Rhonda Abrams who frequently writes for USA Today recently took a flight of a lifetime.  Virgin Airways had a contest for entrepreneurs.  The basic idea was to load over 250 entntrepreneurs on a plane for seven hours and see what happens.  Rhonda said that for the full seven hours of the flight, she did nothing but coach entrepreneurs and offer business coaching advise. 

She also learned a few things herself.  This is her list:

1. Seize opportunities. The winners of this trip saw an opportunity in the British Airways contest, and they pounced on it.

2. Believe in yourself. I'm sure some entrepreneurs considered entering the contest then decided they weren't good enough. We never got the chance to see them.

3. Make the most of the opportunities you get. The winning entrepreneurs typically made many appointments at their destinations — often even extending their trips to other locations.

4. Be fierce. Learn from Marx-she wanted a meeting with Harrod's. She was absolutely, positively determined to get the meeting she wanted, and she exploited every avenue she could possibly think of.

5. Toot your own horn. Don't be afraid to let people know you're a winner.

6. Be open. These entrepreneurs were like sponges — wanting to soak up every bit of knowledge they could find.

7. Share. The program was great in part because the entrepreneurs shared their knowledge, resources and ideas.

8. Take advantage of Champagne. The Champagne kept flowing throughout the flight, keeping everyone loose and happy. (Don't drink alcohol? How about some ginger ale to keep you bubbly?)

Click here to get your own copy of FREE surefire marketing secrets that will double your business in 4 weeks.  Call ActionCOACH Pinellas at 727.786.2900 to find out how business coaching can help you. 

 

As an executive business coach, I highly recommend joining LinkedIn, if you haven't done so already.  It is a way to connect to industry insiders and fellow entrepreneurs.  I mention this because recently they have refreshed their polls feature and have added more business analytics.  By taking advantage of the business analytics, and not the polls themselves, you can discover the age, gender, or seniority of the people taking the polls.  This can give you some insight into the how certain groups respond certain things. 

If you haven't already, I encourage you to take a tour of all the perks LinkedIn has to offer.  When I coach my clients, I advise them to make quality business connections anywhere they can and LinkedIn is a perfect example.  You can connect with others in your field and brainstorm about ideas that work and which ones don't.  You can join in discussions on the latest trends in your industry or the newest marketing idea that is driving business.  You can even join groups and learn about upcoming conferences or training that would be beneficial for you.  It really is a great resource for your business. 

To find out how to double your business in just 4 weeks, click here to learn more about our FREE Surefire Marketing Secrets from ActionCOACH Pinellas. 

ActionCOACH is in the business of helping companies with marketing, training, and other management strategies.  A company in St. Petersburg began working with ActionCOACH to help get through the tough market of home building.  Here is their story from the Tampa Bay Business Journal - by Mark Holan. 

The housing meltdown forced Joe Houlton to turn his business inside out. But even in challenging times, he has still been able to expand AlliKristé.

Eighty-five percent of sales were related to house and condominium construction when Houlton took over as CEO and partner in 2002. Now 85 percent of sales are remodeling contracts.

“We had to completely tear down and remake our company in all facets of operation between 2007 and 2009,” Houlton said. “Because I put financial controls and forecasting models in place we started cutting expenses and staff early. Thank God I was watching the numbers to see the downturn early and had the discipline to make the adjustments.”

Houlton cut his work force to 19 employees from a high of 65 as net revenue plunged 55 percent over a three-year period. By comparison, sales had increased six fold, up to $1 million a month, at the height of the building boom.

“It’s been a real ride,” Houlton said.

High-End Designs:

The business was founded in 1996 by designer Bob Ostrowski and is named after his two daughters. Brothers Joe Houlton and John Houlton became majority owners in 2002 with Ostrowski remaining as partner and senior designer.

“I didn’t feel right changing the name,” Joe Houlton said. “It was in the community. I wanted to continue the brand.”

The Houlton brothers are former owners of Application Profiles, an employee-screening and drug-testing firm. Joe Houlton invested $1.2 million in AlliKristé his first 18 months as co-owner. The money was primarily self-funded from the sale of the previous business.

AlliKristé’s goal is to become the largest high-end kitchen and bath design firm in Florida. The company works with 15 manufacturers in the United States and Europe in addition to what it builds in the 27,000-square-foot headquarters and showroom in north St. Petersburg.

Most of the firm’s kitchen and bath projects cost $10,000 to $30,000. A smaller share of the business falls in the $50,000 to $90,000 range. “We occasionally get jobs that are over $100,000,” Houlton said.
Houlton streamlined the business by breaking down the work into “functional specialties,” such as design, pricing, ordering and project management. “We’ve taken advantage of the personalities of our staff that work well with each of those jobs,” he said.

During the boom years Houlton expanded the company by adding showrooms in Naples and Sarasota. Then the housing bubble forced him to take another hard look at the company.
He renegotiated showroom leases and developed exclusive relationships with manufacturers. He had the company’s Web site redone to improve search engine optimization and began reaching out to interior decorators, architects and real estate professions for leads on potential customers.

“We are always looking to develop other networks,” he said.

Outside Help:

About a year ago Houlton also began working with John Lankford at ActionCoach Pinellas, which develops marketing, training and other management strategies. A key in the master plan they developed is improving the sales system, including nearly 200 hours of staff training over 10 months.

Houlton estimated that up to 30 percent of smaller cabinetry companies in Florida have gone out of business during the recession.

“We focus on the job we do well,” he said. “Our sweet spot is middle to high-end kitchen design. I am not competing with Home Depot or Lowe’s.”

Houlton has avoided mission creep, such as selling ancillary products and services.

AlliKristé does not offer customer financing. Most of its clients write checks against their credit lines.

The company is not carrying any significant debt, Houlton said.

So even as the economy sputters, AlliKristé recently opened a showroom in Jacksonville and plans expand into Orlando early next year.

“There are plenty of opportunities to increase market penetration,” he said. “We can grow our business even if the economy stays flat. There’s a certain flight to quality even in tough times.”

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Bill Stack shares infomation about how best to manage your time with clear vision and goals. 

As we begin our look at time management, it only makes sense to start with the end in mind. Why is that important? Simply put - if you do not have a clear vision or goals in life or in business - then time management really becomes pointless.

Developing the right mindset and proper attitude sets the stage for creating effective time management habits and disciplines. Many of us feel chaos in our lives because we have not established the fundamental disciplines of time management. Some feel they are "cursed" with poor time management habits and have decided it's a hopeless quest to change them. You have to first believe your situation can change and that you have the power to overcome your ingrained habits. Once you have a firm desire and make the conscious decision to get control of your time, you will then be open and prepared to learn and embrace the key disciplines and tools of effective time management. Time management, like any learned habit, typically will take at least three weeks to develop and then many months and years to refine until you master the discipline.

Another necessary element to develop effective time management is vision. I know many people (and I'm sure you do as well) that waste so much precious time because they have little sense of purpose and vision. Therefore, they are content to live life, day to day, taking what comes and missing the possibilities that exist. Clarity is the most important concept when it comes to vision and personal productivity. The key reason why some people achieve more in a day than others (all things being equal) is due to the fact that they have complete clarity on their goals and objectives and don't deviate from them. The discipline of clarity prevents procrastination and provides the focus and motivation that propels individuals to reach their dreams.

Let's define vision. Vision can be described as your ideal state (for your life, business, career, etc.) in 10, 20, 30 years and beyond. You should be able to picture this vision with absolute clarity and describe it with precise detail. The more clarity you have with your vision, the more motivation you will have in your life.

Having this clear vision will help you determine what you must do today in order to achieve what you want tomorrow. Once you have established a clear vision, it's now imperative to develop the goals that will help you achieve that vision. While vision is the destination, goals are the short and long-term milestones along the path that get you closer and closer to achieving your ultimate vision.

Much has been written and said about goal setting, but here is a simple and effective process for setting goals:

1. Decide exactly what you want. Be specific and write it   down on paper. The very act of  writing down a goal significantly increases the likelihood that you will achieve it.

2. Make your goals measurable. Your goals should have clear metrics for their achievement. For example, a goal to "become the best salesperson" is a nice goal, but how do you measure "best"? To make this goal measurable, it could be restated in the following way, "I will achieve $1,000,000 in gross sales revenue, helping me reach the   top sales position in the company."

3. Set a deadline for your goals. This will help you overcome the human tendency to procrastinate and will exert some pressure for you to stay on task.

4. Make a list. Write down everything you must do to achieve each goal, including any activities, strategies, decisions, milestones, etc.

5. Finally, develop an action plan from the list of activities and immediately take action on your plan. Resolve to do something every day to get you closer to your goals. Clearly  written goals will have a powerful effect on your thinking and will motivate you into action.

They act as the "guiding lights" to keep you on task, using your time in the most efficient manner possible.

Find out how you can change the way you do business to achieve the results you deserve! Contact us now.

A Performance Management System is the glue that bonds employee performance to a company’s mission. When fully leveraged, it aligns employees at every level with the organization’s key business goals. 

Just how should a Performance Management System used?  Let’s break down a company’s annual cycle into three major sections that together provide the framework to gain employee commitment, align them with the company mission, and measure both individual and bottom-line results.

STEP 1: Setting Expectations

• CEO and/or board finalizes the strategic direction and goals for the coming year
• CEO communicates the organizational goals to all direct reports
• CEO meets one-on-one with all direct reports to reach agreement on their department or division goals and priorities for the coming year
• Division or department manager meets one-on-one with all direct reports
• Front line manager meets with all direct reports to discuss and finalize their individual goals for the coming year

STEP 2: Coaching and Feedback

• Conduct a mid-year review after six months with employees
• Review performance to make sure goals are being met
• Offer coaching and feedback in a timely manner
• Make sure feedback and coaching are effective

STEP 3: Year-End Review

• Providing regular coaching and throughout the year will avoid surprising feedback
• It’s critical that team’s performance mirrors individuals
• Keep Performance Management simple so its effective
• Long-term viability and profitably will be your results

 Find out how you can change the way you do business to achieve the results you deserve! Contact us now.