Imagine for a moment you are at the hospital, and the doctor is explaining to you that your wife/daughter/father… is very sick and over the next few months, they will be fighting for their lives. After the initial shock and as you support them through this, you start realising you are not able to put the time into your business that is needed.

Slowly but surely the business starts to stutter; small problems become bigger; staff are not "stepping up" like you need them to; cash flow starts to get tight, and you just don’t have the time to sort these things out. It’s becoming necessary to be at the hospital more and more, but if you don’t resolve these problems with the business, there is going to be one more casualty.

If you were in this situation, would your business survive for a week, a month, six months, a year? Would it continue to produce profits and income for you, or would it struggle to survive?

Here is the not-so-secret secret: Your business doesn’t care what’s happening to you. It just reacts to what you give it.

Your business is like a plant. If you give it water (customers), sunshine (good systems and staff), and good soil (the right market), it grows and flourishes. But if you neglect it, forget to water it, and put it in the wrong place, it will struggle. Leave it alone for too long and eventually it will die. 

What if you found the perfect place for your plant, set up an automated water supply, and gave it nutrient-rich compost? Sure, you still need to check on it from time to time, but if you are away for a while, it would be okay. The plant doesn’t care what is happening in your personal life or if you or your family are healthy or well. It doesn’t understand and never will. To live and flourish it just needs what it needs.

I have seen businesses too reliant on the owner get into trouble very quickly. The owner experiences an unexpected personal crisis, can’t work for awhile, their attention is elsewhere. All of a sudden jobs start going wrong, customers start complaining, cash flow dries up, work stops coming in; it’s very very stressful.

As we all know (especially in Christchurch), unexpected things can happen in life. Circumstances can change in an instant, and your whole world looks different.

What kind of stuff can happen? Well, anything.

•    Trouble with your marriage/partner
•    A family member is very sick/Life-threatening illness
•    Death of a loved one
•    Personal injury or illness/chronic pain
•    Spouse/partner needs a minor or major operation
•    Addiction struggles (your own or a family member)
or
•    Staff you rely on are experiencing one of the above

The list is endless, but you get the idea.

By the way, although the odds of these things happening to you in the next year are relatively small, if you look at the list entirely, the chances are at least one of these things will happen to you or your staff.

When it does, you will not be able to give the time and effort to your business that you once were. You will need space to deal with these important life events. (Even if you are still spending time in your business, you won’t be at your best).

I think we all agree family is more important than business. So if someone you love needs you, you need to be able to step away from your business without things falling apart.

In these storms, you need a business that will look after itself for a while or at least survive with only a little focus and help from you.

Remember too there are plenty of good things that affect your business also, although these are easier to see coming. 

•    Weddings and new relationships
•    Pregnancy and new babies
•    Moving house
•    A big holiday or trip overseas

Think about what happened last time you took a few days or months off. What shape was your business in when you got back? Maybe you don’t take holidays anymore because the mess you come back to is just too stressful…

The good news is with planning and some good strong systems, it doesn’t have to be this way.

Two of my clients not so long ago each had an unexpected health crisis, and both of their businesses have come through in good shape. I am not saying the businesses were performing at optimum capacity, but they kept functioning properly in spite of the owners absence - continued to produce results, perform well and provide income. Staff knew what to do, so there was no extra stress on the owner. 

You know what? Every single circumstance I listed above has happened in the lives of business owners I work with, at least once, in the last two years alone! And some in my own life as well. 

As a business mentor and coach, I know how important it is to hope and plan for the best, but also have a plan for the worst.

So to sum up: your business needs protection. You need to make sure you have everything in place so, just like the plant, it will carry on regardless of your circumstances.

​PS:
If you need help, email me to ask about the 7 Most Important Action Steps to ensure any business would survive a personal crisis.

Apparently when I'm not helping business owners make loads more profit, I'm inadvertently making my wife more productive.

Let me tell you how this fantastic thing happened. 

My wife and I have been blessed with children - so our home is a busy one.

As anyone who has cared for children will know, not everything gets done when you want it to.

Young kids seem to have this uncanny ability of taking priority over everything else - no matter how inconvenient. I can speak from experience because I've been living this beautiful reality for quite a number of years.

I may even have some unresolved issues involving stand-offs over demands for melted cheese on toast at bedtimes. But that's another story. 

In our busy family my wife often finds it hard to get everything done.

By the way, the challenges can be quite similar when you run a business, especially if you don't have good systems and you try to do everything yourself - you run around, getting interrupted constantly by urgent matters, and you are the only one who is responsible, knows what to do, and how to do it right. 

Back to the story:

Over the past week I have been noticing my wife bustling around and seeming to get a lot more done than usual. Which is impressive since she juggles a lot in her day normally. So the other day I was re-assembling and putting together one of the kids little beds. Literally as soon as I was done she flew into the room with laser focus and bedding. Pillows flew everywhere and by the time I turned around the bed was neatly made and ready to be slept in.

Intrigued, I asked her what was going on. To my surprise she starts telling me proudly how she listened to what I said last week and that it was working really well for her. Now she really had my attention. I mean, I think I say a lot of cool things but I have noticed my wife does not always agree.

I've been trying out a tip I read recently - if a task is likely to take two minutes or less, then do it straight away. This avoids procrastination and will get rid of a good portion of your task list quickly. I was having some success with this myself and now my wife was telling me it was working for her.

This principle can be found in David Allen's book "Getting Things Done". In his words: "I have a two-minute rule that says: If you determine an action can be done in two minutes, you actually should do it right then because it’ll take longer to organise it and review it than it would be to actually finish it the first time you notice it."

Basically, any task that comes up in your day that can be handled in less than two minutes, should be dealt with immediately. The last thing you want is a to-do list with 100 tasks when most of them can be ticked off with very little effort. 

If it won’t take long, do it now.

Give it a go for yourself in busy December -  let me know if it works for you!

If you are really brave, like me, pass on this tip to your partner (or employees) and see if you can make them more productive too :)
​

As a business coach, sometimes I have to have awkward conversations with my clients...

These conversations can feel awkward because FACING REALITY and making a CHANGE isn't always easy. And sometimes the TRUTH is hard to hear - but these conversations address what is really going on - and they are essential to make you and the business the BEST it can be. 

Remember the main restriction of any business in nearly all cases is the owners' abilities and thinking. So take a look and see if YOU need to have an awkward conversation.

"So do you actually know how much profit you are making?"
The first awkward conversation business owners can expect when I start working with them. You wouldn't think so, but many just don't know how they are going month to month. This is a crucial piece of information to know; after all you CAN'T win if you don't know the score. And it's way too late six months after the year-end when your accountant tells you the result. There is nothing you can do then. That game is over, you are playing the next one. You can only look to next year. Don't be scared of the outcome of asking this vital question, because when you know your figures, then you can improve.

"You aren't actually making any money."
Talk about an awkward realisation! Many business owners are working very hard for very little return. IT AIN'T RIGHT! If you discover that you are not actually making any money in your business then instead of freaking out, you just need to fix it fast. Ultimately when you lose money in your business, odds are it won't be long before you will need to start dipping into your own pocket or going into more debt, to pay the bills. And if you are consistently losing money, you will not be in business for very long. For a business to survive it must make profit, so if you are not, find out WHY and make a new plan.

"If you don't sort out your cashflow, bad things will happen."
You have all heard the saying 'cash is king'. If you run out of cash you are in trouble. It won't take long before your suppliers or the bank say "enough". If your cashflow is continually stretched, this puts a lot of unnecessary pressure on you and the business. Get this one right and you halve the stress! Cashflow often gets left undealt with, but believe me, if you have issues in this area, you need to set some time aside to sort it out now (and it's not as difficult as you think).

"Are your staff really no good?"
Is it a case of "It's not you, it's me"? We all have employed staff that just did not make the grade, but this should be the exception not the norm. If you are consistently dealing with poor staff you are either picking the wrong ones or maybe it's you. I talked with a business owner once who said he "hated going to work", and told his staff this regularly - I bet with an attitude like that, his staff felt exactly the same way. Staff need leadership, reassurance and feedback good and bad. If you are not happy with your staff, then work on changing yourself and your approach first, then them. If you hate going to work - well, you are the boss, so change it.

"Are you a workaholic?"
I ask my clients how many hours they are working and if they think they can keep this up week after week, month after month, year after year. We all know many business owners consistently work 55+ hours a week. Remember friends, business is a marathon not a sprint. It's okay to work long hours for a while, but in the long term I can guarantee you that you will not be at your best and neither will your business. We are made to work AND rest. It's during the rest times where inspiration comes and we often have those 'a-ha' breakthroughs. You will achieve a lot more if you rest regularly. Remember your best asset is yourself. After all, if you get sick, how much work happens? Usually not much.

"Your family is missing out  - and you know it."
This really is awkward to address but if your family starts falling apart, guess what you are going to be doing? It's not going to be working more - a family crisis puts a stop to that real quick. Not meaning to be negative but bad stuff happens sooner or later to all of us, but spending time with your family will build a solid foundation to deal with it and minimize the downside (and hey, it's a lot more fun). If you are not married/shacked up, or do not have children, the principle remains - you still need to invest in those important relationships in your life. After all, owning a business should give you a better lifestyle than being someone's employee. If it's not, then something needs to change, RIGHT NOW!

"Is your business causing stress in your marriage?"
Very common scenario, especially if your partner is involved in the business in some capacity. If the business is not going well, then despite your best efforts, you will be bringing these stresses home with you, and it will affect the people you love. If you don't believe me, ask your partner. My bet is that you will be arguing about the same business problems over and over again - maybe it's time to face them and do something about it. Don't let work problems steal your profits, happiness, or your life.

"You are getting distracted." 
This is trap that we all fall into at times. If you are not making the business better in some way, every day or at least weekly, then you are not working ON your business, you are working IN it. Stop doing the small tasks, delegate them and start working on the important ones. And remember delegate, delegate, delegate everything you can. 

How did you do? Are some of these relevant to you? Some of these questions may make you feel frustrated - that's good - it means it's time to do something about it. If you do, the rewards can be amazing. So dare to peek behind the curtain and tackle the issues head on.


Action Point: Spend a few minutes now writing down the top three awkward conversations you need to have and then make two action points for addressing each one. Commit to take this action - then as Nike says "JUST DO IT"!

Here are three true and powerful facts:

1. Time is our most precious possession.  
2. It's not possible for you to take care of every obligation and every responsibility in your life as you would like it to be done. Even if you could give 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
   
3. If you do not accept these facts, you will naively assume that somehow everything will get taken care of, and you will become consumed and controlled by what seems urgent at the time.

In business there are literally hundreds of things begging for our attention every day. Your staff ring wanting guidance, customers want your undivided attention, suppliers want to sell you more of their stuff, the bank wants to know why you are over your limit, and new customers ask you to fit in jobs into your already overloaded schedule... 
Some of these things are important, some less important, and some are just time-wasters.

I see this often in trades where business owners and staff try to please everyone and get over-committed to jobs. Then they find they have lots of angry customers who are not getting their jobs done on time, or even worse short-cuts are being taken and they have to go back to fix jobs which are wrong. Cashflow suffers, pricing is off - ultimately you are working very long hours and making very little money.

When you say YES to something, you are also saying NO to something else. When you say YES to that urgent job when you are at capacity, you will also have to say NO to another customer who will have their job delayed. When you say YES and work extra hours on the weekend or at night, you are also saying NO to your family because that time is no longer available to them. 

It is not always easy to say NO. After all no one wants to be seen as the bad guy. And society tells us that we should say YES all the time, and that we can have it all. 

So how do you pull this off so that you can start saying YES to those more important things in your business and your life?

Well the first step is to define what the most important things are and what you should do with your time. So make a list of tasks that are essential, and these are the things that must be done today no matter what. Now you know what to say YES to. Anything less important that is likely to get in the road of these tasks – well, you will need to say NO to it.

Second it helps to have a few ways of saying NO in a way that reduces the likelihood of offending people. Here are a couple of examples:

Plumber has a new customer who wants a non urgent job done today:
“I’m terribly sorry Mrs Wilson, we value your job, but NO I can’t fit you in today as I am already fully committed to other urgent jobs. We can book you in next week, but if I fit your job today it will mean that one of the other customers I have already committed to will miss out.”

Sales Reps:
“I’m very sorry Sam, but NO I just don’t have time to see you this week. You could send me some information on what you have for me to look at; if I can see the benefits I would be happy to make a time to talk further.”

Keep in mind that saying NO can also be about delegating tasks to other staff. The smart business owner knows that things can still get done without them being intimately involved in every aspect of the business!

When you start saying NO, people will think twice before asking you for unreasonable requests, which will give you some better boundaries and let you get a lot more of the important tasks done that will change your business. Be careful though – say NO too many times and you might start having the business you always dreamed of.

Action Point: Use your “essential tasks” list to guide your day so the most essential tasks are started and completed. Begin your day by conquering the very most important task (hint: not checking Facebook) - and you will feel fantastic. Start saying NO to at least one thing a day you should not be doing. Let me know your results!

Cookie Monster first appeared on Sesame Street in 1971, and there are very few characters that have been popular for this length of time - puppet or otherwise. To have lasted this long, we can conclude that he has done some things right and as any child will tell you he always gets the cookies - so let's take a look at some of the lessons we could use and apply to business, from this very likable childhood icon........

1) Mission
Cookie Monster has one vision or mission - and everyone know what that is. He wants cookies (not cake, walnuts or apples), cookies - and no one around him is in any doubt. What is your mission for your business and does everyone know it? - your staff, customers, suppliers........ Apple's mission was to make the their Mackintosh computers/iPhones/iPads easier to use than anyone else and the world knew it - so what is yours? 

2) Focus
Very few people have anything like the focus that Cookie Monster has. Virtually nothing can distract him from his goal of that next cookie. What is your main GOAL? and how can you make sure that you do not get distracted from it?

3) Enthusiasm
One of the reasons why Cookie Monster is so likable is is absolute enthusiasm. Just watching him you can't help but have a smile on your face and catch a little of his enthusiasm yourself. People like to feel good and believe in something. The more enthusiastic you are, the better customers, associates and staff you will attract to you and your business.

4) Action
GOALS are great but without action they are of little value. Cookie Monster imagines how good the cookies will taste - and then he takes whatever action he needs towards finding them. He will look anywhere and everywhere until he has his cookie.

5) Standards
Cookie Monster loves cookies, but he still has standards. He doesn't hurt people on his cookie missions. As you persue your business GOALS make sure that you not only make a better business for your customers, staff and yourself, but that you also ensure the world is a better place because you and your business are there.

6) Enjoy the Journey
Remember that although the GOAL is the end destination, it's really about what you learn and become on the way. Cookie Monster takes enjoyment and pleasure every step of the way, imagining the cookie, enjoying his friends on the way, finding the cookie, eating the cookie, remembering eating the cookie. So make sure you celebrate and enjoy every step along the way. Business is not always easy so celebrate every win you can.

7) Timing
Timing can make the difference between success or failure. Cookie Monster although he is not always the smartest, has a habit of being in the right place at the right time. In business make sure that you are in the right place. If you are an accountant wanting business clients, you are unlikely to find many by advertising at the local rugby match. Better to advertise at a local business event instead.

8) Recognizable
Cookie Monster is recognizable wherever he goes. He is a big blue monster, and with slogans like "Me eat cookie!" every kid knows and understands him. Make sure that your business has a strong logo and colours, and that your story is clear - to make you recognizable to your market.

9) Keep Learning
Even Cookie Monster is still learning. As we can see by his latest YouTube hit "Me Want It (But Me Wait)", he is now learning self control, delaying a few seconds to enjoy the cookie even more. Every business is a reflection of the owner, so you need to keep growing to get the best from your business. So keep learning and becoming better both for your sake and your business.

Action Point: Take a minute and write down one thing from the lessons above, that you know you need to do to improve you and your business. Then decide on the next step - it might be getting a book on the subject, asking another business owner how they solved the problem, or getting hold of a mentor to help you work it out.

Many of you will have vague memories of a childhood story called "The Goose That Laid Golden Eggs".

The story basically goes like this: There was a poor farmer and his wife who were very short of money and were unable to feed their large family. It was a desperate situation and if something did not change soon, they were all going to stave. One day a miraculous thing happened: the farmer found a golden egg laid by his goose. There was much celebration and the farmer took the egg to market and traded it for some food for his family. They had enough food for months!

Each day the farmer would check to see if there were any more eggs and often he would find another egg laid by the wonderful Golden Goose. They now no longer had to worry about food as they had a good collection of eggs, and could even afford a few extras. They were becoming wealthy. The farmer started thinking - he wondered how many more eggs his Golden Goose had in her. So he grabbed a knife and killed the goose to see what was inside. To his shock and horror there were no eggs inside and his prized goose was dead. He never found another golden egg again.

The moral of the story is "Don't kill your Golden Goose!"

So, what is the Golden Goose in your business? 

What are the vital things you need to be looking after this year in your business? - the things that give you good income, good profit, that you rely on - and if lost, would plunge you and your business into crisis mode...

It might be one or more of these things:

• Your best machinery that you are running at maximum capacity but not regularly maintaining.
• Your best employees who are working longer hours than they should without a break, recognition or reward.
• Your best customers that need care and attention so they stick around for a long time to come.
• Your bank balance/cashflow that needs attention so that you can pay everyone and not be under undue stress from the bank and creditors.
• Your health if you have not kept yourself in good shape (especially if your business relies heavily on you).
• And of course, Your family who are perhaps the reason you work so hard - but they hardly ever see you because you are working longer hours than you need to. It is important to invest regularly into your key relationships. Because a crisis in this area will, without doubt, affect your business.

We all have more than one Golden Goose, but remember that if the Golden Goose stops laying golden eggs (your income), then you are in real trouble.

So look after your Golden Goose's - as they are the future for you and your business. 

Action Point: Take a few minutes and write down your Golden Goose's. Then beside each one, write what you will do to feed and keep them in top condition for this year. In the next week make sure you feed each of your Golden Goose's, and commit to this for the rest of the year. 

Robots? Daniel, what the heck are you talking about? I don't have robotics in my business and although I feel like a robot I am unlikely to have one.

Well let me explain. I went to a robotics workshop with my son during the school holidays. The instructor first put on some DVDs showing how far robotics technology has progressed, and it is amazing. It won't be long before robots are a normal part of our lives. You may have seen a recent TV commercial urging you to buy a UFO-shaped robot that vacuums your house while you laze on the couch. In Holland in an aged care facility there is a robot that takes the washing to the laundry, pours and serves drinks to the elderly - and it keeps track of how much liquid each resident is served each day. Another four legged version (like a headless horse) could walk over almost any terrain including rocks and stairs, and another was bug sized and could fly around the room just like an insect. All this is available now if you have the money.

The instructor then got the kids to put together a robot themselves. There are two parts to robotics - the hardware assembly, and then the computer programming or instructions. Without the programming the robot will do nothing, it just sits there, useless. The instructions are everything.

This is just like business. Basically every function of your business, from customer service, production, cashflow, marketing, day to day operation... are all based on a series of instructions that we follow to get the job done. 

Now here is the problem. In most businesses the instructions are in the owners head. This means the business must rely heavily on the owner to perform many of the basic functions. The business owner only has limited time, so this can start to cause problems very quickly. The business becomes inefficient as staff have to rely on the owner relaying instructions to get things done.

The obvious answer is delegate, get someone else to do it. What I hear you say is "Daniel, that's all very well but how will I know that my staff will do the job as well as me? After all it's my business and I have standards". Good point however the reality is that a job delegated properly can still have the standards you need and expect.

Let me give you an example of how this played out with one of my clients. My electrician friend wanted to get off the tools so he could spend time improving the business. But he was concerned that without constant supervision, his workers would not provide the same standards he was giving his customers. What if they didn't complete all the safety checks? After all this is electricity we are talking about. Or,  what if all the parts for the job were not charged out, what if, what if...

All these things he would normally check when overseeing jobs are simply a set of instructions that he follows in his head.

So my electrician friend is now putting together a list of principles and detailed instructions for his workers. He has made these into a checklist his workers tick off and sign. Now if there are any problems with the job he can go back through the signed checklist for each job, he can see if everything was completed correctly. Now he has the freedom to work on getting more customers and making more profit without being constantly on site checking work. 

Start thinking about how your business can be systematized with checklists - so that you don't need to micro manage your staff and be there holding their hand every time.

Action Point: Take one task in your business that you normally do, but don't want to do anymore. Create a checklist of instructions. Delegate this job to someone else, and then check that the list is followed a few times until you have confidence that the job is being done properly.

"Under the gun" is an older saying I remember hearing as a kid. It was often used to describe when someone was under pressure, if they had a tight deadline and time was running out. 

I was reading a book called "Being the Best" by Denis Waitley who researched the (supposedly real-life) origin of this saying, giving quite a different insight into its meaning..............

Back in the 1700's when sailing ships were prevalent, a young naval officer reaps the reward for solving a problem, but also pays a high price for creating the problem in the first place.

This young mans name was Ensign Noble and he was aboard the HMS Intrepid en route from England to the colonies.

Back then the colonists were rebellious and this Royal Navy ship was loaded with guns and ammunition including a large cannon for delivery to the proper authorities.

Two days into the trip they were headed into bad storm and needed to secure the huge cannon to the deck to prevent it from damaging the ship or falling overboard. The young naval officer Noble quickly secured the cannon while telling himself that "these ropes should hold it; It doesn't look like the storm is that bad anyway" - a patch up job at best.

He finished the job and went below deck. It was only a few minutes and the storm got much worse. The cannon came loose, and started moving around the deck, damaging the ship, and putting other crew members lives in danger. He leapt back on deck to see the cannon rolling to the port side and straight for two fellow sailors who were trying work the sails and stop them from ripping in the violent winds.

Without a moment's hesitation, Noble put himself in harms way by throwing himself in front of the cannon, somehow stopping its path and saving the two sailors from a messy end. Both his legs were broken under the weight of the cannon, but he had saved the day by literally throwing himself under the gun.

The next morning there was a ceremony in his honour to celebrate this act of bravery. The whole crew were present as Noble hobbled forward (supported by crutches on his two broken legs) as the Captain bestowed a medal of honour for the countries highest award of bravery. The crew cheered, but soon fell to absolute silence as the Captain finished his presentation by saying "For placing his ship and shipmates in dire peril and being guilty of dereliction of his duty, Ensign Noble is sentenced to death by firing squad, sentence to be carried out immediately".

Dennis Waitley concluded the following moral of the story: "That working hard even heroically to solve a problem is not to your credit if you created the problem in the first place".

I believe in second chances and I think most of us would agree that the Captain's punishment was severe considering Noble's heroic act.

However, storms come regardless of people's intentions and if the cannon is not secured, there will be a price to be paid by someone.

What "storms" could affect your business? External factors that you don't always have control over but have a choice as to how you react to them. Some you can see coming, others creep up on you or strike suddenly. It could be earthquake, recession, competitors' new products, a health or family crisis....... A good business needs to be positioned to weather whatever storms may come. With good systems in your business, you will at least have planned ahead and be better prepared for these eventualities.

What are the "loose cannons"? These are the internal factors that you do have some control over: Poor office procedures, a disruptive staff member that is influencing the others, customers not paying when they should, eroding margins, wrong kind of customers, unhappy and complaining customers........ The crucial matters that if allowed to get out of control can cause serious damage to your business!

If you put the right systems/procedures in place (ie tying down the ropes), you are on the way. And remember you can have the best systems in the world, but they will only work if they are followed. The Royal Navy had excellent procedures for tying down cannons, but our friend Noble did not follow them. I suspect this is why the Captain was so tough - because this situation should never have happened.

I encourage you to spend some time writing out your systems and procedures step by step, and making sure they are followed. Secure the "loose cannons" in your business. Follow through. Make sure everyone knows how to tie down the cannons properly, from management to the cleaner. Because if you are the only one who knows and you are caught in a storm, then you are in trouble.

The benefits of good systems are threefold:

• Your business will function much more efficiently day-to-day with happier staff and less headaches for you, freeing your time and ultimately giving you more profit.
• You can relax and not stress about "what if's" knowing that your business is in good shape if the waters get choppy.
• Your business will be ready to take advantage of good opportunities that come along - and do even better!

Be prepared and don't be caught "under the gun"!