Recipe for Success: Building a Profitable and Sustainable Business
Posted by Michael Gunther on Thu, Jul 23, 2009 @ 12:53 PM
By Christine Sommer, Collaboration Certified Consultant
Structure, processes and accountability. Fun? Not always, but they are a necessary evil for the survival of a business. Unfortunately, we often see the artistic and creative entrepreneur struggle with this skill set.
Creative entrepreneurs have such a passion for the masterpieces they create, but the business structure is often lacking. All too often the creative-preneurs come to us with big visions of business concepts with hundreds of possibilities but just can't seem to implement the actions to make it happen. The key ingredients that are usually missing include: structure, processes and accountability. Entrepreneurs who do develop these skills can take their company to a whole new level. So how can you make these happen?
Structure:
Treat yourself like a client. Set up a time to meet with your staff or just yourself each week to plan out what needs to get accomplished. Set up yearly, monthly and weekly goals. Get the ideas out of your head and put them down on paper. You now have a place to go to start prioritizing the ideas you want to implement.
Sign up for a Free Hour Business Consultation that can be done in person or over the phone and let one of our Collaboration Certified Consultants help you determine the right path and structure for your business.
Processes:
Create processes for the work that you do on a repeated basis. Utilize technology to streamline your work. Managing your time is critical in building a business, and when the process gets created, time spent in certain areas can often be cut in half. Not only that, but when you hire and employee to do that job they will thank you for having the system in place.
Our Business Assesment Consulting here at Collaboration-LLCis geared for established organizations that need to fine-tune current business practices. This interactive assessment will evaluate your business in 4 key areas using our proven business model, benchmark your business within your industry and then, provide you with a Game Plan to grow your business and sustain profitability.
Accountability:
How do you hold someone accountable to make sure things get done? Set out an action plan with the task that needs completion. Assign a date it was created, write out the task at hand, who it was assigned to and, most important, the due date. If you are having a hard time holding yourself accountable, join a mentoring group. There are several groups in the business community designed to hold business owners accountable to the goals they create for themselves. Get support from outside of your company and let them help you stay on track.
Here is more information on our Management Training Program that will help you strengthen your management team and increase productivity in your business.
The Bottom Line:
Developing these skills when they are not your natural talent will enhance your leadership skills and help you become a profitable and sustainable business.
If you have any questions or would like to receive more information please feel free to Contact Us!