As a business owner how do you know what is going to happen in your business? What do you use to monitor the future effectiveness of your team? Have your finger on the pulse, know whats going on, measure everything I hear you cry! KPIs Well let me bring good old Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) out of the dusty recesses as one of the most powerful tools at your disposal when used properly. Unfortunately, I have found they are also one of the most mis-understood tools. Often they are relegated to reporting on what has happened not what is going to happen. So let’s look briefly ..read more

The biggest factor causing owners of SMEs stress I come across is caused by time pressures. There are just not enough hours in the day. The business is busy and all the employees are also under pressure. No one has any time to take any of the pressure off the owner. Fear of taking on extra costs and the desire to ‘squeeze the pips’ before an investment results in the acceptance by the owner of the stress. It’s what has to be done in this competitive world we live in. Right? Well no! So here is an easy solution that will generate much needed time throughout an organis ..read more

Hang on shouldn’t that headline read ‘What are you doing to motivate your team?’ Well of course it should but a common complaint I hear so often from owners of SMEs is that they can’t get the right people or that no one seems to want to work nowadays or that no one in their company is prepared to step up and make a decision or go the extra mile. To summarise their people are just not motivated they do the minimum, just do their job. If this even vaguely rings true for you perhaps its time to look at things from a different angle. Now, my belief is that everyone wants to enjoy their j ..read more

Have you experienced whilst on holiday the person who seems to spend most of their time with their mobile glued to their ear deep in conversation with what is only so obviously their office or business. Speaking much too loudly as they either laze on their sun bed or prowl the pool area disturbing the otherwise tranquil calm. Now I’m not sure whether this is sometimes in a vain attempt to impress the assembled onlookers how important they are in their own world or that are really so integral to the future of their business that they have to make every decision. Now I have picked on the n ..read more

Over the last fifteen years working with and advising successful business owners I have found that a common feeling is that so many have just fallen out of love with their business. The buzz and excitement of the early days of building and then growing the business is replaced by the day to day grind of …well just doing. It becomes humdrum and repetitive. The income is good, the trappings (the house, car and occasional holiday) have become the norm but where has the buzz gone? What has happened to the energy and drive? I have found that people start their own businesses for many reaso ..read more

The post Prod of the Week: Confusion appeared first on Fluid Business Group | Coaching | Strategic Planning | Online Training ..read more

What is the difference between an expense and an investment? Well that’s an easy one I hear you say! An investment will give a return whereas an expense is a cost or overhead. Business owners commonly view money invested as discretionary and positive whereas money spent on expenses or costs as unavoidable and somehow negative. Expenses are classed as overheads which must be controlled or avoided. This view has been perpetuated by accountants over the years. Now I don’t want to get too serious and boring about this but this difference in approach needs to be questioned by every owne ..read more

The post Prod of the Week: Stop it! appeared first on Fluid Business Group | Coaching | Strategic Planning | Online Training ..read more

Before listing them let’s take a quick look at what makes up a belief. Quite simply, a belief is something that we hold to be true. The interesting thing is that our unconscious mind will always find evidence to reinforce that belief. Think about that for a moment. If you believe say that the economy is not recovering, you will notice and read only articles with the headlines that confirm that view. So here are the three most common beliefs held by owners of SME’s about their employees that I come across. Employ family members and friends as they have the same values as the owner ..read more

The post Prod of the Week: What we believe to be true appeared first on Fluid Business Group | Coaching | Strategic Planning | Online Training ..read more