I suddenly find myself with a ton of projects on the go and frankly, even with my experience, it’s a bit overwhelming. But then again, I remember a few months ago when things were uncomfortably slow and in comparison I know exactly where I would rather be!

So what’s the solution?

I dig in, get focused and use my determination & work ethic to push on and work through what will likely be a temporary spike in business activity… and a wonderful injection in my cash flow. Well, back to work…

Before you leave, check out a very timely and important post for this time of year, entitled “Just 30 Days Left!”… Larry

Today, it seems that everyone is looking for “Fast Money” or as paraphrased from the restaurant industry… “Good Money Earned Quickly” but there is a huge danger in fast tracking and taking short cuts that we will explore today.

Shortcuts generally come at a price. There is a definite science to increasing productivity and efficiency without sacrificing quality and the solution that you are looking for comes with planning, systems, training, delegation and empowerment.

But before you make the decision to eliminate shortcuts let’s consider:
Five Great Reasons Not to Cut Corners…

1. Quality will Suffer
When you rush your work you are more likely to make mistakes. The cost of corrections, replacements and make-over’s will quickly diminish any benefit to rushing. Just check your time sheets!

2. The Experience is Invaluable
A text book and a diploma can only teach you so much. The rest comes from a thorough understanding of the process itself. Tactile learning runs deep!

3. You might Leave Important Things Out
In your rush to get things done it’s easy to overlook important aspects of the project. Replace shortcuts, quotas & pressure with the efficiency that comes with systems, planning, relationships and pride!

4. Your Reputation is on the Line
Shortcuts are an attitude that go beyond simply “getting it done fast!” They lead to self-centred choices rather than the customer-driven benefits that successful businesses are built on.

5. Getting There is Half the Fun!
Life is too short. The people, the moment, the satisfaction… and the memories are what make it all worthwhile. Don’t sell yourself short of these important cornerstones of success.

Begin working on an infrastructure today for your business operation that is built on planning, training, delegation and empowerment. As Michael Gerber says in his E-Myth series of best selling books, “the system is the solution”… not shortcuts!

For more related information on quality, efficiency and productivity, check out my articles: “Choose to Choose the High Road” and “The Challenge of Doing the Right Thing” both found here on my website… Larry

#27. “You” are your Competitive Advantage!

The people who drive a business largely determine the degree of success that it achieves. A humble willingness to recognize and embrace yourself for the person you are, both good & bad, puts you in a position to play upon your strengths to open doors and build an action plan to offset your weaknesses - those areas that leave you vulnerable.

You cannot change what you don’t acknowledge which can make real growth and improvement impossible, until you are willing to face reality. Programs like True Colors and Personality Dimensions provide an ideal venue to learn and discover the unique and dynamic resource that is distinctly you!

So begin developing a policy today that calls for you… and your staff, to commit to honest self assessment, on-going learning and continuous growth – the key to developing that exciting competitive advantage!

Stop by again next Friday for another weekly Business Builder. And for more on personal and professional growth, check out my article: “Selling Yourself” found here on my website… Larry

There are so many service providers that I know & work with, who are so focused on “Bread & Butter” projects that they never seem to find time for those “Dream Jobs” that were the real reason why they decided to choose self employment in the first place.

While paying the rent and putting food on the table are obvious priorities, there are ways that you can accommodate both the essentials as well as your dreams.

Let’s look at Three Simple Steps to
Ensure your “Dream Jobs” Come True:

1. Create a Wish List. Identify the type of projects that really turn your crank and the kind of clients or companies that you will need to approach to get them!
2. Revisit your Pricing Strategy. Make the necessary adjustments to your prices to ensure that you can earn the same income while putting in fewer billable hours as you pursue those “Dream Jobs”.
3. Schedule an actual appointment with yourself for a full day once a week, every week! Write it in your calendar and get started immediately, setting a plan in motion to make it all happen and win those “Dream Jobs”.

Note: You need to take this appointment with yourself as seriously as any client appointment that you would make. This means no cancellations, no re-scheduling yourself!
*If you just can’t get comfortable with a full day, make it a half day… but no less.

These “Dream Jobs” represent the real future of your business, the professional satisfaction that you crave and the direction that you want to move in. The moment that you compromise that commitment you open the flood gates and will begin sacrificing your real goals for everyone else’s “emergencies” that come along – Guaranteed!

I have personally used this strategy myself for a number of years and it works wonders. I turn off my phone (checking my voice mail for urgent messages only) and devote the day to projects that are all about me!

For more on making your dreams come true, check out my articles: “Mapping your Success through your Vision & Mission Statements” and “Don’t let your Comfort Zone become your Danger Zone” both found here on my website… Larry

The Power of Simplicity & White Space!

Readability is the key to effective visual communication. You can have a relevant, important, timely message to deliver but if it is not presented properly; sadly it may go unnoticed and no one will benefit, defeating it’s purpose.

Far too often the media itself is blamed when advertising doesn’t achieve the desired results but if you have done your homework, if you have taken the time to select the right media to reach your target audience the problem may simply be too much clutter leaving the reader subconsciously overwhelmed.

So what do readers do? They move on to other ads until they find “an island in a sea of information” for their eyes to land and relax.

Let me take you back… to some of advertising’s most revolutionary & effective campaigns. Imagine a time (the 1950’s & 60’s) when “the Big Three” North American auto makers (Chevy, Ford & Chrysler) dominated the auto industry with big cars known as gas-guzzlers. It was a time when bigger was considered better and the price of gasoline was just starting to get crazy.

Volkswagen was trying desperately to be accepted as the new alternative – before Honda, before Toyota and long before Kia so they focused their messages on what made them different.

Volkswagen used messages like Think Small, Drivers Wanted and Small Wonder to spark the imagination and interest of consumers ready for change and it not only worked – it made advertising history!

How effective was it? Studies showed that those simple Volkswagen ads with plenty of white space had higher reader scores than the editorial pieces in many magazines that they appeared in. Volkswagen broke through and the rest is history as we know the auto industry today.

The purpose of advertising is not to sell!

The purpose of your advertising is to create “the opportunity” to sell - to make people want to buy (and there is a big difference!) by delivering messages that are memorable & unique… that will make the phone ring and bring people to your door or your website. But remember, they have to be able to read it first!

As you consider the content of your advertising, keep it simple. Give them enough information to get them interested but not to make a decision… until they first talk to you!

Successful advertising is more than market research and understanding your customer. It’s the result of simplicity and readability. For more related information, check out my articles: “The Inquisitive Marketer” and “Trendwatching – Recognizing Tomorrow’s Opportunities Today” both found here on my website… Larry

#26. “Important Tools to Move You Forward ”

It’s a double-edged sword! Venturing into new territory is a must if you expect to be competitive and succeed in business yet it can bring fear, concern and plenty of stress that can be distracting and take you off your game plan. On the other hand if you don’t face those fears and boldly move forward, your business won’t go anywhere.

• Overall, a strong support staff, anticipation & continuous learning represent important cornerstones to building confidence and peace of mind as you grow your business.

• For specific projects, planning, preparation & attention to detail position you to examine possible outcomes before you risk time, effort, money and emotional collateral.

• And from a personal perspective, your positive attitude, experience & common sense (yes, common sense!) can convert fear and apprehension into welcome opportunities to grow in new directions.

Stop by again next Friday for your weekly Business Builder. And for more on successfully growing your business, check out my article: “Performance Under Pressure” found here on my website… Larry

The Heartbeat of your Business

Success in business doesn’t come from just showing up. It’s the result of finding a fit between the endless roles & responsibilities that you assume and your ability to manage it in a productive, efficient, stress-free manner as a business owner.

Being able to handle it all often comes from finding a rhythm and establishing routines that create efficiency & productivity to a point where you build a momentum that is difficult to derail.

Consider the following aspects of Rhythm & Routine:

• Rhythm specifically, generates a pattern or pace similar to that of a heartbeat that allows you to work on “cruise control” and conserve energy. When I find that rhythm, I can actually strategize one task as I work on another. I’m sure you have experienced the same occurrence.

• With so much on your plate, Routine allows you to manage your time more efficiently and ensure that regular tasks get done on a regular basis. For example, I dedicate the first hour of every day to checking messages and returning phone calls over a cup of coffee (double milk, no sugar).
After a while, I just do it consistently without thinking.

• There is a healthy aspect of Rhythm that relaxes your body, loosens your muscles and promotes the unrestricted flow of blood and oxygen throughout your body allowing you to feel better and perform longer.

• Rhythm & Routine are productivity boosters that can save you time and energy that you can then re-direct to additional tasks to accomplish more in your day.

• Harnessing Rhythm & Routine can produce a momentum that is difficult to stop, often creating a milestone moment that positions you to reach a new level of productivity & efficiency and never look back.

• At the same time, you don’t want to become too comfortable or too dependent on routine in the way that you perform daily tasks. It is important to think and work outside the box to ensure that you continuously challenge yourself and look for innovative ways to grow and improve.

• When you catch yourself thinking or saying “we do it this way because we’ve always done it this way” you know that routine has gone too far, that you have stopped growing and are most likely closing your mind to new ideas and opportunities.

You are probably closer to significant success than you think and in this case a few minor adjustments that can make a big difference. I wanted to emphasize the importance and potential impact that comes with rhythm & routine.

For more on growing your business and accessing valuable resources, check out my articles: “Develop a Winning Formula for your Competitive Advantage” and “Don’t Let your Comfort Zone Become your Danger Zone” both found here on my website… Larry

Best Practices for Smart Entrepreneurs

It is important to assess your business model on a regular basis to identify the strengths you can capitalize on and weaknesses that leave you vulnerable. My question to you in this post is: What would happen if you were suddenly unable to work?

Publishing your expertise is an excellent way to create passive income and to market yourself at the same time! *Passive income works when you don’t!

My wife Laurie recently brought home a copy of Food & Wine writer Lynn Ogryzlo’s new book, Niagara Cooks, a beautiful collection of recipes and stories that celebrate the culinary mastery of agriculturally based Niagara cuisine and I used it to illustrate to my culinary marketing class at Niagara College the significance of such an effort in determining the destiny of their careers.

Not only is Lynn’s book an excellent vehicle to market herself and her expertise, it also represents her commitment to community, promoting the good life that we all experience in Niagara which tells us so much about the author. Bravo!

For any entrepreneur with a unique set of experiences, ideas & advice that can impact a reader’s success or… signature products that are exclusively yours, publishing them in print or on-line can be a great venue to reach potential clients and to positively position yourself as an expert in your field.

So where and when should you begin?

My advice to my culinary students… and to any business owner interested in writing a book of their own, is to begin collecting their past publishable material immediately for future use, and then begin following these six steps:

1. Start by journaling on a daily basis, even for just a few minutes to ensure that you have record of your thoughts, ideas, dreams and accomplishments. Keep a notebook dedicated to writing close by at all times.

2. Identify areas of your career that you enjoy, that you excel in or have been recognized in and that you have a passion for to build possible themes around.

3. Closely examine everything that you do that would be of interest and benefit to a particular target audience as potential topics to write about.

4. Get comfortable carrying a digital camera to document special moments with special people that can never be re-captured.

5. Identify possible people who can assist you with this endeavour - people that you can partner with such as a writer, a photographer, a printer or publisher, even investors, to ensure that a lack of resources doesn’t stop you from moving forward.

6. If you are truly serious about this project, create a timeline that you feel is reasonable for your first draft (it can easily be 2-3 years depending on how much time you can commit) then identify a series of monthly and quarterly milestones by which you can measure your progress and stay focused.

Publishing your expertise is no small challenge and requires a full time, on-going commitment but the benefits can be truly motivational… Good luck!

For more on growing your business in new and exciting directions, check out my articles: “Mapping your Success through your Vision & Mission Statements” and “Develop a Winning Formula for your Competitive Advantage” both found here on my website… Larry

#25. “Document Everything!”

Busy, successful people need accurate, easy-to-access points of reference to their business activities and appointments to be fully accountable and confident when dealing with controversial matters or questionable situations. With the workload that you carry it’s difficult to recall specific points about specific encounters that happened weeks or months ago.

A journal or daily calendar is a great way to document meetings, due dates, people in attendance and specific points that were made that can be referred at a later date when your memory fades. Photographs taken using a digital camera or cell phone can provide important references to job sites, attendees and project conditions before your work begins.

Creating a portfolio of “Before & After” photos can act as a valuable marketing tool on sales calls. Using a written quotation form customized to your particular needs will ensure that you address all important points in the jobs you quote.

Make one of your “Best Practices” to put everything in writing and take plenty of photos so you’ll always remember!

Stop by again next Friday for your weekly Business Builder. And for more on successfully growing your business, check out my article: “It’s Time for a Performance Assessment” found here on my website… Larry

A Nostalgic Glance Back at How My World Has Changed

I grew up in simpler times when bathtubs were white, telephones were black and cheques were green! If I had a headache I took an Aspirin and when I got a cold and needed to blow my nose I reached for a Kleenex. There was one kind of Coke and cars were Fords, Chevys or Chryslers – period!

Products quickly became synonymous with their brand name because they were most likely one of a kind and the consumer’s choices were limited.

As a shopper, my world was the corner of King and Clarence Streets in Port Colborne… a Woolworth’s (with a lunch counter where we went for Coke & fries), Mahaffey’s Drug Store, Walter J. Smith Appliances (with a record department where I bought “A Hard Day’s Night”) and Rossman’s Clothing Store (the only one that’s still there).

We had a breadman, a milkman and a party-line which meant that we shared one telephone line with 5 neighbours -that was interesting!

Today, 50 years later diversity is everywhere and we are virtually global shoppers. I’ve given up Cokes & fries for water and grapes. We buy everything from clothes to cars on-line. We talk, text and email on our Blackberrys & iPhones – anywhere, all of the time… and we pay with plastic!

My kids call Kleenex “facial tissue” and it comes in big boxes, small boxes, travel packs, designer boxes, 2 ply, 3 ply, scented, unscented and moisturized.

Decisions, Decisions… Pets now rule our world with Nine Lives offering 23 different kinds of cat food. Revlon makes 157 shades of lipstick and 41 of them are pink! We live in a world where offering choice is expected by the consumer and can definitely provide a business with a competitive advantage.

If you’re in business today and if you aren’t open to change… you won’t be in business for long!

For more thoughts on evolving your business and adapting to change, check out my articles: “Trendwatching – Recognizing Tomorrow’s Opportunities Today!” and “Five Great Ways to Think Bigger than the Next Guy” both found here on my website… Larry