What's your brown paper bag?

Thanks go to Verne Harnish for this little story:

Craig Hodges, Managing Director of Australia-based King Content (http://www.kingcontent.com.au), suggested the best business question I've heard in 2010 -- "What's The Brown Paper Bag in Your Business?"

As the story goes, Craig was in NYC and managed to garner a dinner reservation at the famous Gramercy Tavern. One thing led to another and he ended up closing the place down, enjoying beers with the staff (what Aussie's do best!). As he was leaving, the staff handed him a brown paper bag and said it was a little something for breakfast the next morning. He started to look inside, but was instructed to keep it closed until the sun came up. Delight Inside -- when Hodges was ready for breakfast the next morning, he found inside the properly sealed bag a freshly baked muffin, muesli, and an orange juice -- a welcomed delight.

It was then that he wondered "what was the brown paper bag-equivalent in his business?" He wondered how his business could generate the same word-of-mouth promotion he's given Gramercy Tavern as a result of something so simple, yet memorable?
What could be your brown paper bag?

Why? What's your Purpose?

My last post was on this subject and I decided I needed to take some time alone and determine what My Why is.

The purpose, the driving force behind what I do and why I have such a passion doing it. What is it that really gets my juices flowing and why am I in the coaching profession and love what I do so much?

After really focusing on this for 30 minutes or so it occurred to me.

I love to learn and I love to teach

Whatever position I had held over the years I seemed to always seek out books and seminars to learn how to do it better. I always loved to teach and share with others what I had learned.


It all makes sense, now I'm doing just that as a business coach.

My father, grandfather and his two brothers were all entrepenuers. They started and ran their own businesses. Yet while it was "in the blood" I took the safe road and worked for corporations all my life.

So now I have come back to my roots and have found a way to continue to doing the things I love by helping small business owners find their purpose, their Why and build successful businesses around that Why.

I keep learning and at the sametime can share that learning with my clients who don't always have the time to seek out these concepts and processes nor the methods to follow through and make them work.

To teach you have to have a book. So I put together a Free Ebook that contains some of my best learnings on transforming a small business. These things work, that's a fact.

Click here to hear the 10 minute audio introduction ( to get a flavor)

http://www.box.net/files#/files/0/f/31291448/1/f_501256882

and/or download the Free Ebook

" Why Successful Small Businesses Struggle and how to make them soar again" at


http://www.next-level-coaching.com/

Rekindle that Spirit

Does it seem like everyone is depending on you? Do you get up and love going to work everyday like you did when you started the business?

It's not uncommon for the "Entrepreneurial Glow" to burn out. However, if you're not excited about your products or services, no one else is going to be. And, who wants to buy a product/service they're not enthusiastic about?

Quick tips for regaining your passion:

- Bring in a sandwich, shut the door, turn off the phone and email and write down all the reasons
you love your products or services
- Write down and then tell others the story of Why you became an entrepreneur
(POWERFUL 18 minute video from the author of "Start with Why")

http://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_inspire_action.html

- Get some Clarity write down what you want your business to look like in 5 years (even if it's
unrealistic... perhaps especially if it's unrealistic!) If you don’t know how the heck do you
expect your employees to know where you are going?
- Read inspirational books, blogs, and articles about small business ownership
- Take time to rejuvenate – yes take a few days off and really get away from the business

Think about it you became an entrepreneur for a reason. And, how you feel about your company is going to be reflected in the risks you'll take, the way you interact with your customers and employees and the amount of money you bring in!

Ray Kroc (founder of McDonald's) said, "If you work just for the money, you'll never make it, but if you love what you're doing, and always put the customer first, success will be yours."

Be passionate! Be excited! Learn to love your business, your customers, and the simple joys of small business ownership. Pass that passion on to your employees and customers, and you'll see a phenomenal difference in the growth and success of your business!

Start with some "kindling" from my Free Recorded Webinar on "Lack of Execution – The Bain of Business" and other free information and articles at
http://www.next-level-coaching.com/

All the best,

Rick Wallace

Slow Down - Get MORE Done

From my mentor Steve Chandler

It doesn't seem like it would be true. It doesn't seem like slowing down would get that much more done. But it does. Every day you do it, you will get more done. Every day you experiment with slowing down you will understand the truth behind the legend of the tortoise and the hare. (Legends and stories and myths last because of their truth.) If I am on the wrong road it doesn't matter how good I get at speeding down that road. It's the wrong road. I need to remind myself of this: Slow down and win. I need to take my sweet, gentle time. I want this conversation ahead of me be relaxed and strong so that the relationship I have becomes relaxed and strong. So all day it helps to tell myself: Slow down.

Steve

What we can learn from Louis Oosthuizen?

Louis Oosthuizen is the Champion Golfer of the Year as they say at the British Open. A virtual unknown, but he beat the field by 7 strokes.


The press noticed he had a big red dot on his golf glove. When asked about it he said he needed, “a trigger to get back in the moment, compose…focus on the shot and forget about everything around…”
When asked about sharing this day with his 6 month old daughter one day, he glowingly replied, “I’ll probably try and get…a DVD…and show her the whole thing.”

I think we can all learn a lot from him about improving our business and family life.


Essentially he’s:
- Aware of the potential of distractions that exist and can keep him from his goal
- Has a built in “trigger” to help him focus and play within himself
- Playing for something more than himself.



Clarity, Focus and Execution = a better company. What is your "trigger" to get you focused, motivated and allows you to execute? Go to my wesbite www.next-level-coaching.com and download the free presentation on Lack Of Execution - The Bane of Business it will take this leasson and show you how to come up with your own RED DOT for your business.

No Goal!

All of us in Buffalo know that quote.
As much as that frustrated me, nothing is as frustrating as hearing people say:

“I don’t need to set goals to succeed.”

Here are my two favorite quotes on the subject:

“If you don’t know where you are going you may not get there”
Yogi Berra

“What is wrong?
I’m lost and I don’t know which of these two roads to take.
Where are you going?
I don’t know
Well either of those roads will take you there.”
The Cat, to Alice, while she was running around Wonderland

My take is that goals are crucial to the owner of a small business. Without them your whole team has no direction, no way to prioritize their time, no way to know which way to go every time they reach a fork in the road. The bane of most businesses is Lack of Execution – they have great ideas but have trouble implementing them.

You see the most important thing about goals is that they immediately produce Actions. Actions can then be prioritized and then someone can then be made accountable and with an easy follow up process you Execute.

Goals – Actions – Prioritization – Accountability = Execution

(for more click below to listen to my 12 minute Audio “Clarity, Vision and Goals”

http://www.box.net/files#/files/0/f/31291448/1/f_371147368


Rick Wallace
“Closing the gap between the your Dream and the Reality of owning a business”

Serving vs. Pleasing

Since we were kids we have been taught to please people. Do things so they will like us. As we grow older we keep it up. We work hard at getting people to like us and our business. As salespeople we work hard to be friendly and likable. “People buy from people they like.” Right?

You know there is a better and more profitable way. Serve people. Customers and prospects will become loyal and big fans of companies and people that serve them. The people you attract to your business will come back because they were served and those are the people that are willing to pay more and stay around because they value those that serve.

People that come on board because they are pleased by you will not be as loyal. Offer a coupon, introductory price, slick sales pitch, take them out to lunch, golf, etc. please them and make them like you.

No loyalty in that, no value in that, once it is over.

Serve them, help them, demonstrate how your products and services can satisfy their needs and wants and overcome their fears and you have a customer for life.

Click here for free download of an audio from Steve Chandler – “Serving vs. Pleasing”
Listen or burn a CD.

Https://www.box.net/clubfearless

Seth Godin short video on social marketing and the need to serve, not please.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OujgPgNCLvk

This is one way I serve. More to come.


Rick Wallace
“Closing the gap between the your Dream and the Reality of owning a business”