Beware of introducing new Products or Services.

To SME Owners,

Yes we hear at every turn, innovate, and we must to be in the business game, BUT,
be very careful about experimenting with new P or S, ensure that your core business is very sound, otherwise you could lose FOCUS.

I knew of a business that within 3years added TWO new businesses, with supposed complementing Services, only 2owners, who now had to run three businesses, their core business was not doing well, so they ending up shooting themselves in the foot.

Keep your business emotions in check, go back and ask yourself, "why did to start this particular business"

Emotional IQ is the killer of most sme businesses.

Till next time may the Force be with You. Blog by Kyle Daines

Work does not stop on a FRIDAY afternoon

TO SME Owners

For most of us we eat, sleep,and dream about our businesses 24/7 this is half the way in being successful, those sme owners who stop work on Friday afternoons, will come to face harsh realities.

Use your time effectively, thinking about your business over a weekend and making notes will give you focus for the new week. I  know of many successful owners who always have a pen and paper handy, or a Tablet for notes.

This is working on your business.

When you started your business, you signed up for hardwork, even harder work than you had in the corporate world when you had a boss.

So take action, move with speed.

Till next time may the Force be with you. Blog by Kyle Daines

Managing in todays business enviroment

To SME Owners

YES you may have heard it all before, business is always moving, changing, up, down, side ways.

It is quite simple DONOT repeat what you did last year, just repeating, doing the same old stuff, will keep you behind the pack,(yep there are always exceptions to the rule)

-Do you have the following SKILLS,
-Conceptual skills to see your business through different eyes, be able to analyse and diagnose complex situations, and to keep it SIMPLE.
-The ability to handle stress and pressure.
- Knowing the external and internal RISKS to the business, go list them now you will be amazed at how many there are, what's your plan to minimize, reduce such risks, do your staff understand your plan.

So simple stuff, cool, go implement.

Till next time may the Force be with you. BLOG by Kyle Daines

Beyond YOUR COMFORT ZONE

To SME OWNERS

Ask yourself all the time, am I comfortably, if you are, incorrect mindset to be in.

When your business starts to grow you will get the feeling that you are losing CONTROL

This is good in many ways, it takes you out of your comfort zone, it forces you to get creative to innovate, to look at new ways of IMPROVING your controls, yep strange, but you learn a new way, you have to, if you want your business to keep on GROWING.

So revisit your systems, and procedures in your business, make sure they are helping you work on your business and not in it.

Cool, tell next time may the FORCE be with you.

SME Do Not Give up

To SME Owners

Times can and will get TOUGH, so here are a few guidelines to keep you FOCUSED.

- relook at the simple things to change in your business and can you do it quickly, move with speed.
- relook at your market, is it growing, relook closely at your key clients, are they at the right level of profitability and are they good payers.
- who are your top two key staff members, why are they good at what they do, chat to them about their views, it is good to listen?
- are you carrying to much stock, check how quickly your " slow moving stock" is moving.
- look closely at your Habits, do they need reviewing, are you setting the example.
- are you still having fun in your business, a key issue if you want to give up.

NEXT, go take a few days off, go and think about your business in quite time, in a new setting.

NEXT, when you get back to your office go visit some of your clients.

Till next time may the FORCE be with you.

Staff Excuses

To the SME Owner

There are THREE types of Staff,
-Those who wonder what happened,
-Those that watch what's happening,
-Those that MAKE IT HAPPEN.

Staff excuses then should be irrelevant, HOW many excuses did you hear this week, painful, all bullsh-t.( cool, ok , there are some exceptions to the rule)

Lack of Consistent, great LEADERSHIP, is a big opportunity in SME businesses, it is so underrated,
you know why, it is hard work, it is every hour of the day, not just now and then.

When you implement a new, policy, system,etc, there are those MAVERICKS, "kick butt Joe".
it is your business, you are on the line.

Till next time may the Force be with You.

Turning Your Business Around Part 2

To the SME Owner,

Last blog we chatted about cash/ collection management, next step

- What is your sales plan,
    - for the next week
    - for the next month
focus on the above, 5 days at a time, and 20 days in terms of your sales pipeline, important to do this if you as the owner run the sales team, or if you are the only sales person in your business,
KEEP IT SIMPLE.

Here is info from a book published in 1990 by J Shaw, till me if some things have changed?

In the 1990s' it will be of no value to run your business 'by the seat of your pants', Competition will be intense, only the strong will SURVIVE. Formalize a sales plan to cope with the demands of the new DECADE.

Yep for SME businesses what has changed in this regard.

Till next time may the Force be with you, I am your silent partner helping you work on your business.

Turning your Business Around Part one

To SME Owners
Good to back at my blog, 2013 had the opportunity to help turn Four businesses around, so blogging time was limited.

In every SME I hear the words : I have cash flow problems.

When I check it out 95%, do not have cash flow issues ( I hate that word problem with a passion)
95% have COLLECTION MANAGEMENT issues, the business has money in its Debtors age analysis schedule. But is not being collected fast enough!

Most businesses pay their reps Comm, so the Rep should be part of the collection process, if the rep only gets paid once the deal is closed ,ie money in the BANK!

You only have a cash flow issue if you have less in your debtors to collect vs  the amounts owing to your supplies and the amount going out in a certain period for monthly operating costs.

So get you collection management on its game, yep you must spend time on this area.

Till next time may the Force be with you.

Are you Getting Ahead

To SME Owners

So business life has been marginally better this year or has it, all depends on your approach, has it changed.
-Changed in what way GUY?

-what demands are you placing on yourself,
-are you communicating your objectives, daily weekly monthly to your team,
-how well do you know your client base,
-how do you use Pareto's Law, the famous 19th century Italian economist(80/20)
-are you innovating inside your business,

I have found focusing on Five Key point's. areas etc, is manageable, keep it simple, most people get to complicated.

Till next time may the Force be with you, I am your silent partner helping you work on your business.

SME Reality Check

To SME Owners

Here's some interesting stuff, some learning points regarding start ups and businesses that have been going for awhile, I hear these comments, MAYBE it is the SME Owner trying to motivate himself ?,
I think there are other ways to do that.
- I have a great new product it will make me wealthy,
- I will list my business within x years,
- I know my business backwards, no one can show me a better way?
- I will get investors and all will be good?

Ok there are always exceptions to the rule.

Many Sme owners do not know what it takes to build WEALTH from their businesses. so through my Reality Check 303 model, I try to rearrange the way they SEE and THINK ABOUT THEIR Business.
Here's a trick or two,
- Keep things SIMPLE in your business,
- Make sure your staff know what, how your business works,
- Client/ Customer relationships, do not take as a given , make contact with them OFTEN,
- Understand your businesses CAPACITY

Till next time my the Force be with you, I am your silent partner helping you work on your Business.