This year has been one of rediscovering things for many folks, and we here at Dirty Secrets of Small Business are no different. During the show today we shared several stories of things that we are rediscovering. The list includes everything from golf to high school football on the personal front to things like cold calling and networking on a business front.
How Do I Know When To Use Email?
Do you have a preferred form of communication? In today’s day and age there are so many options to choose from including phone, text, email, and social media. Are you old enough to remember “long-distance” calls. What about rotary dial phones? Is there a best way to communicate?
How Do I Know If I’m Making Any Sense?
Do you ever get people responding to you with smiles and nods? We get this response a lot. Especially from small business owners. They will often smile and nod when different business topics are brought up. We learned years ago that the smile and nod is often code for “I have no idea what you’re talking about and I hope you don’t ask me to explain myself.”
Guest, Ross Youngs of Biosortia and Univenture
Today we were joined on the show by entrepreneur Ross Youngs. For those long time listeners of our show, you know we are big fans of Inc. Magazine as well as their annual list of the fastest growing private companies. Well, our guest today is a member of the Inc. 500 Hall of Fame!
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?
Why Is Everyone So Enamored With Business Plans
Whether you are starting, buying, or running a business, one of the most popular questions you’ll be asked is “What’s your plan?” Almost like a new college student who is often asked, “what’s your major”, your response as a business owner might be a canned response of saying what you’re supposed to say. Things like, “we’re planning to grow by 22% this year and double over the next 5 years…”. Or maybe you’ll be a little more honest and say things like, “Yeah, I don’t bother with those business plans. I spend my time doing stuff instead.”
How Do I Get Where I’m Trying To Go?
This is a great question, and it all starts with figuring out where you want to go first and then we figure out which path to take to get there. And just like any good road trip there are multiple options for getting to your destination depending on what you’d like to see on the way or are you just interested in getting there as fast as possible? What about accidents, road work, and detours? Do you think similar things can be expected when you’re trying to get to your ultimate destination in your business? Of course!
How Do I Know It’s Time To Sell?
So is now the time? Is this the offer you can’t refuse? Has every day become a grind? Is running your business no longer fun? Depending on how you answer these and several other questions will determine whether it’s time to sell or not.
How Do I Know What To Focus On Next?
What happens when you decide it’s time to retire and step away from your business? We find most people, including business owners, don’t have a good answer for this question. Too many will throw out platitudes along the lines that they’ll spend more time with family and friends, traveling, vacationing, playing golf or tennis. The list goes on, but in reality they’ve never really given this question much thought.
How Do I Tell My Story?
At the end of the day, we all have a mess in our businesses and our lives. The question becomes who do we share what parts of that mess with when it comes to our business. As the owner of a small business it’s likely you will go months or years without having to Present yourself or share your story.