Nothing Stays the Same
By Robert Counts and Chad Counts
Things in your life and in your business change whether you desire this change doesn’t matter – stuff happens.
You only get a choice in what happens if you plan changes in advance and follow through on your plans. Even as you make the changes you plan for you will still have to deal with changes outside of your control, but at least you will have the advantage of already creating progress with your own changes.
“Take care to get what you like, or you will be forced to like what you get.” George Bernard Shaw.
If you were not proactive in January 2014 and did not do a real review of where your business was, there is a good chance your net profit was not as good as the year before. If you haven’t made any changes in more than two years you are wondering:
• Why is business off?
• Why are these other yards paying “stupid” money for cars?
• Why isn’t life much fun?
• Why do I feel like I am working harder for less?
In working with and studying successful people I have learned the following:
• They know who they are and they do what they are passionate about. Business is hard and if you are not passionate about the business you are in – work becomes a grind. They many not be passionate about selling used parts, but they are passionate about growing their business. You need to get to the core of why you are in this business.
• They like to know if they are winning. They know what good is and are striving to be better. They are never satisfied. They compare, compete and improve.
• Success first. Ego second. Most people struggle with change if it’s not their idea. You may be your own biggest obstacle. Are you to busy shooting down other people’s ideas to actually see if their ideas would work?
• They are not afraid to make changes:
o In themselves,
o In their people, and
o In their business.
• The inaction caused by avoiding mistakes often costs more than trying and failing. They try, test, learn and adjust.
• They work hard. There will always be people who are smarter than you, who have more resources or who have had more opportunity. But nothing says you can’t level the playing field by out working your competitors.
“Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.”
Thomas Edison
Steps to create your change:
• Start! Most ventures start with an idea and then get perfected through experience. Never let best get in the way of better. You can get a little better everyday. Most people do not have a shortage of good ideas they have a lack of execution. So pick an area for improvement and start today.
• Focus. Identify one thing that you and your team think would radically change your business. Put 80% of your focus and energy into this. Make a plan and get started. You will have to make adjustments along the way so be prepared for that.
• Identify. As owner/manager/leader you need to identify your top 20%. Who are your top producers and are committed to your company? Spend 80% of your available management/leadership time with them. They are the ones who are going to help identify the most important thing you are going to tackle and they will be the ones most responsible for its success.
• Take Away. Strip away things in your business that are not producing at a high level. It is better to do one or two things really well than many things poorly. Don’t do it because your friends or competitors do it. It has to fit into your overall business focus and be something that you have a passion about.
CBCDashboard, LP
www.cbcdashboard.com
Counts Business Consulting, LLC
www.countsbusinessconsulting.com
Robert Counts, rcounts@sbcglobal.net, 512-653-6915
Chad Counts, crcounts@countsbusinessconsulting.com,
512-963-4626