Get Out of the Fishbowl and Into the Ocean!

A collection of  "Really?!" one-liners from actual business owners / potential business owners...taken from my notes during my complimentary consultation sessions.

Many became clients and I have helped them... the rest?
Oh well,  I hope they found help somewhere.

Here we go...

"Do I really need a logo and branding, I thought only big businesses had that."

"Well, I want to make more money but I don't trust people."

"Do I have a vision and mission statement for my business? Not at all, do I need one?"

"I really don't plan too much or even have a strategic plan...I kinda just see how things happen."

"I want to open a restaurant because I love to cook, I'm a hard worker, and I have the support of my family...isn't that enough?"

"No, I have never worked in retail, but this new franchise opportunity this guy was talking about sounds great!"

" ...not sure if my business is up or down from last year, but I do know my bills are getting paid."

"What's a target market?"

"My point of difference? I offer great service."

"There is enough free help out there...I don't need to pay for it."

"What measurements do I have in place?...they are all right here (as he pointed to his head)."

" What is horizontal growth?"

"I have more clients then I can handle...I don't need any help."

" I really haven't thought about marketing and selling."

I have so many more I can share, but you get the point.
 Now I admit, when I started my own business nine years ago I said some of the same things, that is why I hired a coach...enough said.

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Business Fundamentals...Don't Leave Home Without Them.

From the book, The Last Lecture...author Randy Pausch reflects on his "old school" football coach.

On the first day of practice, we were all scared to death. Plus he (the coach) hadn't brought along any footballs. One kid finally spoke up for all of us.
"Excuse me, Coach. There are no footballs."
And Coach Graham responded, "We don't need any footballs."

There was a silence, while we thought about that...
"How many men are on the football field at a time?" he asked us.
Eleven on a team, we answered, So that makes twenty-two.

"And how many people are touching the football at any given time?"
One of them.
"Right!" he said.
"So we're going to work on what the other twenty-one guys are doing."

Asked yourself the following question:  What are the three basic business fundamentals?
Not sure?  Contact me at bobgambone@bobgambone.com for the answer.



“Copyright (11-26-2011) by Robert V. Gambone Sr.”

Five Fundamental Business Paradigms

LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

• 
  Leaders are always on stage. Their attitudes are contagious. Their attitudes have the power to create an epidemic of negativity or success.
• 
  Leaders pull their teams “up the hill”, face them, and do not turn their backs. Old school managers push employees.
• 
  Leaders develop others. Leaders understand when people need to be led and when to let people take the lead.

CHANGE MANAGEMENT

• 
  Drop the word Change (negative connotation) and replace with Continuous Improvement.
• 
  Need a consistent and credible W.I.I.F.M. (What's In It For Me)
• 
  Listen to concerns, be empathetic….but stay the course.

CUSTOMER SERVICE

• 
  The organization’s customer service must add value to the customers’ lives. Your customers must feel good about their relationship with your organization.

• 
  The organization’s customer service must add value to the employees’ lives. Your employees must feel good about their relationship with your customers.
• 
  Customer Service is not work. It is an integral part of everyone’s job, practiced by all team members, and modeled by leaders at all times.

INITIATIVE ROLLOUTS

• 
  Grass roots development (pilot), plant the seed with the front line employees and with guidance have them grow the ideas, creates ownership….then recognize the individuals or teams.
• 
  A top-level commitment to invest in “true” training.
  (5-step process; Intro, show, try, feedback, follow up)
• 
  Sustain the process by instilling a continuous improvement mentality and start building a bridge for that improvement to avoid “flavor of the month” ‘isms.

BUSINESS TURNAROUND

• 
  First, revisit the above 4 foundation skills to determine the current state of the organization.

• Business turnaround often calls for leadership changes, improved change management skills, ratcheted up customer service, and the introduction of new initiatives.

• The organization must identify a vision and constantly focus on its achievement. Invite ideas and actions from everyone.

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