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‘Where’s the Money Gone?’ traces the learning of a typical business person named Mike. Mike believed that to be successful he just needed to make a profit.

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5 simple questions to maximize small business coaching

By on February 8, 2011 in Small Business Coaching

If you are thinking of hiring someone to help you in your business then before you rush into making a selection take time to research and find out all you can.

There are many questions which you could ask and you may be asking yourself where to start.

Let’s assume you’ve done research the easy way by searching with Google and you’re about to go and meet the person for the first time.

What are you going to say?

What questions are you going to ask?

Here are five questions which will help you make a wise selection.

  1. Has the coach actually run a business before?
    Our society seems to value knowledge over experience which is why in the past you can go to university and study business with a professor who has never run a business in their life. So make sure your coach has run their own business before.

    2.  

  2. Where will the coach focus?
    Make sure you ask good questions before you ever engage a small business coach and the very best one to ask is:- ‘Where will you focus FIRST in your coaching process?

    If this does not meet your most immediate need then you have the wrong person.

    So many people who perform small business coaching have a process they’ve learned from a book or course and are not flexible enough to adapt to the individual business needs.

    3.  

  3. How much will the coach interfere?
    Most business owners have a strong need to be in control which is necessary to survive the ups and downs of running a business.

    Retired executives who take up small business coaching and have never run a small business before are often living out their dream to own and run a business through someone else’s business.

    In these circumstances the coach can actually interfere and cut across the business owner. Make sure that the coach is working for you and supporting what you desire.

    4.  

  4. How long will the coach be involved?
    If you are looking for someone to do a project for you and introduce a new process or procedure into your business then you’re looking for a consultant and not a coach.

    Coaching gets most of its benefit over a long period which in small business is generally at least a year. Many coaching programmes are set up on a 12 week cycle because that’s all the small business can afford. Don’t fool yourself.

    This is a project so look for the benefit of a project and not the benefit of small business coaching

    5.  

  5. Can you give me three people who I can talk to about your services?
    You may be asking why I’m suggesting you need three testimonials in selecting someone for small business coaching.

    Most coaches who’ve been around for a few years have one or two absolute converts to their methods and processes.

    However, it is extremely unlikely that three different people will have the same experience with the same coach so by talking to three different people you will get three experiences and three different views on the value of the services and how they might work for you in your business

What is your experience on small business coaching?

Video

I feel frustrated because the numbers in my business look like ants walking up a page.

By on November 25, 2010 in Melbourne Vlog Tour

Lots of business owners feel more comfortable working in the operational side of their business than searching through the financial numbers to see what’s happened with their profit.

In today’s Vlog, Andee shows you how to look at the numbers from a visual and shape viewpoint so you can see the big picture of your business quickly.

The Vlog series comes from One Sherpa an online global membership community dedicated to helping small business owners succeed and prosper.

The series is filmed on location around Melbourne, Australia and answers questions commonly asked by small business owners.

This video is filmed from the Cardinia Reservoir and talks about ‘I feel frustrated because the numbers in my business look like ants walking up a page’.

3 simple measures that will revolutionize your relationships

By on November 23, 2010 in Good Business Ideas

Many business owners struggle to understand why the people around them never seem to have the same amount of energy that they have.

Often I hear owners saying this ‘If you want a job done properly then do it yourself!’

This goes to the heart of why owners struggle to keep people, are always stressed and never seem to be able to take holidays.

The first step out of this treadmill is to find out about yourself and how you tick. What is your unique behaviour and how does it affect what you do in the business

The three simple measures you can use to get the most out of your unique behaviour and work with the people around you is to discover the following:

    1. Your Strengths – these are your primary talents which if used appropriately will help you in performing to your greatest potential, with the least stress.
     
    2. Your Struggles – these are behavioural traits which can arise from over using your unique strengths

    Using your strengths and managing your struggles so they do not become weaknesses is a sensible way of achieving your maximum performance.

    3. Your Relationship Essentials – these indicate how you wish to be communicated with by others. If other communicate with you on these terms then an enhanced relationship can be developed and maintained with you

These three simple measures can be determined by thinking about your life experiences and how you have reacted or more scientifically using online questionnaires and tools.

If you would like to see more then click on this link http://onesherpa.com/services/strategic-business-coaching and look for Business DNA.

What is your opinion on these three simple measures?

Video

Sales are booming but I’ve nothing to show for it!

By on November 18, 2010 in Melbourne Vlog Tour

Have you ever felt as though your business is really going well but wondered why with all that effort there’s not more in your bank account?

In today’s Vlog, we look at the key reasons why margins can fall in your business and show you where to focus and build yourself a profitable and sustainable business.

The Vlog series comes from One Sherpa an online global membership community dedicated to helping small business owners succeed and prosper.

The series is filmed on location around Melbourne, Australia and answers questions commonly asked by small business owners.

This video is filmed from the Aura Vale Lake and answers the question ‘Sales are booming but I’ve nothing to show for it!

How you can avoid misunderstandings in your business?

By on November 16, 2010 in Good Business Ideas

Have you ever had a disagreement with a work colleague or family member?

How has that left you?

If you’re like me this can leave you feeling misunderstood, frustrated, confused, and wondering what went wrong and how to ‘get things back on track.’

At the heart of this problem is the way we behave as people. Without realizing it, we often expect behaviour from other people to be the same as us and when it doesn’t happen we’re left wondering!

When talking about behaviour I believe it refers to the way a person most naturally operates or acts.

For example, some people are naturally motivated to be very organized and precise, and some are more spontaneous and casual.

Likewise, some are risk takers and others are naturally conservative.

Each of us have a unique Business DNA profile which drives our behaviour but it is easy to think that some are better than others for making life or business decisions.

In reality this is not the case. All profiles and styles are equally valid, and all are needed. All styles and all people have strengths and struggles which when blended together can come up with better outcomes.

The key point to remember is that people can be the most successful when they understand and maximize the positive aspects of their own natural and unique styles, and operate in an environment which will enhance their natural talents, and balance their areas of struggle.

So when you had that disagreement, was the other person actually struggling? Were they doing everything they could to avoid confrontation when you were simply trying to get something done?

If this was the case then they may have been trying to defend themselves and you saw that as avoiding the issue.

So what do you do when this happens?

Ask yourself whether the other person may be wired differently to you. What might they be struggling with and therefore how can you change your behaviour to accommodate those struggles.

Honouring the differences in people will always lead you to less confrontation and misunderstanding.