Local Business » Is It Time to Send Your Out-of-control Small Business to Brat
Is It Time to Send Your Out-of-control Small Business to Brat
Article:
Remember when your business was an infant? It was cute and
cuddly and lots of fun. But somewhere along the way the infant
became an out of control adolescent and started ruining your
life. Is there any hope or should you just ship your spoiled
brat off to Brat Camp?
Caroline Jordan, small business consultant and mentor, and owner
of her own sometimes misbehaving business, The Jordan Result,
has this to say about businesses that just won't behave:
"Building a business is a lot like raising kids. You have to
keep the upper hand or you'll suddenly find yourself asking,
'When did I lose control?' I see many business owners who are
frustrated and in despair over the way their businesses have
taken over their lives. Many of us become self employed because
we want more control over our lives but often what happens is
the business takes over and business owners find themselves
working constantly and never feeling like they're getting
anywhere."
Jordan offers these tips for owners of bratty small businesses:
1. Take a time out. You can't think clearly if you're in the
midst of chaos and despair. Go for a walk, have an ice cream
cone, take a day off. The business will still be there when you
get back.
2. Breathe and Count to Ten. When fear and desperation start to
well up, you tense up and start feeling like your life is
unraveling before your very eyes. No one ever makes good
business decisions from a point of fear. Go do something that
makes you feel confident.
3. Take your business out to the wood shed. You remember the
woodshed? That place where you got an attitude
adjustment...That's where your business needs to go. Remind it
and yourself in no uncertain terms that YOU are the one calling
the shots.
4. Set boundaries. Decide how many hours you can physically and
emotionally work each week. Take the number of hours you can
work and the tasks that must get done each week, decide which
tasks have to be performed by you personally. Delegate the rest
to an employee, a subcontractor, or a family member.
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5. Remember what your real work is. When you're raising kids
your real work is to teach them how to take care of themselves
without you. It's the same thing with your business. Start to
develop a plan to get your business to a point where it can
operate even if you're not there.
6. Dealing with a whiny business. When your business starts
whining and wheedling and trying to get you to let loose the
reins again, sit it down and firmly explain that you are in
charge and you are following a plan that you will not deviate
from.
7. Call in the cavalry. If your business still won't behave, get
expert help fast. Most business owners wait until too late to
get help. Most business failures are preventable with early
intervention.
About the author:
For more tips on taking control of your business and becoming
part of the "No Business Left Behind" club, visit
www.TheJordanResult.com.
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