I was talking recently with one of the top surgeons in Christchurch about how he works with high-risk patients or any patients for that matter. He said he starts with Plan A, but then he also has a Plan B, and a Plan C, and more if needed. The whole surgical team talk through these in depth and everyone knows exactly what to do in each scenario.

Nothing is left to chance - every possibility is evaluated and the best course of action decided on if it were needed. So then, when they perform the operation, the whole team has confidence that they will not get into trouble if things don’t go according to the original plan, and more importantly they know what to do, no matter what happens.

Now does that mean that nothing ever goes wrong? Of course, not. Patients sometimes are unpredictable - they are people after all. The difference is that the plan is there ready and waiting if unlikely scenarios occur. This saves lives.

And this approach ultimately can save your business too. It’s the surprises that you don’t know how to deal with, or just don’t have enough time to fix in the heat of the moment, that are the most dangerous. These usually cause the most damage, take all your focus and attention, and cause the most stress. Have too many of these and you are in trouble big time. You may not be in business any more.  

So, do you have a business plan? Because if you don’t, you need one.

A plan is important to any business, no matter what the size, and I am not talking about the 50 page type plan that sits in the office drawer never to be looked at again. I am talking about a day by day, week by week, month by month plan for areas of your business that need attention like marketing, cashflow or maybe profits, just to name a few.

For example let’s have a look at a typical problem business owners have – cashflow. The cashflow plan would look something like this depending on the business and their situation:

Plan A
•    System for invoicing (making sure money is invoiced on time)
•    Ensure target margins are being meet with jobs
•    System for collecting money on time
•    How to deal with late payers
•    Ensuring you are getting the right kind of customers (in other words the ones that pay)
•    Negotiating with suppliers for credit terms
•    Good stock control (not buying stock too early before needed)
•    Complete a cash flow to see when money is likely to be short

Plan B
•    All of the above, plus:
•    Selling dead stock
•    Extra facility in place with bank when needed
•    Access to extra capital

Plan C (last resort - if in crisis)
•    All of the above, plus:
•    Negotiate payment plan IRD for overdue and current outstanding amounts
•    Negotiate with suppliers to help you through a bad patch

This plan if followed will keep most businesses out of trouble and the bank account thriving.

Now the thing with a plan is that it needs to be put into action and used. So Plan A should be applied every day or at least every week. This is the proactive “sort things out before they get out of hand” plan. 

Plan B and C are if things are a little more serious. By the way please make sure that if you are reading this and you do owe the IRD overdue payments, negotiate a payment plan immediately. If you don’t, you will find very quickly that the penalties and interest will accumulate and could double the amount you owe. If you are unsure how to negotiate with IRD then get your accountant involved or give me a call and we can talk through some negotiation tactics that have worked very well with those I have helped get out of trouble.

On Plan A you will also notice “Complete a cash flow”. This is important as it will show you what times of the year you are likely to out of cash like Christmas holidays, and what times of the month are difficult. Once you know this, you can work out how to deal with it. Always better to see a problem coming and make a plan, than be caught by surprise. I hate bad surprises as I am sure you do also. 

So how does your bank balance look? Are you constantly being surprised when you don’t have any money in the bank? Take the stress out of it and make a plan, follow the plan and have Plan B and C ready if needed.


At the end of the day, if it is you that ends up on the operating table, you want to know that your surgeon has thought through his plan of action and has every eventuality covered. Your business is your livelihood - your family, your staff, your customers are depending on you - think like a surgeon and use this approach to win.


Task:

1. Pick the area of your business that you are having the most difficulty with. 
2. Now list all possible solutions to the problem – Create Plan A.  (If possible involve your staff in this as they will often have some perspectives you would not think of)
3. Think about things that might derail Plan A - other things that could go wrong – and think of solid solutions for these scenarios. This is your Plan B, C and so on.
4. Take action - use Plan A – remember a plan without action does not work! 
5. And have Plan B ready if needed. 

If you want to make your business successful and get rid of the problems and frustrations that keep you from getting the result that you want, then it is time to identify exactly what the problem is. And it is TIME TO GO TO WAR.

I was listening recently to this motivation guy Brendon Burchard who was talking about going to war on the area of life that is causing you the most difficulties. It got me thinking about how this concept is very relevant to business.

Imagine you are a general in an army. There is key territory that, if you can take it, will be a prime position for you for all communication and a base where you will be able to launch future attacks on your enemy. It will be the difference between whether you win the war or not. This is valuable territory and it is a must-win - get this and you have made some serious ground - lose this and things are going to be much harder and you will be at a major disadvantage. Basically this is the tipping point for success or failure.

So what do you do? Try one attack and hope for the best? No, it's way too important to stop there, so you throw everything at it until you win. You send in spies to get the lie of the land, planes and missiles to disrupt the enemy, place ground troops in key locations, you have back up troops in case the first layer are overcome, you have boats waiting with more men in case they are also over-run. You have bulk supplies of weapons and food in case it takes longer than you expect. You send in your best most highly trained soldiers at key times. Basically you do whatever it takes for as long as it takes. 

What about if you just did one thing? You send in your troops, and if they don't succeed then at least you have tried. What would the result be? You might get lucky and catch the enemy off guard, but most likely you would fail the first time. Would your peers be happy with this approach? I very much doubt it. Yet often I see this approach in business; all too often, even when the key territory will make or break the business.

Let's look at how this approach relates to business:

A local restaurant is struggling. It's the middle of winter and sales are down - our humble business owner is losing money. The bank account is in overdraft. Basically his problem is that these lean months are eating away at the hard earned profits he has made during the year. If this keeps going he will have nothing to show for his hard work for the whole year.

So he puts an ad in the local paper - it doesn't work - not a single customer! Oh well, he did his best, he tried, but it's winter time, what else can he do? Just have to wait until things get a bit better and bleed in the meantime. No! No! No! He can do way better than that!

What if instead, he decided to go to war on the problem? What if boosting profits during winter was the key territory he must take? What if he threw everything at it until the sales and bank account moved in his favour? Let's have a look at some quick strategies he could apply:

He could increase sales by:

• Using his customer database to send his regular patrons a special invitation and free dessert promotion for winter 
• Teaming up with the local jeweler and offering a voucher for a free main meal at the restaurant when customers buy jewelery over $500.00
• Training his staff to give better service and up-sell desserts and drinks 
• Offering the local businesses in the area a takeaway lunch special 
• Encouraging his best customers to put their feedback on dining websites like Dine Out and Trip Advisor
• Launching a Facebook page and advertising to his local market
• Trying Google Adwords with a special offer
• Starting up a happy hour with a live band (where there are good margins on drinks)
• Having a themed party night and promoting the heck out of it (eg if you had an Indian restaurant what about a Bollywood night)
• Initiating loyalty cards with free extras after spending x amount
• Doing a good old mailbox drop of nearby businesses and homes with a special limited time offer
• New signage, or signs advertising specials of the day

He could reduce costs by:

• Negotiating with key suppliers for better deals
• Reducing staff hours in the most quiet times
• Modifying the menu and getting rid of the poor selling meals which take all his chefs time
• Reducing wastage

There are plenty of other things he could do also, but you get the picture.

By just picking one of these strategies each week - it won't take long before the bank account and profits are looking a whole lot better.

So are you ready to go to war in your business?

What "key territory" do you need to capture for your business?

What will make all the difference?

What is the biggest frustration or challenge in your business right now?

What is the obstacle stopping you from achieving the results you want and need?

TIME TO GO TO WAR.

Action Point: 
1) Pick that one problem in your business that is causing you the most grief and decide to go to war against it. 
2) Write down at least 8 strategies you will use to beat this problem once and for all.
3) Schedule time to apply one of these strategies each week in the business. 
4) Commit to completing the whole 8 weeks and don't give up if the first few things don't produce results.

Richard Branson’s book “Screw It, Let’s Do It” is a great read if you are looking for some inspiration. 

His story of how Virgin Airlines got started is amazing. Richard was waiting at the airport for a flight to see his girlfriend. The flight was cancelled but Richard was very keen to see his girlfriend and did not want to wait until the next day.  So he chartered a plane. He didn’t have the money to pay for it but was confident that other cancelled passengers would want to fly that night too. He then advertised his flight on a small blackboard and sold tickets for $39 to fill the plane. He pulled it off, was able to see his girlfriend, and that was how his famous “Virgin Airlines” was born. 

So what happened here? Why did Richard succeed when few others would not have even thought about doing it, let alone followed through? 

I believe that firstly he asked a better question: “How can I still get there tonight?” - even though the flight was cancelled. Then took action and hired the plane. At this point he was committed – he had to make it work as he didn’t have enough money to pay for the plane. He sold the tickets and it all came together. 

I am sure that if you look through the rest of Richard’s life you will see the same thing over and over again. He has started over 300 companies throughout his career - there is no way that he could have become an expert in this many fields before committing to these projects. He asked a better question, made a plan and then took a calculated leap of faith.

So what stops us?  Fear. 

Fear that it won’t work, fear that we will look stupid, fear that we are wasting our time... fear, fear, fear...

By the way, fear is really just confidence in a negative outcome, where as faith is confidence in a positive one. 

Did everything Richard try work? – No, of course not. 

One of Branson’s biggest failures was Virgin Cola – he famously drove a tank into Times Square to announce that his new brand would take down Coca-Cola. Obviously he didn't even get close on this one. However he says “At Virgin, we don't spend much time regretting the past, and we don't let mistakes or failures get to us, and we certainly don't fear failure. We picked ourselves up and tried again and searched for opportunities in other gaps in the market.”

In another interview he says: “Remember that it is impossible to run a business without taking risks. Virgin would not be the company it is today if we had not taken risks along the way. You really do have to believe in what you are doing. Devote yourself to it 100 percent and be prepared to take a few hits along the way. If you go into something expecting it to fail, nine times out of 10, it probably will. Above all, remember to have fun with it. That keeps you and your colleagues enthusiastic and motivated. One of my favourite sayings summarizes this perfectly: ‘The brave may not live forever -- but the cautious do not live at all!’”
 
So what is the project or business idea that you know you should do, but haven’t? 

Ask a better question. When you have the answer - Take action.

And may I encourage you to embrace Richard Branson's famous words and in the face of your own opportunities, say “Screw It, Let’s Do It”!

Action Point: Take that project or business idea that you have not yet gotten around to starting – but you know you should.

1) Write down what this project will do for your business
2) Write down the worst possible outcome if it fails (in most cases it's really not that bad)
3) Make a plan
4) Take that all-important first step.

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"!

It does not matter what industry or market you are in, at the end of the day your business will be made or lost on how well you deal with your customers.

• A customer is four times more likely to defect to a competitor if the problem is service-related than price or product related.
  
  
• 96% of unhappy customers don't complain, and 91% of those will simply leave and never come back.

• In most cases, businesses spend way more money trying to get new customers - and literally nothing on looking after the ones they already have.
  
  
• The probability of selling to an existing customer is 60 - 70%. The probability of selling to a new prospect is 5 - 20%.
  
  

Customer service is the lifeblood of your business so don't underestimate its power!

Recently I was waiting in line at the kids section at one of the major department stores and was enthralled to watch exactly what you should not do - an example of customer service unfolded before my eyes. The cashier was a young girl in her early twenties and this was most likely one of her first jobs. She was serving a woman with kids (their target market) who wanted to charge some clothing items to her store card. Much to the surprise of the customer, the card had declined, and in her disbelief the customer explained to the cashier that money had been put on the card just two days ago. She wanted to know what had happened. 

The cashier shrugged her shoulders and explained defiantly that she did not cause the problem or have any idea how to fix it. Her advice was to go and line up at a desk in another part of the store and they might be able to help her if she was lucky - that desk was busy handling other (more important) customers. The cashier made it very clear to this customer that she just didn't care. At this stage the customer was starting to get a little frustrated and after further questioning, the cashier pointed out she could do nothing more and pointed her finger in the general direction of the inquiries department who might know something about it. The customer headed off in the general direction with the parting comment "You have been incredibly unhelpful".

We have all seen this before or been on the receiving end of this type of terrible customer service.

So what is your customer service like? 

By comparison a while ago I purchased a Freeview box for my TV from another well known store. I waited quite a short time, however the cashier acknowledged that I was waiting and let me know he would be just a couple of minutes. After serving the previous customer, he apologised to me for the wait and asked how he could help. He was passionate about his store and the products, and knew the answers to every question I had about how Freeview worked and the comparisons to other systems.

He sold me the unit and started explain a complicated system for installation (complicated to me anyway). He could see I was struggling so he offered to pre-tune the box, ready for me to plug in, which would take only seven minutes. Sounded like a great idea to me as it would probably take me two hours and even then it might not be right. (As you can tell, I am great at helping businesses become more profitable but not-so-great at setting up new technology.)

He then went in for the up-sell - "Would you like a warranty with that?". Usually this is not my thing, as I am of the view that if your product will not last the distance then maybe I shouldn't buy it. He could see that I was not convinced, but remember he already had my attention with his impeccable service. So he pulled out a Freeview box that had been pulled apart and showed me how small the parts were and that they are easily damaged through wear and tear or even small knocks. I thought why not, after all he seemed to have my best interests at heart. He got the up-sell and I walked away a happy customer with my purchase.

Did I tell others, absolutely. Will I go back, yes.


So what makes good customer service?
Well, we can take a few clues from my two examples above.

• One knew their products well - the other not a clue.
• One was interested in the customer - the other was not.
• One went out of their way to be helpful - the other went out of their way not to.
  
  

So do you staff ............... 

• Know about your products and how best to use them?
• Know the procedures on what to do when a customer complains?
• Have a good helpful attitude to your customers?
• Care about your customers and your company?
• Take pride in their workplace?
• Have a list of questions they can ask customers to lead them to the sale?

What does good customer service get you? It gets you repeat business (remember this is a lot easier to get than brand new customers), it gets you more referrals and a good reputation, and ultimately, it gets you a lot more sales. Good customer service equals a whole lot more profit!


Action Point: Listen in on some of your staff and how they are handling your customers. Or even better, ask some of your customers how they find you to deal with. Use these quick questions:

• How do you find our company to deal with?
• What do we do well?
• What do you find frustrating when dealing with us?
• What could we do better?

Listen very carefully especially to the answers to the last two questions. They will be your biggest clues to a much more successful and profitable business.

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!

Business owners often tell me this - that staff are their biggest headache. The fact of the matter is that the more staff you have, the more things can go wrong. Many business owners say that if they just had good staff, they would be okay. 

But there is another side to the story - even with the very best employees, they will never meet their potential and live up to your expectations without good systems and clear guidelines for what you expect from them. 

Can you relate to this story? Bob the Builder has started his new business. He gets known as dependable and does good work. He does everything - manages the projects and works hard on the tools, and Wendy his wife does the accounts. Before long he has more work than he can handle himself, so he employs some extra workers and finds some good subbies. Things get busier, and he is finding he is running out of cash as his business grows. Part of the problem is that Wendy was getting the bookwork done at night, but now that the sheen has worn off and the workload is increasing, more and more is getting left undone. Bills are not getting out on time, so Bob is not getting paid when he should. No one is chasing up old accounts not paid, and some are over six months old.

He decides he needs a good office lady as Wendy does not have the time anymore to keep up with the extra work and is sick of chasing Bob so that she can get the invoices out when she would rather be chasing him round the bedroom. So he employs Cindy and everything seems to be going well, although Bob is now so busy that he doesn’t really know what is happening with every project, or how much money they have.  But Cindy seems to have it under control so why worry, it's working. Then out of the blue Cindy hands in her resignation; she wants to pursue a career in interior design which is what she really loves.

A week after Cindy leaves, everything turns to custard. Bob suddenly discovers there are a whole lot of problems he did not see coming. Suppliers have not been paid for three months and have stopped supplying, customers are unhappy that jobs are taking too long, and there are a whole pile of jobs that were never invoiced. Bob finds himself in absolute frustration – he trusted Cindy and she let him down. 

I have seen this kind of thing a lot. The problem in this scenario is that Bob did not know what Cindy was doing, and even worse Cindy did not know what Bob even wanted. So the chances of this going well were abysmal. Bob was not clear on what time frame was acceptable to send invoices within, when old accounts should be chased, what suppliers should be paid first, how much money should be in the bank, etc...

Can Bob fix it? Not without good systems.

The moral of this story is: Have good staff, but have even better systems. This is the vital first step towards building yourself a great team...

Good systems will show when staff are not performing, Good systems will make good staff, Good systems will mean the business carries on when staff leave, Good systems take headaches out of your business.

Action Point: Look at your key staff and list what you specifically need from them. Then meet with them individually and go through it with them. It could be the most important thing you do this year!

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. 

In every business I come across there are always some quick simple ways to increase profits without too much extra effort. I like to call this the low hanging fruit because just like a fruit tree laden with fruit, you can pick from the lower branches with little effort. However to reach the higher branches you may need to climb or use a ladder, which requires a bit more work. So it makes sense to take the easy fruit first. 

There are so many ways to increase profits but to start with, here are two quick and easy ways:

1) Increasing Your Prices

Every year costs increase which erodes your all-important margins. Often business owners are worried about putting prices up as they are concerned about losing customers. However the reality is that in most cases when prices are gently increased very few customers, if any, even notice. 

But let’s say you increased your prices and a small amount of your customers left - let’s look at the numbers to see if you would be better off or not. 

Say you had a Gross Profit Margin of 20% and decide to increase your prices by just 10%. You would have to lose 1/3 of your current sales before your profit fell back to what it was originally before the price increase. Would you lose 1/3 of your sales from a 10% price increase? Probably not. 

A cafe business owner I have been working with has increased prices by 5-10% three times over the past 18 months, and their sales and profits just keep on increasing. 

Action Point: Increase your prices by between 5-10% next month. 


2) Ask your existing customers to buy something extra (Up-selling)

Depending on what business you are in, there are many ways you can do this. For example if you are a men’s clothing store and your customer is about to buy a suit from your store, a smart salesperson, just as the customer is about to pay, might suggest that because they have just purchased a suit if they buy now they qualify for 35% discount off the price of your best ties. Just by having something extra to offer (not necessarily at a discount), your staff can increase your sales with very little effort. 

McDonalds have added millions of dollars in sales every year by asking “Would you like fries with that?”. Other classic upsells include - a case with your new iPhone, waterproofing spray with new boots, batteries when purchasing a toy, insurance for plane tickets, extended warranties, a chocolate bar by the checkout. Having already made the decision to buy, the customer is already in “buying mode” and if they are offered a little something extra, they are very likely to go for it.

Action Point: Pick one lower value related product each month that all staff can offer as an upsell or add on when the sale is made. 

There are tons of low cost ways to increase profits; try these to get you started.