<p>I was facilitating a business coaching session today when the owner of the business surprised me with a challenging question. He asked me what I had learned in coaching business owners through this difficult year. Here are some of the crazy things that struck me.</p>
<ul>
<li>This year is like no other. There is no map to follow. Trends are broken. Comparing the business to last year does not help.</li>
<li>If we listen real carefully to our customers they will help us revamp our products and services to closely match what they really want now.</li>
<li>Every business is unique in how the recession has changed it. Some services and products are in higher demand now and others have been stagnant over the years and this is a wake up call for businesses to take action.</li>
<li>If we can survive this year with the key contributors to the business intact and participating in bringing new ideas to the table, that is a fine accomplishment and should be commended.</li>
<li>It's a time to reach out to others for assistance and assist others.</li>
<li>If the team can learn to do more with less, bring services & products to the customer quicker and cheaper than before, then they can be proud of revamping a good business to a great business for 2010.</li>
<li>If we can learn to be nimble race car adjusting quickly to the road ahead and less of lumbering locomotive than we will be great in 2010.</li>
</ul>
<p>I have never been so amazed than I have this year by the small business owner's depth of creativity and skills they apply to survive in a down market and the lessons they use to thrive in an up market. What have you learned and what skills are you honing this year?</p>
<p>Below is a program my customers taught me that they wanted. This may help.</p>
<p>This is the ProFound Impact Process:</p>
<p><strong>Monthly Improvement and Business Education Advancement</strong></p>
<ol>
<li>Advanced Financial Management Coaching <ol>
<li>One meeting a month. Minimum of 12 months. </li>
<li>Analyze and Improve Business Profits Monthly </li>
<li>Building a Budget. </li>
<li>Developing and Understanding a Cash Flow Report </li>
<li>Benchmarking your company to the Industry. </li>
<li>Unlimited e-mails and phone calls. </li>
</ol></li>
<li>Job Costing Coaching <ol>
<li>Analyzing what each job costs. </li>
<li>Determining the costly issues and how to avoid them. </li>
<li>What went right and how to ensure duplication? </li>
<li>Take each job and improve upon it. </li>
</ol></li>
<li>Teaching the Bookkeeper QuickBooks Done Right <ol>
<li>How to do Quarterly Payroll Taxes </li>
<li>How to post Refunds. </li>
<li>Where to post equipment. </li>
<li>How to update Loan interest write offs monthly. </li>
<li>Unlimited phone calls and emails. </li>
</ol></li>
<li>Lean Manufacturing <ol>
<li>Learn the lean process. </li>
<li>Learn to identify waste in your business. </li>
<li>Learn how to eliminate waste. </li>
<li>Learn to identify the root cause of waste. </li>
<li>Eliminate waste </li>
</ol></li>
<li>Lean Office <ol>
<li>Identify waste in estimating, Invoicing and Change Orders. </li>
</ol></li>
<li>Technology Advancement <ol>
<li>Identify Technology to improve the company. </li>
<li>Recommend one Technology improvement a month. </li>
<li>Make recommendations on timeline. </li>
<li>Software add-ons for QuickBooks- Scheduler, Inventory, Estimators etc. </li>
</ol></li>
<li>Future Strategies, Services & Products <ol>
<li>What are the key future indicators for your business? </li>
<li>How will the future affect your business? </li>
<li>How can be proactive towards the future? </li>
<li>What new services and products can your company provide? </li>
</ol></li>
</ol>
<p><strong>Value Added to the Business Owner</strong></p>
<ol>
<li>Advanced Financial Management Coaching <ol>
<li>Improve financials by avoiding costly mistakes and improving net profit. Yearly $_________ Times 3 Years $_________ </li>
<li>More discretionary time. ______Hours Year </li>
<li>Less Stress with a greater understanding. ____Reduction of Stress </li>
</ol></li>
<li>Improving Job Costing Yearly $______ Times 3 Years </li>
<li>Teaching Bookkeeper Accounting <ol>
<li>Less time spent cleaning up reports. </li>
<li>Stress level reduction. _____ </li>
</ol></li>
<li>Lean Manufacturing – 80% waste in most processes. <ol>
<li>Savings in to the bottom line by eliminating waste. </li>
<li>Improved on time performance. </li>
<li>Improved Customer Satisfaction </li>
<li>Morale improvement with staff. </li>
<li>Repeat savings in future jobs. </li>
</ol></li>
<li>Lean Office– 80% waste in most processes. <ol>
<li>Savings in to the bottom line by eliminating waste. </li>
<li>Improved on time performance. </li>
<li>Improved Customer Satisfaction </li>
<li>Morale improvement with staff. </li>
<li>Repeat savings in future jobs. </li>
</ol></li>
<li>Technology Coaching </li>
<li>Future Strategic Planning </li>
</ol>
2009-08-19T06:52:16Z
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lessons-from-the-recession
0
2009-08-20T08:50:09Z
2009-08-20T15:50:28Z
I was facilitating a business coaching session when the owner asked me what I had learned in coaching business owners through this difficult recession year. Here are some of the crazy things that struck me.
Lessons From The Recession
1
2009-08-20T15:50:28Z