you’re both of these plus the Director of Sales and maybe even the Chief Salesperson, you still need to include the tasks below in order to improve the results of your sales system. [Read more…]

7 Ways Conflict is Good for Business

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Positive Conflict™ requires thinking outside the box. Illustration by Mamadob

Positive Conflict™ requires thinking outside the box. Illustration by Mamadob.

Conflict is valuable in the workplace. In fact, it’s actually good for business.

You might not have thought of it as being positive but it can be when people use care with each other and stakeholders. They also have to put something like the BSC’s Fight Fair™ strategy  in place.

I just had the opportunity to spend two days working with the staff of an Inc 5000 company on improving their communication. This is a high quality small business but staff members and the owner wanted to make sure they were dealing effectively with the internal and external conflicts that come up in every business. [Read more…]

The True Value of 1st Quarter Financials

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Evaluate your 1st quarter financials to get higher profitability going forward. Image by Photosteve101 from flickr.com.

Evaluate your 1st quarter financials to get higher profitability going forward. Image by Photosteve101 from flickr.com.

The true value of 1st quarter financials goes way beyond just the raw numbers. Because of that, your monthly close out is more important and there are do’s and don’ts that are unique to this quarter.

Completing the prioritized tasks gives the owner or manager a perfect opportunity to refine their vision for the year. Using the resulting information can make the last three quarters more productive and more profitable. This will keep you out of the weeds and create the 40,000 foot owner/investor perspective you need to make a better future. [Read more…]

Replace Yourself with a Virtual Sales Manager

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Bright idea: make more money by hiring a Virtual Sales Manager Photo by EJ Posselius.

Bright idea: make more money by hiring a Virtual Sales Manager Photo by EJ Posselius.

Does replacing yourself as the salesperson sound ideal? If you hate to sell, maybe you’ve thought about hiring someone to do sales for you. Maybe you don’t want to have just an employee. Maybe you’re looking for a Virtual Sales Manager to manage the whole process and help sell.

They do exist. I do it for some of my clients. Not all of them are one person operations either!

How do you make sure they’re the right person or you’re hiring the right company? Be careful! [Read more…]

Use Family Business Loan to Hire Employee Gems

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Austin’s Family Business Loan was described as a way to encourage small businesses to hire at an Austin Human Resource Management Association meeting.

It’s financed under the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development  (HUD) Section 108 Loan Program in association with the U.S Small Business Administration, private banks and credit unions. The funds are to benefit businesses and people who fit the profile of “HCU”, hard-core unemployed. [Read more…]