• 10Mar

  Operational-ize Your Business to Move Forward

  Business Marketing, Inspiration for Business, Strategic Planning, entrepreneur to ceo 1 Comment

  Operational-ize means to put something into use or action. For the purpose of this post, I’m sharing ways to operational-ize your business in the context of systems and processes. Very simply, it’s all about bringing a sense of order, stability and ultimately, automation to get your business running efficiently. Recently, I’ve been working on key operational objectives because I’ve felt out of sorts with the all of the many activities going on in my business. It truly makes a difference and I love the new sense of productivity it’s brought me. WOOHOO!

  An operational objective is a short-term goal that moves your business toward achieving its strategic goals. Here are a few that will get you started and surely support you in creating order, productivity and peace or mind:

  Operational Objective #1: Use your daily/weekly task list to identify processes in your business.

  Begin by categorizing similar tasks and activities together. You may begin to see repetition, routine and regularity taking shape. These are processes! You’ll even feel a sense of relief once you’ve identified your top three processes. Why? Now you have greater clarity about the actions that move your business forward everyday. Overwhelm magically disappears! How kewl is that?

  Operational Objective #2: Identify processes that MUST be outsourced to a virtual assistant, web developer, blog manager, or other team member.

  Remember your primary reason for being in business AND focus on doing just that. Outsource EVERYTHING else to your team members who are experts in their areas. Take it from someone who has learned this many times over: You do your clients a disservice when you try to be a jack of all trades in your business. Focus on your area of expertise and leave the rest to your team. Rely on your team to document the processes so your business runs smoothly if you have to be out of pocket for any reason. It works very well when you do! This is a “MUST-DO.”

  Operational Objective #3: Clarify the systems that support your business operations.

  Systems are the tools you use to support your processes. Think of software, hardware, equipment, and other resources that help you to be more efficient in your business. Email programs, social networking accounts, fax machines, computer, telephone, voice mail, cell phone, etc. — you get the idea. Making note of these systems is important so you’re sure they’re maintained, updated, upgraded and always working properly. It’s amazing how disruptive it is when anyone of your key systems fail to function by design. This is a “MUST-DO.”

  Answer these questions to begin the process of operational-izing your business:

  What are you willing to do to operational-ize your business?

  What processes and systems do you have in place? How are they working for you?

  Which ones do you have in place that are not working?

  What one system and process you will outsource this week?

  Tags: business operations, business processes, business sytems, Strategic Planning

• 20Jan

  Who’s in Your Kewl Circle?

  Business and Health, Strategic Planning, entrepreneur to ceo 12 Comments

  As you move from Entrepreneur to CEO, partnering with the right people becomes really important. You want your collaborators to include people who support you and help your business to thrive. You want to connect with kewl people you respect that have respect for you, your values and especially, your programs and services. The respect you share for one another ensures the best possible communication around problems that arise.

  You also want to collaborate with folks who understand what it means to be in business and all that comes with it. You have to be thick-skinned and so must your collaborators. You may hear constructive suggestions and observations that are meant to help you grow and become more successful in business. Remember, nothing is personal and it’s all about being in sync to continue moving toward the common goal.

  Energize your kewl circle by finding like-minded folks who only want the best for you and your business.

  In my next post, I’ll introduce you to a few of the people in my kewl circle. I love each and every one because of what they bring to my life and business. You’re gonna love ‘em too!

  How does your kewl circle support you? What qualities let you know someone is ideal for your kewl circle/

  Tags: collaboration, colleagues, parnerships, partners

• 08Jan

  Entrepreneur to CEO: Choose Your Best Business

  Business and Health, Inspiration for Business, Strategic Planning, entrepreneur to ceo 3 Comments

  When was the last time you carefully considered your choices or how they might affect your business?

  I believe choice is the act of careful selection, identifying preferences and exploring quality alternatives that lead to freedom.
  Yet, how often do we approach our choices in such a deliberately thoughtful way?

  As a business owner, it’s important to note that choice speaks to your commitment to building and growing your business while looking at all available options. Choice involves thoughtful decision-making and focuses on doing and being your best in life. More importantly, choice implies that there is an opportunity to have freedom and victory in all that you do.

  Here’s an approach to mastering the art of choice so you can propel your business forward:

  Revisit your business mission and tweak it. Remember to use your mission as a guide for what’s appropriate in, and specific for, your business. By the way, making the right choices for your business is nearly impossible if you don’t have a mission. If you find yourself lacking a mission now, then you need to pause and create one. Without your mission statement, you have no framework with which to operate your business.

  

  Align your business priorities with your newfound or tweaked mission. This will help you focus on what’s important and tie your choices to these priorities. Review and repeat this consideration to account for changes in priorities based on other factors like timing, market information, or new opportunities. Reviewing your priorities regularly is important. Some do it daily, some weekly, and some monthly. Realistically it is a good idea to do all three. Stephen Covey’s "First Things First" Quadrants is an excellent tool for arranging your priorities.  Set each of your priorities in one of those four sections. Then review and adjust as needed. This will help you set goals specific to your priorities.
  

  Set clear business goals specific to your priorities and match them to your business mission. For me it is important to position myself as a specialist in group coaching. That’s my priority and my goals must reflect that priority. Your mission partnered with clear business goals are guidelines for clear targets like your ideal client and defined niche. Just as you need to do with your priorities, you need to also revisit and revise your goals regularly so that your choices are consistently aligned with your mission and priorities.

  By mastering the art of choice, you recognize the power you have to choose what happens in your business. It sounds simple and easy…and it truly is!  You’re well on your way to mastering the art of choice when you underscore what’s really important.  Prepare yourself for the freedom and fulfillment you’re creating. Remember, it IS a choice!

  Now that you’ve looked at your mission, priorities and goals, it is now time to decide what you want to do to support your business:

  What are you willing to do to support your business mission and priorities?  What are your intentions or rather your commitments to act?  How are you going to keep your intentions at the forefront of your choices and ultimately your actions?  How do these intentions reinforce your responsibility to build and maintain your business?

  Tags: business goals, business mission, choices, setting business priorities

« Previous Entries