| |
| |
|
Small Business Information |
|
|
|
Genius Time? It Matters
I frequently give presentations at small business gatherings, providing me the opportunity to have engaging conversations with owners about the challenges they face. Based on their input, the economy continues to plug along, heading in the right direction, and distancing itself from the difficult journey of the past few years. However, the resulting business climate is considerably different than before, with greater competition and higher customer expectations. Success as a small business owner requires maximizing your daily productivity, so you can focus more on the big picture and less on the many things that eat away at your day. "Genius Time" is what you do that brings the most value to your small business. It is those high-impact activities - and just the three or four most important things - that lead to your peak performance. For example, Genius Time could be networking, client relations, employee motivation and/or providing continuing education. There are many other things that could make up your Genius Time, but know this?dedicating yourself to Genius Time will lead your entire organization to better results. Success Handler Action: After you finish reading this e-newsletter, spend 30 minutes thinking about your Genius Time. Here are some questions to help you get started: ~ What do you spend most of your work time doing? ~ What things can you and you alone handle? ~ What are the most important roles you perform in your small business? ~ Which areas of your company are not getting the attention they need? ~ How often do you plan what you want to get done each day? Week? Month? ~ Why do you think things get in the way of executing your priorities? Many of the small business leaders we work with struggle with their own Genius Time. They live in a world of crisis management - trapped by a never-ending stream of tasks that keeps them in a state of "stuck" - seldom able to grow beyond their current level. There are many reasons this happens, from lack of awareness about how they actually spend their day, to the never-ending challenges of interruption after interruption. Instead of developing systems and training their employees, which are the keys to creating more time to think proactively, they spend their days reacting to situations and putting out fires. Success Handler Action: Having determined your Genius Time, keep track during the next week of how you actually spend your working days. Note things like how often you check e-mail, handle incoming telephone calls or work on personal matters. List all of the interruptions that distract you...from employees, to customers, to your cell phone ringing. Be sure to note all of the successful moments you spend on Genius Time. At the end of the week, follow these five steps to identify where you're placing your priorities: 1. Take out a yellow highlighter and mark all of your Genius Time work 2. Put a red circle around those "time wasters" that cut into your productivity 3. Review all of the other ways you spent time during the week 4. Add up the hours you spent performing Genius Time, "time wasters" and "other" activities 5. Determine what percentage of your working hours you actually spent on Genius Time One of the interesting people I met recently is a retired Army veteran and new small business owner. On 9/11, he told me he was sitting 100 feet from where the plane hit the Pentagon. He and another member of the military crawled to safety through smoke so thick they weren't sure which direction they were heading. He said the reason he chose to start his own business is because working the system is the closest thing he could find to the life he lived and loved the past 20 years. "In the military, we spent our days taking the plan and working it, with the goal of maximum productivity and results," he said. "Tell me what the most valuable use of my time is and I'll prioritize that every day." This American Hero pursuing the American Dream truly understands the importance of Genius Time. Copyright © 2004 by Success Handler, LLC. All rights reserved. The Coach, David Handler, is the founder of Success Handler, (http://www.successhandler.com), and specializes in helping small business leaders find clarity and take action. He understands the challenges of running a business, because he's been there - as a small business owner, franchisee, franchisor, corporate leader and trainer. Much like sports coaches, his coaching will show you how to compete on a level playing field in your industry.
MORE RESOURCES:
Small-Business - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
9 Things You Must Do To Maximize Your Chances Of Obtaining A Small Business Loan To get approval for your small business loan application, you must be able to meet the lending criteria set down. Some organisations are more risk averse than others, and will therefore have more stringent criteria. Arent Small Businesses Lucky? Why? Because they have access to world class public relations no matter how small they are.That's one way of saying, take care of your key target audiences, Mr/Ms small business owner, and they'll take care of you. Boat Detailing Tips and Procedures Auto detailers are often asked to clean boats and detail boat trailers. There is an easy and efficient way to do this with little effort. Small Business Security No Passing Fad How careful are you with the data you collect from your customers? How about the handling of money in your business. And passwords? What controls have you put in place to protect computer data?We don't often think about the security of our businesses, but we should. Australian Workplace Agreements - How They Work For You The employer / employee relations environment has been constantly evolving during the last 25 years. In Australia, as in many western nations, the balance between employers and employees has shifted back and forwards usually in response to supply and demand. Aircraft Washing Service Operations Manual Anyone who is serious about washing aircraft as a full time profession should be prepared to write a manual, which will insure proper procedures are followed during the washing process. Each crew team leader and manager should be well versed and trained in washing each type of aircraft. A Day in the Life of a Self Employed Professional It's Monday morning and Connie the Consultant sits in her executive office chair overseeing her business empire. Her desk is strewn with half finished projects, several weeks worth of to do lists (none of them completed), scribbled post it notes, and a permission slip for her daughter's field trip to the Planetarium that should have been turned in last week. Its Spring - Time For A Compensation Program Tune Up Now that winter has passed, the annual ritual of spring cleaning is in full swing. Spring cleaning is more than cleaning the windows and clearing the cobwebs that hid in the corners during the winter. FTC Adding to the Franchise Rule Last summer the FTC put forth a report and then asked for comments on modifications of the franchise rule. There has been no real significant changes since the 1970's, but lots of opinions and case law along the way. Financial Dose for Business The goals of businesses have undergone much evolution from the times when entrepreneurs were content with anything that they received above the capital invested. Businesses now want to expand their reach globally, riding on the wave of technology. Should I Franchise or Not? A reader of one of my online sessions asked should he franchise his business or not. He had set up a service business and was getting ready to expand and wanted to know if franchising was a good potential strategy for this. Small Business - A Thing Worth Doing Is Worth Doing Badly A thing worth doing is worth doing badly. Yes I know that it should be 'well'. If You Want to Work from Home Here are some important points to take note of if you want to work from home. working from home is a dream occupation for many people, but only a few of us will dare to trudge that path. A Lesson From "The Apprentice" That Can Make You A Master I have to admit, I was curious. When I saw previews of a new show called "The Apprentice," it made me want to at least watch the premiere to see what was going on. Facts About Starting Elderly Group Home Businesses There's been a recent rise in the number of elderly group home businesses springing up everywhere around the world, what with an estimated one in four families providing care for an elderly relative today. Before you decide to jump on the group home business bandwagon, though, you need to know as much as possible. Cost Effective Franchise Regulations, Come again The Franchise Group at the Federal Trade Commission in all their ego and glory has proclaimed that franchise disclosure laws are "Cost Effective." I hate to break it to the FTC, but your comments and court are completely naked. How to Remove Stress from Owning a Business... Forever! I meet and talk to hundreds and hundreds of business owners every year and do you know what I've discovered? Virtually all of them are regularly suffering from stress.It dawned on me while running a seminar one day. Small Business Planning -- Three Myths Are you -- like 70 percent of small business owners -- working without a plan?Here are three myths that need to be dispelled about strategic planning for small business.1. Becoming Recession Proof A lot of business owners I've spoken with lately have commented how their business is slow because of "the recession." If you are one of these people, you might want to reconsider your position. 11 MONSTROUS Small Business Marketing Mistakes and How To Avoid Them Increase your profit potential by identifying - and avoiding - these 11 marketing mistakes.MONSTROUS Marketing Mistake Number 1: Sinking a Fortune Into an Unproven ProductIs your business idea built on market research or a hunch?Entrepreneurs often fall in love with their products or services before they determine if there's a real market, and they throw fistfuls of money into the venture.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
