Today we were joined on the show by business owner Ben Ihde of Wild Birds Unlimited. Ben was a coaching client of MVP for several years and is a repeat guest on Dirty Secrets of Small Business (see link below for his February 14, 2019 appearance). During the show today Ben shared with us what’s been going on since we last heard from him.
What Are You Retiring To?
Are you ready for retirement? I can’t wait for retirement!! Can I retire now? Everywhere you look you can find someone trying to give you advice on retirement. But as a small business owner, retirement is likely something you’re not looking forward to. I mean isn’t retiring something old people do?
How Important Is Timing When Having Tough Discussions?
Can’t I just say it! Why can’t I just tell them how I feel? These and many other thoughts have likely gone through your head at some point. Perhaps you are frustrated or feeling some pressure and you’re just about to burst! Take a deep breath, in through the nose and out through the mouth. Take another one and take a step back from the situation. Should you say what you’re thinking or should you bite your tongue and look for a better time and situation to make your point?Perhaps after you’ve had the chance to calm down a bit.
How Do I Tell My Brother I Can’t Work With Him Any More?
Have you ever not liked going to work because of the people you work with? Perhaps there is tension at work between you and a colleague where you just can’t get along on a regular basis. Maybe you disagree on the direction of the company or it could simply be you don’t like how they do certain things. What do you do when this person is related to you? What do you do if this person you can’t work with any more is your brother?
How Do I Know When The Next Generation Is Ready?
So what does it look like when you’re ready? Does it always look and feel the same? Kind of like when you’re lost? In today’s show we talk about how to know when the next generation is ready to take over. Like many things in life and business, it’s not always so clear, but there are some key things you can look for.
How Do I Know If It’s Time To Hang It Up?
One of the areas we specialize in for our business coaching is helping family businesses transition to the next generation. One of the biggest gating items for a transition of any business, is the current owner deciding when it’s time to hang things up and move on to the next phase of their life. Sometimes the current owner is the last person to realize it’s time for them to move on. Why is this the case and how can that process be accelerated?
How Do I Stay Relevant?
Many folks are confused why business owners have trouble stepping back and selling or transitioning their business to the next generation of ownership. We have found in our decades of working with small business owners transitioning to the next phase in their life that one of the biggest items holding them back from exiting their business is finding ways to stay relevant.
How Do I Teach The Next Generation Everything I Know About The Business?
It’s rare that a small business owner wakes up one morning and decides it’s time to transition their business to the next generation. It’s something they usually think about for a while, likely many years before they are finally ready. But once they decide they often want it to happen yesterday. But before the current owner leaves they want to make sure the next generation knows everything they need to know about the business. So how do you figure out where to start?
How Do I Prove I’m Ready To Take Over?
Do you ever feel ready? Even going back to your earliest childhood memories. Did you feel ready for that first day of school. How about that final exam? What about that new job or promotion? Well you were certainly ready for marriage and kids right? Of course not! So why would it be any different when it comes to taking over the management and ownership of your company?
How Do I Touch The Third Rail and Survive a Transition?
For those unfamiliar with the term “third rail” we’ve including a link below talking about it’s definition in politics. The metaphor comes from the high-voltage third rail in some electric railway systems. Touching that third rail often results in electrocution so most folks don’t live to tell about it.