Business Owner Newsletter - Page 35

This month we have been looking at planning and executing a successful marketing plan for a booth at an event or expo. We've followed Jon's story and have discussed the action that will help to mitigate those same results. You are not done yet. The event isn't truly over until you capture the gathered information and follow up on your promotional promise. Ideally, you will have already planned out how to ensure you finish the event strong!

 Jon’s planning for the event should not have stopped at pre-event activities. To be comfortable with the portrait Jon was painting of his business, Jon should have planned what would happen during the event. Granted, not every possibility can be planned for but Jon could have planned for what he has control over. This includes the Message, the Staff, and the Game.

The stage before an event is all about painting a picture. What is the purpose behind your company's involvement in the event? What is it that your company hopes to gain? It could be exposure to other suppliers, lead generation for your product or service, or it could be that having a presence at the event is worth more and does far less damage than not showing up at all. All are viable results. Are they your desired results? Your desired results should include:

Perhaps the part of leadership that makes it so tricky to master is that there is no one way to be a great leader.  What works well for one leader is a miserable experience for others.  Leadership is a patchwork of traits that you have to learn to adapt and blend in with your own unique personality.  Our Great Leadership Series focuses on three leaders and the qualities that they have displayed that drives the results.   We challenge you this month to pay attention to your own leadership traits and be prepared to ask yourself some tough questions on how your leadership skills need to change/develop based on the results you want to create.

There are many leaders and many of us have our favorites. Each of us could share what attributes resonate with us as to why those that are our favorites are great leaders. Though there may not be a tried and true "these are the attributes of all great leaders" list, three attributes seem to rise to the top with the leaders highlighted in this month's Great Leaders Series.

Perhaps the part of leadership that makes it so tricky to master is that there is no one way to be a great leader.  What works well for one leader is a miserable experience for others.  Leadership is a patchwork of traits that you have to learn to adapt and blend in with your own unique personality.  Our Great Leadership Series focuses on three leaders and the qualities that they have displayed that drives the results.   We challenge you this month to pay attention to your own leadership traits and be prepared to ask yourself some tough questions on how your leadership skills need to change/develop based on the results you want to create.

There are a number of leaders in today's business world that I would love to work for or emulate in some specific way. The one that stands out most is Elon Musk. With degrees in physics and business, he is quite simply trying to change the world. Electric cars, space exploration and eventually colonization, online point of purchase transfers, and solar power advances are all a part of his stable of life altering endeavors. But that is not the entire story because employees also love to work for him. Why? What makes the experience so transformational? Simply put, Musk has unrivaled vision, unequaled determination, and no fear of failure.

Perhaps the part of leadership that makes it so tricky to master is that there is no one way to be a great leader.  What works well for one leader is a miserable experience for others.  Leadership is a patchwork of traits that you have to learn to adapt and blend in with your own unique personality.  Our Great Leadership Series focuses on three leaders and the qualities that they have displayed that drives the results.   We challenge you this month to pay attention to your own leadership traits and be prepared to ask yourself some tough questions on how your leadership skills need to change/develop based on the results you want to create.

One leader that has always captured my interest is Tony Hsieh of Zappos. This isn’t just because his particular leadership style has a way of capturing headlines with story subjects such as: pays employees $2,000 to quit, sold to Amazon for over one billion, longest customer service call breaks 8 hours, and of course the ongoing mention of creating happiness. No, it’s because it is the only company I can think of that when I have to call their customer service line I actually look forward to the experience.

Perhaps the part of leadership that makes it so tricky to master is that there is no one way to be a great leader.  What works well for one leader is a miserable experience for others.  Leadership is a patchwork of traits that you have to learn to adapt and blend in with your own unique personality.  Our Great Leadership Series focuses on three leaders and the qualities that they have displayed that drives the results.   We challenge you this month to pay attention to your own leadership traits and be prepared to ask yourself some tough questions on how your leadership skills need to change/develop based on the results you want to create.

As the end of 2013 draws near, we wanted to take a moment and thank you for allowing us to hear and even participate in your story. Running a small business is not for the faint of heart.  We see the time and energy you devote day in and day out.  We hear the worry along with the excitement for the dream you are bringing to life.  In the middle of all this hard work there are the milestones that really count.  Sure there are the sales goals that you meet, but more important are the customers you help,the employees you empower to create a better life, and the difference you make in a community. Every day you are creating a story that is bigger than we often stop to think about.  

Question: In what ways have distrac.......... Oh, in what ways have distractions kept you from realizing your potential?

It’s December and as a business owner you’re probably in a state of distraction. Those distractions can be fun such as your vacations and holiday parties. They can also be work related as you try to close deals before the end of the year, set goals for next year, and run end of the year processes.   The pressure is on and it’s there not just for you, but for your employees and customers as well. All of this while trying to run the day to day business operations that already occupy at least 40 hours of your week.