Ray Kroc, the founder of McDonald’s, understood that to have his business grow up and run itself, he would need to pay attention to all of the Seven Elements of a Business – so he did.

Kids need to grow up and stand on their own two feet without leaning on you – that is maturity.  Your company should do the same thing.

We assume we should wait until we’re big enough before we figure out how to make the  business run itself, but  – where we start is where we end up.  No matter what  size your business is, you should be manically focused on getting  yourself out from behind the steering wheel from the gitgo.  Pay attention to all Seven Elements of a Business, like Kroc did, and watch your business grow up.

The difference between a dreamer and a visionary is that a visionary has already taken the three steps required to create real and lasting change:

Ever feel like you’ve got 11 ping pong balls to hold under the water and only 10 fingers? There is a solution.

Last week we talked about the overarching swing and a miss we make in our business strategy: We think that our purpose in business is to make money when our purpose in business is to BUILD A BUSINESS that makes money. These two things are worlds apart, and almost every business I work with is absolutely buried in making money, which will keep them from ever making a lot of it.

This week we we’ll talk about how to create the proper balance between the Tyranny of the Urgent – things we have to do today to make money; and the Priority of the Important – things we have to do to build a business that will make money for us.

"A coach, to my mind, needs to fulfill some basic requirements: gain the trust of the client and co-create with them a supportive environment, be non-judgmental, be a good listener, be able to ask the right open-ended questions to establish the client's needs and respond accurately, communicate effectively in language the client understands, and show a sense of humor to lighten the atmosphere when necessary."

Are you better off having a strong vision and not so strong implementation, or a weaker vision and phenomenal implementation?  For business owners this question can mean the difference between success and failure.  Here’s a small case study that demonstrates exactly what the risks are…

The beginning of a new year is a great opportunity to renew your energy for your business, though for many of us it can be a challenge to get going again after a holiday.  The most successful business people I know take time out regularly to work ON their businesses (not just IN them).  However, reviewing priorities and refocusing your business can be a bit overwhelming.  (Where to begin?)  So I thought I’d take this opportunity to share with you a process that I, and many of my coaching clients, have found very helpful.