Biz Coach Steve

Tag: Business

  • 4 Simple Things Entrepreneurs Needs to Do

    4 Simple Things Entrepreneurs Needs to Do

    The holidays are almost over. Many business owners have either taken it easy during the holiday season while their competitor has been busy growing their business. Both entrepreneurs need to get ready for the New year and formulate new fresh, smart, and effective ideas that will grow your organization. No matter what size your business is, B2B or B2C, industry, city, state, brick, and mortar or online – here are 4 simple items you need to get the New Year off to a great start and set yourself up for success throughout the year.

    1) Develop a 100-Day Plan:

    You may have heard new executives, presidents, employees have to create a 100-day plan. The plan consists of achievable short-term goals that outline their vision. Entrepreneurs should also write down their 100-day plan as a simple blueprint to move their company’s productivity and profitability forward. The plan needs to contain the tasks/steps to bring their vision to fruition.  The point is to start the year off strong. Not think about what you are going to do. Create a 100-day plan and execute it.  You can recalibrate if needed.  Don’t forget to celebrate your win if you achieve your plan within 100 days.

    2) Declutter your area:

    Decluttering a workspace can save you time by making the area easier to clean and get started focusing on the tasks at hand. The added benefit of an already pristine work environment is that you’re also more aware of what you have and what you need. You don’t need to buy any duplicates of office supplies, and minimalist-imbued office space can help prevent you from purchasing unnecessary accessories.

    Decluttering even opens up the work area to more space, which is conducive to improved decision-making, contentment, and being more mindful of your work efficiency. 

    I’m not saying you must Feng Shui your office, just clean it up to be more efficient. Just pick a weekend and clean up your office. Pick one area/room and just knock it out. Then another day or time go to the next room or area and clean it up.  You will be amazed at how easy it will be to declutter if you just focus on one area at a time.

    Once your space has been tightened and tidied, implement a cloud-based backup system that allows for fast and convenient recovery of your organization’s electronic files. The decluttering will not only allow your team to operate more efficiently it will also help your office to look more streamlined and professional.

    3. Fire the person you know you have to fire.

    You’ve decluttered your office/business, now it’s time to declutter some staff. Maybe you’ve tried to intervene to help turn things around, or you’ve ignored the problem in hopes that it would eventually take care of itself. However, you’ve handled the challenge of having weak members on your team, you know that they’re there and that they’re dangerous to the health of your company. If you didn’t have the heart to do any purging during the holiday season, delay no longer. The costs to your firm in reduced productivity, low employee morale, additional supervision, damaged client relationships, and lost revenue that is caused by substandard employees can be as high as $190,000 per year, so make a decision now to either remedy a fixable situation — or to clean house.

    4. Raise your prices.

    The first week of the new year is a perfect time to review and possibly raise the prices of your products or services. Too many small business owners try to compete by lowering their prices, and that’s often a mistake. Instead, devise a plan by studying your competitive landscape; looking at your firm’s pricing history; reviewing the calendar to determine the best time to bump up your rate, fees, or prices; and thinking about how you can enhance the value of your offerings to justify price revisions.

    Many companies automatically increase their prices at the beginning of the year without any pushback. This is one of the fastest ways to increase your revenue and profit margin. Many business owners have not increased their prices in years and continually watch their profits shrink. Now is the time – raise your prices.

    Now is the time to prepare for a fantastic next year.  Simple strategies to separate you from your competition. Reenergize your team, plan your marketing, generate new opportunities for innovation and growth.

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    Steve Feld, MBA, Certified Business Coach, Author, provides training and business performance coaching to business owners, professionals, and executives. Steve also speaks to organizations, conducts workshops, and training.  Focusing on lead generation and revenue creation to get growth results for the business.

    Contact Biz Coach Steve today to see how he can assist you to get the results you want in your business, [email protected], or www.bizcoachsteve.com. He is in the business of growing businesses. Need a speaker, contact Steve today.

    #bizcoachstevef #entrepreneur #smallbusiness #business #smallbiz #coaching #businessowner #businesscoach #leadership #marketing #speaking #keynotespeaker #meetingprofs #eventprofs #meetingstoday

  • Keep your foot on the gas during the holiday season

    Keep your foot on the gas during the holiday season

    The Holiday Season is upon us and for sales professionals and sales managers this time of year adds special challenges for maintaining focus on sales productivity. 

    The time between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day is usually filled with shopping, family, and business parties. Many people love the holiday season except for many businesses. During a joyous season, the sales environment can be brutal.

    During the holiday’s salespeople struggle to maintain activity targets while prospects and customers routinely put off decisions until the New Year. The good news is, despite the challenges, you can take control, maintain your focus, and still close deals. The key is in staying true to the fundamentals of selling and maintaining self-discipline combined with a sprinkle of creativity.

    Many business owners operate in an 11th month year. They ride out the holiday season and will start back up in the new year.

    Some businesses operate in a 12-month year.  They keep moving ahead and find lots of challenges with sales during the holiday season.

    Then extraordinarily successful businesses operate in a 13th month year. They put the pedal to the metal. They have a solid strategic plan and are executing it between Thanksgiving and New Year’s will get your next year off to a great start.

    While many businesses are taking their foot off the gas after Thanksgiving and keeping it off until then next year, beat them by pushing harder on the gas and get set up for success in the next year.

    One of the hardest things about selling during the holiday season is getting customers to act on buying decisions. They say they just want to wait until the New Year to make any decisions. To them, it makes logical sense to wait. Far too many salespeople willingly accept this excuse as logical too. However, if you’ve been around selling long enough you know, by the time you get to January, most of these deals will be cold.

    To have any chance of closing these deals you have to strike while the iron is hot. You cannot allow emotions to wane. So, during this time of year, you have to give your prospects and customers a more compelling reason to make a decision now than to wait until later. This means getting creative with your offer, price, value-added services, or signing bonuses. You may have to give up more to get the deal done than during other times of the year. 

    In sales, like it or not, activity is everything. If you are not prospecting, questioning, presenting, and closing you will fail – no matter what time of year it is. Of course with all of the wonderful (and not so wonderful) distractions of the holidays, it can be easy to slack-off, let your self-discipline slip move away from your normal daily routine. 

    This slip has two consequences. In the short-term, it hurts your closing ratio during December. In the long-term, it impacts your sales pipeline during January, February, and March which can have a major impact on your future income.

    To keep this from happening to you, you must sit down with your daily planner right now and ensure that you have your calendar blocked properly for daily prospecting and lead generation, as well as information gathering, presentations, demos, and closing meetings. Take into account all of your holiday activities and build them into your planner. You may have to do some workarounds, but the key here is to get everything planned out in advance. To stay on track set daily activity targets and commit to reviewing those targets each morning and afternoon. You will be amazed at how powerful this planning process is for keeping you on track and focused during the holidays.

    Most importantly, by planning and developing creative ways to close more business, you will find that you feel less stress, cash bigger commission checks, and have plenty of time to enjoy the holidays with the ones you care about the most.

    So, what are you going to do to grow your business during the holiday season?

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    Steve Feld, MBA, Certified Business Coach, Author, provides training and business performance coaching to business owners, professionals, and executives. Steve also speaks to organizations, conducts workshops, and training.  Focusing on lead generation and revenue creation to get growth results for the business.

    Contact Biz Coach Steve today to see how he can assist you to get the results you want in your business, [email protected], or www.bizcoachsteve.com. He is in the business of growing businesses. Need a speaker, contact Steve today.

    #bizcoachstevef #entrepreneur #smallbusiness #business #smallbiz #coaching #businessowner #businesscoach #leadership #marketing #speaking #keynotespeaker #meetingprofs #eventprofs #meetingstoday

  • Obstacles are the stepping-stones of success

    Obstacles are the stepping-stones of success

    A man was walking in the park one day when he came upon a cocoon with a small opening. He sat and watched the butterfly as it struggled to force its body through the little hole for several hours. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It looked like it had gotten as far as it could, so the man decided to help the butterfly. He used his pocketknife and snipped the remaining bit of the cocoon.

    The butterfly then emerged easily, but something was strange. The butterfly had a swollen body and shriveled wings. The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected at any moment the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would contract in time. Neither happened. The butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and deformed wings. It was never able to fly.

    What the man in his kindness and haste did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to emerge was natural. It was nature’s way of forcing fluid from its body into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom. Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our lives.

    If we were allowed to go through life without any obstacles, we would be crippled. We would not be as strong as what we could have been. And we could never fly.

    History has shown us that the most celebrated winners usually encountered heartbreaking obstacles before they triumphed. They won because they refused to become discouraged by their defeats.

    Look at any current successful business, you only see or hear their success.  You may never hear of their struggles when they started. How one of the world’s most well-known brands were denied a startup of $10,000 loan – at 47 different banks. Or, a Dow 30 company’s founder went bankrupt multiple times and had multiple failing businesses before he “got it right.”

    Anyone you know that is crushing it within their business now, has overcome adversity multiple times. 

    Beethoven composed his greatest works after becoming deaf. George Washington was snowed in through a treacherous winter at Valley Forge. Abraham Lincoln was raised in poverty. Albert Einstein was called a slow learner, retarded, and uneducable. If Christopher Columbus had turned back, no one could have blamed him, considering the constant adversity he endured.

    As an elementary student, actor James Earl Jones (a.k.a. Darth Vader) stuttered so badly he communicated with friends and teachers using written notes.

    We could go on with numerous examples of many famous people throughout global history that has overcome obstacles-adversary to accomplish something miraculous.

    Who do you know of or have met that has overcome these obstacles and are successful?

    We all know someone that has.  What obstacles or challenges are you facing in your business? The key is overcoming them.

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    Steve Feld, MBA, Certified Business Coach, Author, provides training and business performance coaching to business owners, professionals, and executives. Steve also speaks to organizations, conducts workshops, and training.  Focusing on lead generation and revenue creation to get growth results for the business.

    Contact Biz Coach Steve today to see how he can assist you to get the results you want in your business, [email protected], or www.bizcoachsteve.com. He is in the business of growing businesses. Need a speaker, contact Steve today.

    #bizcoachstevef #entrepreneur #smallbusiness #business #smallbiz #coaching #businessowner #businesscoach #leadership #marketing #speaking #keynotespeaker #meetingprofs #eventprofs #meetingstoday

  • SWOT Goals

    SWOT Goals

    SWOT Goals/Analysis.  We are not talking about eradicating bugs, but a tool that can help you strengthen your business.

    As the owner of your business, it can be extremely difficult to remove yourself from the day-to-day activities and view your business from a “30,000’ view.” Having that outside view allows you to get a more accurate picture of where your company stands right now and where it needs to go.
     
    One very effective tool that is extremely helpful during any strategic planning process is the SWOT Analysis. SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats.

    The SWOT Analysis begins with an environmental review. The environmental review takes into account all internal and external factors that impact your business. As you can see by the chart below, Strengths and Weaknesses are generated from your internal review (forces within your organization), and the Opportunities and Threats are generated by an external review (forces outside of your organization.)

    The two boxes in the left column, Strengths, and Opportunities are also seen as forces that can positively impact your company, and the two boxes in the left column may negatively impact your company.

                
     An internal environmental review might reveal, for example:

    Strengths:
    Competent, Dedicated Staff
    Strong customer service orientation
    Large well maintained customer database
    Inventory containing strong brand names.
     
    Weaknesses:
    Limited hours of operation
    Inventory control issues
    Marketing

    Your lack of knowledge in a particular area of business
     
    Opportunities:
    Better Location
    Marketing/Joint Venture Partnerships
    Additional product or service offerings

    Untapped markets
     
    Threats:
    Competition
    Rising costs of goods or fixed costs
    Poor economy affecting your industry or suppliers
    Construction on the road in front of your store
     
    The list can be as long or as short as you need. The important thing is to think about the internal and external environment and try to foresee every SWOT.

    The next step is to develop the SWOT/TOWS Matrix. In other words, how to prepare for all aspects of your SWOT analysis.
     
    SWOT/TOWS Matrix

    In the upper left box develop strategies that will allow you to pursue opportunities that fit with your company’s strengths. In the upper right box develop strategies that will allow your company to overcome weaknesses to pursue opportunities that fulfill your company’s vision.
     
    In the lower-left box develop strategies that use the company’s existing strengths to lessen the company’s exposure to known or perceived threats. And in the lower right box develop a strategy to keep the company’s known or perceived weaknesses from making the company more susceptible to external threats.
     
    With the SWOT Analysis completed you can integrate these strategies into your strategic planning to strengthen your company and achieve your annual goals. It is a good practice to conduct a SWOT Analysis annually with your staff, a mentor, or your coach. If you do it all by yourself, you may be missing some critical aspects that could harm you down the road.

    Contact Score today to get matched up with a Mentor who will help you in your business.

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    Steve Feld, MBA, Certified Business Coach, Author, provides training and business performance coaching to business owners, professionals and executives. Steve also speaks to organizations, conducts workshops and training.  Focusing on the lead generation and revenue creation to get growth results for the business.

    Contact Biz Coach Steve today to see how he can assist you get the results you want in your business, [email protected], or www.bizcoachsteve.com. He is in the business of growing businesses. Need a speaker, contact Steve today.

    #bizcoachstevef #entrepreneur #smallbusiness #business #smallbiz #coaching #businessowner #businesscoach #leadership #marketing #speaking #keynotespeaker #meetingprofs #eventprofs #meetingstoday

  • So many sites, so little time! How to prioritize social media efforts

    So many sites, so little time! How to prioritize social media efforts

    Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, TikTok, Pinterest, Snap, and on and on.

    In today’s business environment you MUST have some social media presence.  Your organization leader(s) are open and primed for social media, and they understand the need to stand out, and to be competitive you must have a presence on social media. Now, you’re ready to dive into the social media scene … but, into which pool?

    Navigating the online social media waters can be tricky. With choices galore, it can be difficult to distinguish where your organization should have a presence. Do you become the industry Facebook king or the region’s Twitter authority? Or maybe LinkedIn is the way to go, mixed in with some notable blog posts? Rather than playing guess-and-click with valuable resources, we’ve outlined five easy-to-follow steps to streamline your social media prioritization efforts!

    Step 1: Consider the time investment
    First, take stock of soft resources. How much time do you or your staff have to devote to social media activities? This number of hours will delineate how many tools your team can strategically take on without running the risk of being spread too thin and not making an impact.

    Take a close look at the hours worked each day by individuals whom you plan on being social strategists or implementers. Is there time available in their schedules, or can some things be shifted around? Also, gather their feedback on the commitment they would like to give to the effort. You may be surprised by their feedback.

    Step 2: Compare the platforms to match your goals
    Now that you know how much time you’re working with, compare each platform to align with your company’s marketing goals. Does the one or two social media platforms you select accomplish the goals in your annual & monthly strategic plans.  If “Yes” get posting. If “No” move on and don’t waste your time on that platform.

    If you are in a creative industry (bakery for example), Pinterest and Instagram may be your primary platforms and Facebook your secondary.  B2B organizations may be on LinkedIn and Twitter as their primary, with Facebook as their secondary.  Every organization must find out which platform serves their purpose the best.

    Step 3: Go where your target audience hangs out
    Many businesses think if they build it everyone will come.  Not in social media.  The platforms have been built and each platform attracts certain audiences.  Now, can your business be on all the social media platforms available?  Yes, but why would you do that to yourself?  If you have a large organization and a large social media team that is a different story. 

    However (as you likely know from personal experience), you need to be on the social media platforms where your target market is already congregating.

    Hop online, do some research to find out where your target market resides. The best research you can do to find out where your target market hangs out is to just simply ask your current and prospective clients.

    Step 4: Get a feel for the community
    Once you’ve determined which platform has the greatest potential for your business, it’s time to “lurk.” Lurking is a common term in the social sphere, used to describe the online behavior of feeling out a community’s inner workings before actively participating and engaging with its members. Observing a community and its influential members will give your organization an even more solidified idea of where its social media priorities should stand. This step is all about finding your perfect fit.  Think of this as doing detailed research within the platform.

    Step 5: Create and execute a solid marketing plan
    Now’s the moment you’ve been waiting for – setting your business’s social media priorities! You have done your research; know which platform you are going to start on then which platform you are going to go to next.  Take it in steps unless you have a team or dedicated staff members to handle all the social media efforts. Remember, this IS marketing.  You need to have a solid plan in place on the platforms.  Don’t post just to be posting.  Post items that capture your audience’s attention, engages them to act and connect with you.  Create a detailed social medial marketing plan that states what you are going to post, on which platform, on what date, at a specific time.  Provided great content. Define who create the graphics and text for the post.  Who will actually post it? Who will stay engages with others when they respond to your post? 

    If you have staff, then you need to share your strategy with them and have them engaged on the platform you are on.  One business has their staff take turns for 1 hour a day to post and respond on social media.  The staff loves it and it keeps their social media presence fresh and alive. 

    Once you’ve set your social media priorities, it’s time to dive in. Consistently keep your long-term goals in mind, while setting and reaching short-term goals to get there. Keep gauging success along the way, and never stop spreading the word. Before you know it, your organization will be the master of its online domains (pun intended)!

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    Steve Feld, MBA, Certified Business Coach, Author, provides training and business performance coaching to business owners, professionals and executives. Steve also speaks to organizations, conducts workshops and training.  Focusing on the lead generation and revenue creation to get growth results for the business.

    Contact Biz Coach Steve today to see how he can assist you get the results you want in your business, [email protected], or www.bizcoachsteve.com. He is in the business of growing businesses. Need a speaker, contact Steve today.

    #bizcoachstevef #entrepreneur #smallbusiness #business #smallbiz #coaching #businessowner #businesscoach #leadership #marketing #speaking #keynotespeaker #meetingprofs #eventprofs #meetingstoday

  • What is the Psychological Toll of Entrepreneurship?

    What is the Psychological Toll of Entrepreneurship?

    Entrepreneurship carries with its unique pressures, unlike any traditional office job.

    Starting your own business means you shoulder personal risk, work long hours, and endure more stress than most other workers.  Being the business owners, it’s your skin in the game, everything rides on you.

    Studies are beginning to shed light on the psychological toll of entrepreneurship. Research shows nearly three-quarters of business owners have concerns about their mental health. Almost half have struggled with depression or anxiety.

    Society tends to glorify success and achievement. Just like first responders and those fine brave people in the military, business owners shy away from talking about mental health due to the fear and stigma attached to it. Thankfully, that’s changing.

    More top business leaders are coming forward about their battles with bipolar disorder, substance abuse, and OCD. The culture of silence around mental illness in the business world is beginning to shatter and with it the shame of seeking help.

    If you’re struggling to cope with the ups and down of the entrepreneurial roller coaster, first and foremost understand that you’re not alone. Millions of other entrepreneurs can relate to having days where you feel on top of the world, followed by periods where you feel as if everything is crashing down around you.

    Emerging from these low periods takes time, and it’s essential to enlist the help of a knowledgeable mental health professional to get you through.

    Your well-being is your best business asset. Knowing that you’re dealing with a mental health condition is the first step towards getting the proper treatment. If you’re concerned about your emotional state, here are tips to get you started on the journey towards brighter days.

    Know the signs

    It can be hard to tell the difference between being overwhelmed and something more serious, especially if you’re used to operating under pressure most of the time. But there is a line between a normal reaction to daily stressors and diagnosable mental illness.

    Stress is generally temporary, and short-term. When symptoms persist for longer than two weeks, you may be dealing with a mental health condition. Negative feelings that are extreme, persistent, and interfere with daily functioning such as the following shouldn’t be ignored:

    • Loss of freedom. You feel they as if you have no alternative way of acting. This can include feeling hopeless or that you cannot overcome difficulties in your life or work.
    • Loss of relationships. This can manifest as withdrawal from social events or isolation from family and colleagues.
    • Loss of productive life. Sleeping and eating patterns change significantly and you may find yourself not caring about activities you once loved.
    • Personal distress. Most commonly this manifests as pervasive and unchanging negative thoughts and feelings including rage, worry, and guilt.

    If you recognize any of these signs, seek help. Don’t rationalize away your struggles or simply dismiss them as the result of being crazy busy. Take care of yourself, so that you can take care of business, and more importantly, tend to your emotional well-being in the process.

    Get help

    No matter what you’re struggling with, help is available — even on a budget or without insurance. Many clinicians offer counseling on a sliding fee scale depending on income. Community health centers, teaching hospitals, universities also may offer psychotherapy services at lower cost.

    You can also take advantage of education and resources (including online and in-person support groups) through national organizations like:

    • National Alliance of Mental Illness
    • Mental Health America
    • Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance
    • Anxiety and Depression Association of America

    Some experts estimate there are more than 400 different types of therapy in practice today, so it’s important to understand what different approaches entail in order to figure out what will be right for you. Medication may also be an option.

    Before choosing to work with someone, request a consultation to make sure it’s a good fit. If you’re looking for someone who understands entrepreneurial struggles, ask about their experience guiding people around issues of work, career, or experience they have working with CEOs, founders, or freelancers.

    Remember, your ability to face challenges, even personal ones, can be your greatest strength. And no matter how dark it gets, please never give up.

    Contact a mental health professional if you realize the signs mentioned above.

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    Steve Feld, MBA, Certified Business Coach, Author, provides training and business performance coaching to business owners, professionals and executives. Steve also speaks to organizations, conducts workshops and training.  Focusing on the lead generation and revenue creation to get growth results for the business.

    Contact Biz Coach Steve today to see how he can assist you get the results you want in your business, [email protected], or www.bizcoachsteve.com. He is in the business of growing businesses. Need a speaker, contact Steve today.

    #bizcoachstevef #entrepreneur #smallbusiness #business #smallbiz #coaching #businessowner #businesscoach #leadership #marketing #speaking #keynotespeaker #meetingprofs #eventprofs #meetingstoday

  • You’re Not Fit to Lead If Your Greatest Strength is Seeing Weakness

    You’re Not Fit to Lead If Your Greatest Strength is Seeing Weakness

    That may sound a little harsh. But many business owners and leaders are truly not fit to lead their team because they are only seeing weakness in others.

    We all know, or have worked for, or even are, that smart talented leader that finds it easy to point out inadequacies, describe what’s wrong, and explain disagreements.

    There’s no creativity in pointing out weaknesses.

    There’s no imagination in disagreement.

    There’s no innovation in explaining what cannot be done.

    There’s no added value in tearing someone down.

    What this does is put them into a self-supporting superior feeling due to the lack of true leadership abilities.

    Working with business owners for the past few decades I consistently hear these phrases from ineffective leaders.

    1.        I disagree.

    2.        That won’t work.

    3.        We already tried that.

    4.        You’re wrong.

    5.        You should be better at….

    Ineffective leaders find fault like it’s the only thing leaders do. They believe they need to find fault in everything to justify their position.

    The ability to see wrong, point out a weakness, highlight mistakes, and declare deficiencies is important and necessary. But don’ts, won’ts, and can’ts stabilize the past and move the business forward.

    It’s safe and powerful for leaders with the authority to prevent change, end exploration, and tell people what they can’t do.

    Now, here’s what highly effective leaders love to ask:

    1.        Have you thought about…? Offer alternatives when you disagree. What if…?

    2.        How about…? Have the courage to make something better, rather than simply pointing out inadequacy.

    3.        You’re great at …. How can you bring your strengths to this challenge? The future depends on the strengths of the people around the table.

    4.        How might we make this better?

    5.        What are we trying to achieve and why does it matter? When you’re ready to point out a fault, ask yourself, “What are we trying to accomplish?”

    The future belongs to the curious.

    They ask questions and look for alternative solutions instead of showcasing fault and blame.

    So, how can a leader change their ways and stop finding fault and start pursuing excellence within their business?

    Here are 3 simple tips:

    1.        Notice three strengths for every weakness you point out.

    2.        Say what you see when you see progress. Highlight your wins and positive movement.

    3.        Leverage positive energy. Figure out how to apply energy to positive outcomes. Positive energy equates to positive outcomes. Negative energy leads to negative outcomes.

    If you see growth, other solutions, ask questions, seek input from others, have a positive mindset, your business will grow and be successful.

    On the other hand, if you thrive on pointing out fault, don’t ask questions, blame everyone and everything around you, refuse to listen to anyone but yourself and have a negative mindset, then your business, employees, customers, and vendors will not want to have anything to do with you and your business will die.

    So, take a deep look at yourself. 

    Are you fit to lead?

    #

    Steve Feld, MBA, Certified Business Coach, Author, provides training and business performance coaching to business owners, professionals, and executives. Steve also speaks to organizations, conducts workshops, and training. Focusing on the lead generation and revenue creation to get growth results for the business.

    Contact Biz Coach Steve today to see how he can assist you to get the results you want in your business, [email protected], or www.bizcoachsteve.com. He is in the business of growing businesses. Need a speaker, contact Steve today.

    #bizcoachstevef #entrepreneur #smallbusiness #business #smallbiz #coaching #businessowner #businesscoach #leadership #marketing #speaking #keynotespeaker #meetingprofs #eventprofs #meetingstoday

  • Time for an immediate change in your life

    Time for an immediate change in your life

    Right now, many folks feel overwhelmed, lost, confused, angry, and uncertain with everything that is going on around them.

    We are in the middle of a pandemic. The political climate is polarized. Group of people are rising, while other are trying to keep them down. A new reality for many business owners has not sunk in yet. Masks. PPE. Social Distancing.

    We all know it is time for a change. Time to change how we do business. Time for a change on how we treat others. Time for a change within ourselves.

    We all want positive change in our lives. We seek to succeed, and to break free from the doldrums of the everyday rat race. 

    We also know that motivation can be fleeting. So how can we buckle down and shock ourselves into the change we need? Many business owners like to stay stuck in the comfort zone. While others are changing and putting themselves in a place that is not comfortable today, but they know that feeling of un-comfort is short term and they will thrive and survive.

    I’m going to share seven simple ways to produce stunning change in your life immediately. 

    1. Wake up 30 minutes earlier than you usually do.

    I’ve got into a rhythm of waking up at 5 a.m. to speak with my clients that are 3 hours ahead of me. While I’m not a morning person, getting up earlier helps me get a jump start on my day.

    If you challenge yourself to get up just 30 minutes earlier, it will help you kick start your day. Even if it is to get out of bed, sit in a nice chair and think. It will also help you at night. You will be that much more ready for sleep in the evening.

    You’ll also have gotten just a bit more accomplished throughout your day. This will alleviate any bedtime brain chatter/freak outs about the day ahead. Those little 30 minutes are amazing.

    2. If you can, meditate or nap during the day.  

    When I first heard this, two things came to mind. Pre-school and that I wouldn’t be able to fall asleep at night. What I found, was a short 30-60-minute cat nap or meditation during the day provided me with more energy.

    That break reduced stress, re-energized me. Gave me that “moment to myself.”

    Ducking into a conference room to close your eyes and enjoy some deep breathing can have a lasting effect. Use an app of your choice to help with a guided meditation. 

    3. Remove the distractions to your goals.

    Need to remove all obstacles and distractions that are blocking you from achieving your goals. If you say you don’t have time to make outbound sales calls, then block time on your calendar to just focus on outbound sales calls. Make a list of who you want to call, why you are calling them, and what you are going to say the day before. This way when it’s time to make the calls, you make the calls. Not wasting time to figure out who you are going to call and what you are going to say. Make sure your door is closed and let other know you are on call time and cannot be disturbed. Eliminate all the distractions during that time. No inbound calls during that hour, no one walking into your office, not going to the water cooler.

    4. Tackle big tasks one baby step at a time.

    I always think of the saying, “you can’t eat an elephant in one bit.” Big projects loom constantly. The more we think of the big deadline, or the volume of pages that need to be written, the more discouraged we become. Anxiety builds, then fear, then procrastination.

    By breaking down big tasks into little ones, we break the inertia and move in a positive direction. Stock piling small wins will build our confidence and stoke the fires of production. 

    5. Think about death more often. Yes, seriously. 

    “I wish I could have done more work.” Said no one on their death bed. They only talk about regrets on things they never had time to do and accomplish. We are trying to do more in less time so that we don’t waste time, which many times takes up more time.

    What does work is if we increase the scarcity of time.  We can do this effectively if we set serious time constraints. For example, challenging our minds to believe that this year is your last year on earth. How productive would you be then?

    Studies have shown that workers are the most productive 3 days before and 3 days after they go on an extended vacation. Change your thinking and be more productive.

    6. Choose better words.

    Becoming more aware of the impact that your words have on those around you, and yourself, can be a powerful change agent. Opening a conversation with comments like “You look tired” or “You look good for your age” can destroy your rapport with friends and colleagues.

    A mentor of mine always had me restate a sentence so that I will use better wording. It drove me nuts for the first 3 months, then I noticed how I said everything changed. It also changed how others responded. His little activity really changed my life for the better.

    Watch your words and how you use them. It will change the environment around you.

    7. Get new friends.

    It’s true that you’re the sum of the people you spend the most time with. If you surround yourself with positive people who are pushing themselves to bigger and better things, chances are you’ll have a better time of effecting change in your own life. Harvard Business Review’s Joseph Grenny says this can be a potent way to trick your brain into long lasting change. 

    If you want deep, long-lasting, positive change in your life, you’ll have to commit to at least a few of these suggestions. Why not try out one or two? You’ll enjoy the results.

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    Steve Feld, MBA, Certified Business Coach, Author, provides training and business performance coaching to business owners, professionals, and executives. Steve also speaks to organizations, conducts workshops and training.  Focusing on the lead generation and revenue creation to get growth results for the business.

    Contact Biz Coach Steve today to see how he can assist you get the results you want in your business, [email protected], or www.bizcoachsteve.com. He is in the business of growing businesses. Need a speaker, contact Steve today.

    #bizcoachstevef #entrepreneur #smallbusiness #business #smallbiz #coaching #businessowner #businesscoach #leadership #marketing #speaking #keynotespeaker #meetingprofs #eventprofs #meetingstoday

  • Time Management is Painful Real leaders do it anyway

    We all want to feel good, and not feel bad. So, we prefer that change be comfortable. Sometimes it is. Most of the time it’s not. If you have ever wanted to “get in shape,” “lose weight,” etc. You think it may be easy. But as is it so often said in the fitness world, “No pain, no gain.” You want to slim your waistline? Bigger muscles? You earn that progress through discomfort. You’re going to sweat, and it’s going to burn. Sure, you’ll feel great afterward, but the process is going to hurt. That’s how you know it’s working. That, and seeing the results when you stick with it over time. Many people really believe that if they go to the gym, look at the machines, not put any effort into the workout, some how will see miraculous results in their body. That is avoiding the discomfort and your results will reflect your input. But, if you schedule time in your day to workout, train with other or a trainer, really push yourself-feel the burn. Your results will be directly related to all that hard work.  Stick with your workout and really see the difference in your body and life.

    Business change works exactly the same way. In my experience as a coach, it’s your relationship to discomfort that makes all the difference. Leadership is a challenge, so working on yourself as a leader should feel like a workout. You are intentionally (stressing intentional) doing things that make you uncomfortable to improve yourself and your business. It’s not easy. But it doesn’t have to lead to burnout. In fitness, it’s called over-training. In business, it’s called overwhelm. Over time, what was uncomfortable in the past is easy and something new will be uncomfortable-that is how you will grow as a leader.

    Having more time in your day is right there for the taking, but you have to accept some discomfort to get there. Over the years, the most successful clients I’ve had are the ones willing to accept this short-term ‘pain’ for the long-term benefit. They live by their calendar and their calendar is filled with revenue generating activities, and activities that are moving the business and their team forward.

    Can you wake up, get ready and leave the house every morning in sixty minutes flat? Can you cut your lunches to thirty minutes for a while instead of an hour? Can you say “No” to some brilliant and fun projects that you know you can’t really focus on and are not moving your business forward? Can you train someone on your staff today to handle three things that you know you shouldn’t be dealing with as the business leader? Are you willing to post office hours for the only times of the day where employees can interrupt you? Having an open-door policy is highly encouraged, but you need to be productive. Having set hours on specific days, where your staff can come and talk to you will increase your productivity. You then put lower level tasks on your calendar during those open-door times. This way if someone wants to speak with you, they are not derailing your thought progress on something bigger. You will be able to hop back on replying to emails or making a few outbound calls.

    It’s your relationship to discomfort that makes all the difference.

    Some of these things may sound easy but putting it into practice is another story. Going out of your normal routine can be very uncomfortable. Just remember why you’re doing this – it’s in the best interest of the business and you as the owner. Most business owner I speak with are filling their day with non-revenue producing activities and are busy being busy.

    In the end, you’ll realize that “I don’t have time” is almost never true, it’s just that you haven’t yet made the difficult choices about how you use your time. And making those choices is the first step to creating a business that works.

    Not enough sales, people problems, cash flow issues, etc. – are all symptoms – they’re all a call to face the discomfort directly and solve it first by making the time. Then you’ll have your strength to be able to lift the real weights of finance or management systems or whatever your business needs next. Just like working out. You need to schedule the time, go to the gym, have a workout routine (so you’re not just wasting time), be committed to a result you are working to achieve.

    It all begins with you.

    What are you going to do today to get more time back to move your business forward?

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    Steve Feld, MBA, Certified Business Coach, Author, provides training and business performance coaching to business owners, professionals and executives. Steve also speaks to organizations, conducts workshops and training.  Focusing on the lead generation and revenue creation to get growth results for the business.

    Contact Biz Coach Steve today to see how he can assist you get the results you want in your business, [email protected], or www.bizcoachsteve.com. He is in the business of growing businesses. Need a speaker, contact Steve today.

    #bizcoachstevef #entrepreneur #smallbusiness #business #smallbiz #coaching #businessowner #businesscoach #leadership #marketing #speaking #keynotespeaker #meetingprofs #eventprofs #meetingstoday

  • Remain Flexible

    One of the greatest challenges to success in business is to learn how to stay focused on your goals while remaining flexible enough to adapt to needed change.
     
    I am a big believer in creating and executing S.M.A.R.T. goals and designed a very specific strategic plan to achieve them, it is equally important to remain open and flexible along the way.  As a business owner, if you look back at most of your defining moments, or the pivotal events that transformed your life, I bet most were unplanned and happened unexpectedly.  Life is a mystery; you never know what might show up and you can’t be so myopic that you miss opportunities and solutions you couldn’t have even fathomed before.
     
    Murphy’s Law and the T-shirt Philosophy
    You know ol’ Murph right?  The oh-too familiar friend who always seems to show up at your party at the most embarrassing and worst-possible times.  Well Murphy lives to teach us this: If something can go wrong, it will.  Don’t be too attached to the route you first charted, as you will undoubtedly be reevaluating and readjusting all along the way.
     
    Imagine being at the top of a triple black diamond (most extreme) ski run and your goal is to get to the bottom of the mountain where there is a warm fire and hot cocoa.  If you just ski straight down, which seems like the most logical direction, you probably won’t end up with all your limbs intact–certainly not with your skis still strapped on–when you reach those final yards.  You’re going to have to zig, zag, bob and weave your way all the way down.  You might not look too graceful, you might fall (repeatedly) and you might be fearful all the way down (maybe even screaming like a 4-year-old girl)!  But if you are focused on the goal (getting to the bottom, warm fire and hot cocoa), and are constantly ready to adjust to each new visible obstacle, you’ll find your reward waiting for you at the bottom of the slope.
     
    Then there is the T-shirt philosophy—Stuff (you pick your word) Happens… so be ready to deal with it.
     
    An old military axiom says, “No plan ever survives first contact with the enemy.”  After the successful invasion of Normandy in WWII, General Dwight D. Eisenhower was asked about the detailed planning process that went into the invasion.  He said, “The plans were useless, but the planning was indispensable.”
     
    In an interview with Scott McNealy of Sun Microsystems, he said, “When you start and build a business, you have to throw out all assumptions every three weeks.”
     
    Just as a business never goes according to the initial business plan, neither does the plan for your life.  Don’t get too entrenched in it having to be or go a certain way.  Be flexible, have a vision and an outcome in mind, but remain wide-eyed about what might show up to accelerate your ride, and open to the various paths that can get you there.
     
    Goal achieving is a delicate balance between planning and improvisation.
     
    Deal or No Deal?
    You never know what’s in the next suitcase…
    In an interview with leadership and management guru Ken Blanchard, he said: “Life is what happens to you when you are planning to do something else.”  Ah, so true.
     
    Remain flexible—Stress and success constraints are caused when people are too fixed and rigid in their beliefs about how things should be.  Learn to bob and weave.  Realize it’s OK to say, “I changed my mind.”

    Reflect on when you might have been too rigid on your goals in the past, even when they were no longer important to your now-greater future.  And remember this lesson as you walk into the great unknown of your new year and new decade.  It is possible that a great unexpected miracle is around the next corner; keep yourself open and flexible to the possibilities.

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    Steve Feld, MBA, Certified Business Coach, Author, provides training and business performance coaching to business owners, professionals and executives. Steve also speaks to organizations, conducts workshops and training.  Focusing on the lead generation and revenue creation to get growth results for the business.

    Contact Biz Coach Steve today to see how he can assist you get the results you want in your business, [email protected], or www.bizcoachsteve.com. He is in the business of growing businesses. Need a speaker, contact Steve today.

    #bizcoachstevef #entrepreneur #smallbusiness #business #smallbiz #coaching #businessowner #businesscoach #leadership #marketing #speaking #keynotespeaker #meetingprofs #eventprofs #meetingstoday