The Business Reproductive System (Or How to Grow Your Business Without Losing Its Personality)
At the heart of a small business is the business owner, and their personality, values and relationships. People do business with a person, not a business. In most cases it is because of the business owner that customers have made the choice to spend their money with a particular small business in the first place.
In fact, it is this personal relationship that often makes a small business stand-out from its (often) larger competitors – a key differentiator if you like.
But, this can create a problem. There is a limit to the number of people a single business owner can personally service. The business will reach a certain point when the business owner finds themselves running out of time trying to service all their clients in the way that they have been (and that they now expect).
You might be familiar with this scenario.
It can seem that unless something changes, you will need to accept the fact that the business will not be able to grow any further.
For the entrepreneurs amongst us, this is a concept that is quite difficult to accept. We really want to find a way to grow, but still keep that personal element in our business. At the same time, we don’t want to grow “too big, too fast”, and lose one of the reasons people do business with us in the process.
In fact, it is a fear that many small business owners have – that their business will grow, and in the process, they will lose touch with the passion that got them into business in the first place. It is this passion which also happens to be the very thing that attracts customers to their business.
So what could change, without the business losing it’s personality?
One possible solution is that we could start to service our customers less. While it is true that we may find ourselves “overservicing” customers a little bit, and a small amount of extra capacity can be created by stopping this “overservicing” – it is only a temporary solution. You may have already tried this.
There is a limit to how much service you can take away before you have an impact on customer satisfaction and start to lose customers. So while we might find some extra room to grow this way - this is not a sustainable answer. You need to find a way “Reproduce” yourself – another “You” in order to get everything done!
The only real option is for you to delegate more. Ask yourself - does every, single, little thing you are currently doing really need to be handled by you personally? Are you in fact a “bottleneck”, preventing your business from growing – and possibly also preventing your customers from having a good service experience at the same time. (Believe me, this happens-more often than you might think!).
Is there a way you can can delegate your level of direct involvement with each customer, while still maintaining that personal service, and the unique personality of your business? I am going to respond to that and say “Yes there is!”. In fact, there are many ways to achieve this – it just takes the resolve and conviction to do it, and to overcome the fear of change that it might bring with it.
Effective delegation starts with building a solid team around you, of people that share your passion and your values. If you have a team like this, you can easily introduce them to your valued customers, and delegate some of the responsibility for service to them. Think about your team, and think about how you build your team. Are these people good representatives of what it is that your business stands for?
If they are, then customers will readily accept such people into the relationship, especially if they also see things being done more efficiently. Sure, they still have a relationship with you (and of course your business) – but now there is more capacity to give them more of what they want, and to grow with them. The alternative is being seen by your customers as the “bottleneck” in your business, and possibly in theirs too!
If you want to grow your business you need to change, and to do nothing means nothing changes. What was Einstein’s definition of insanity again?
Obviously, there is more to delegation than having a good team to delegate to (a topic worthy of its own blog post). The point is that we need a place to start. If you have a good team, delegate more. If you don’t have a good team, get one! Reproduce!
Kristian Reiss
Small Fish Business Coaching Joondalup
www.smallfish.us
What Is A Business Coach?
When I tell people that I am a business coach I am quite often asked things like "What does that mean you do?", or even "Does that mean you tell people how to run their business?"
Business coaching is a relatively new profession, and the terms "coach" and "business coach" seem to have become quite trendy buzzwords in recent times. There are many people who provide a whole manner of different services to small business that are quite often referred to as "coaches". With mentors and consultants also providing a similar range of services to the same small businesses, I can certainly understand why some people might be a little confused.
So, let me try and clear up some of the confusion and explain exactly what a business coach is and does.
What is a business coach?
A business coach is a person who works closely with a business owner (entrepreneur) at the strategic level of their business. When I say "strategic level", I am talking about the bigger picture, longer-term view of the business' journey. It is all about getting the things done that will help the business on its journey.
And to get things done, and to ensure it is the right things that are getting done, a business coach will follow a business coaching process, or framework. The process of business coaching (certainly the Small Fish process) starts with the business owner and the business coach mutually assessing the situation. This assessment (at Small Fish we call it an Audit) is in terms of the business owners goals and frustrations, the business issues and risks, the overall financial considerations as well as the dreams the business owner has for their business (and often for their lives too).
Taking these things into consideration, the business coach and business owner build the picture of where the business is today, and define the entrepreneur's vision of where they would like it to be at some point in the future - taking note of the changes that need to take place in order to realise that future vision.
The next step is to make a plan, or a comprehensive list of strategies - broken down further into specific and prioritised tasks, that need be done in order to realise this vision. As business coaches, we tend to call this a business plan, or business strategy.
Business coaching, and specifically the role of the business coach, is holding the business owner accountable to the business plan. Basically - making sure that things are getting done. Because it is business coaching, we generally look at the drivers of profitability to ensure the focus remains on getting the right things done for the business.
How is a business coach different to a business consultant?
A consultant is exactly that - a "consultant", meaning someone that is consulted to provide their expert advice or services. We are quite familiar with this model - many businesses have a multitude of consultants on a whole manner of different services. The consultant is engaged to apply their expertise to some specific task (think accountants, lawyers, advertising, PR).
The key difference between a coach and a consultant, therefore, is that a consultant is someone who does the "doing" part, whereas a coach is responsible for helping the business owner determine what needs "doing" in the first place, and then making sure it gets done. (Having said that, at the end of the day the coach's responsibility is to ensure progress against the business plan - so sometimes the business coach does indeed get involved in some of the "doing").
Further to this, the relationship that a business owner has with a business coach compared to that with a consultant is a little different as well. The consultant is being paid for their expertise and becomes responsible to complete a specific activity, and as such they are positioned as someone to look to, or refer to as "experts" in their field.
A business coach is not an "expert" at everything to do with business (how could anyone be?) - they are an "expert" at the process of business coaching. A business coach may indeed be (and usually is) an expert in a specific field, however in their role as business coach, their relationship is more of a peer relationship with the business owner - one of working together to get the job done.
Now in case you are thinking that means that a business coach does nothing, then that is definitely not the case. The primary "doing" parts for the business coach are leading the business owner through the coaching process, driving accountability for activity against the plan and then measuring results along the way. It is therefore fair to say that in a business coaching relationship, the business owner defers some accountability for getting things done onto the business coach.
And just because the business coach is involved at the strategic level of the business and takes on some accountability for getting things done - they are certainly NOT someone to whom the ultimate strategic responsibility for the business can be referred to. That responsibility will always remain with the business owner or entrepreneur.
Working with a business coach as opposed to a consultant also has the added benefit of providing an opportunity for a transfer of knowledge or learning. Because the business coach is continuously engaged on different business scenarios with many different businesses in a variety of industries, the business coach brings with them a different suite of tools and strategies that can be applied to a vast array of business situations, that a business owner can then leverage in their own business.
So how is a business coach different to a business mentor?
The key distinction here comes in the definition of a mentor. A mentor is defined as a "wise and trusted counsellor or teacher."
While a business coach may indeed be a "mentor" based on this definition, that is not their primary role. Their primary role is to lead the business owner through the process of business coaching, and make sure progress is made against the plan. It is therefore not essential that a business coach also be a mentor.
Often a mentor is an "older" or "wiser" person with considerable experience, possibly even in the same field or industry. A mentor is someone that a business owner can defer to as a sounding board, or to benefit from their wisdom.
This leads me to another question I am sometimes asked by business owners, which is: "How can you possibly know more than I do about my business and my industry?"
The answer should by now be clear. “I don't!” Business coaching is not about the coach knowing more and the business owner doing as they are told. Business coaching works by combining the skills and experience of both the business owner and the business coach with a structured process and a suite of tools for addressing common business situations.
The combination of all of these things acts as a multiplier in the effort towards realising the vision for the business.
So in summary, while a business coach may at times act like a consultant and even a mentor - they are primarily a coach, something which is quite different.
If you would like to experience what business coaching is like and how it can add value to your business, please click here now. Best of all – it is FREE!
In the meantime check out the whole Small Fish Business Coaching team.
Kristian Reiss
Small Fish Business Coaching Perth, Australia
www.smallfish.us
Work:Life Balance
At Small Fish, we really believe in the idea of finding a harmonious Work:Life balance. Together with driving profitability, improving the Work:Life balance would be one of the most common objectives for business owners that we come across. So, what is this thing we call Work:Life balance?
“Balance” itself is an interesting word to use when describing this concept. It almost makes it sound like Work and Life are two separate things that we are trying to balance against one another on some kind of giant see-saw. But is this true?
What got me onto this was a conversation between two of my friends recently. They were discussing the topic of working during the weekends. (Yes guys, you know who you are – and I will soon know if you actually read my blog posts!!).
One of my friends had been busy working all week, and right through the weekend. The other held firm to the opinion that you need to keep your weekends free from work – and do as much of the things you really want to do on the weekend as possible. He said: “work out how many more years you think you have to live, multiply that by 52, and you will realise that actually you don’t have too many weekends left”. A sobering thought!
(Now obviously, my friends are Monday-to-Friday type of people. I realise not everyone is in that lifestyle, but the principle here applies to everyone nonetheless - so ‘non-Monday-to-Friday’ people, please read on....)
I am all for the idea of getting the work:life balance right, but there was something about this last comment that didn’t quite sit well with me (beyond the sudden brutality of pondering life’s impermanence). It took a while, but then it dawned on me.
What if you really enjoyed what you did for work? What if your work was so enjoyable, that IS all you really wanted to do?
Could this ever be the case ? Surely everyone knows that “work is so bad that’s why they have to pay people to do it!” Is it possible that work could ever be such great a thing, that you shouldn’t need to “ring fence” your weekends from it? You know – it is like those people that say “well for me it really isn’t work.
Well, despite the fact that I love what I do for work, this idea also didn’t quite sit right with me. Why? Because work is not THE only thing in my life. In fact, my life also involves other people and other responsibilities.
So, thinking it through, both of my friends had valid points. You can probably afford to sacrifice a weekend or two to work– just probably not ALL the time. Ahh, this is where the balance part comes into it.
I came to the conclusion that work is actually an element, or a subset of our lives, and that Work:Life balance is about trying to create balance between all these different elements of our lives. Also, it is a balance of the different responsibilities and expectations of the many different “roles” we play in life (think worker, parent, volunteer, etc..). Without getting too spiritual, we are trying to create harmony in our lives, of which work is, and can only ever be, just one element.
So that’s what it is all about, balance and harmony. And remember – “have some fun” while you are doing it.
If you have read this far, please feel free to respond with some comments about this post – I would be interested to get some more viewpoints on this topic. Thank you.
Kristian Reiss
Small Fish Business Coaching
www.smallfish.us
Franchising Expo- Melbourne, Australia 20th-22nd August
For many people (including some of our clients), franchising is the ideal vehicle to owning their own business. For franchisees and franchisors alike, business coaching is an invaluable tool to assist franchisees be successful in using the franchise system.
Small Fish will be exhibiting at the upcoming Franchising Expo in Melbourne, Australia from Friday 20th – Sunday 22nd August with the view of explaining to franchisors and franchisees alike the benefits of business coaching – the Small Fish way. We will also be using the Franchising Expo to showcase the Small Fish Business Coaching franchise opportunity.
If you are in Melbourne, and can make it, come down and see us at stand K22 at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre. We would be delighted to see you there!
Kristian Reiss
Small Fish Business Coaching
www.smallfish.us
Does Your Business Have A Cookbook?
I recently attended my weekly BNI meeting in Perth, Australia and had the privilege of being able to listen to Rey Chan from Websmart Design present on the topic of “Usefulness” in relation to websites. As Rey said “Bells & whistles wear off, but usefulness never does”.
But there was one thing above all that resonated with me about Rey’s presentation that day.
Rey was passionate about the topic he was presenting, and by being so he was also able to educate the audience. (Interestingly, one of his key points was around using websites to teach what you are passionate about.)
Listening to Rey speak, I was in awe of his ability to simplify what can be a complex and often misunderstand topic.
Often businesses owners, and sales people for that matter, try and restrict the flow of information - like it is some sort of closely held trade secret.
They try and make things seem more complex than they really are, and confuse people. How often do we see this mentality, or even find ourselves slipping into this mindset? (When was the last time you tried to compare phone plans for example??)
Is it not better to educate people, to simplify things, to teach what it is we are passionate about?
Rey offered an example - Chefs and their Cookbooks. Chefs have embraced the notion of sharing their passion. Through their cookbooks, chefs simplify the art of cooking, and teach their passion. This opens the opportunity for more people to share in that passion.
It got me thinking – maybe every business should have its own “Cookbook”.
What would happen if more people become passionate about what you do in your business?
Kristian Reiss
Small Fish Business Coaching
www.smallfish.us
Business Coaching and our Washing Machine
We keep on getting asked to explain what this funny thing we call our “Washing Machine” is all about. To explain this better, especially for those that appreciate something a bit more visual, we have created an online video.
The washing machine is a little device that we use to explain how and where business coaching fits into a business.
Focussing on Increasing Revenue, Improving Productivity and Reducing Expenses will flow on to an improvement in Profit – and this is what Business Coaching is all about. We call these 3 things the Drivers of Profitability. The process of working through these drivers and taking the necessary actions to implement change in a business is what business coaching is all about – the Small Fish way!
The following animated online video will explain what business coaching is, how it works, and how the process of Audit, Plan and Action drives change in a business:
Business Coaching & Our Washing Machine
We hope you like it as much as we do!
Kristian Reiss
Small Fish Business Coaching
www.smallfish.us
