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Quickstart - Winning at the Business OSCARS?
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Quickstart
Grow a Profitable Consultancy and Still Have Time for a Life
In this issue
Note from Beverley - Your Own Boardroom?
One Step Further - Winning at the Business OSCARS?
Personal Reflections - Putting Up With Tolerations - Why?
Note from Beverley
A few clients and contacts have asked me if I know of a "business support" group that is not networking per sae and offers something more. In effect something that challenges them, supports them and offers guidance and advice with accountability. I said that apart from the Academy of Chief Executives I didn't and that got me thinking. I wonder if there is a need and so can I ask for your thoughts?
Would you be interested in something that creates an environment where business leaders/owners/executives can
* Learn from each other
* Support each other
* Create value for each other
* Create more than they could by themselves
* Be challenged and provoked to stretch themselves personally and professionally
* Actively contribute their learning, talents and experience for the benefit of themselves and their colleagues
In effect have your own Boardroom. If this is of interest what would it need to look like for you to want to participate? What would you be willing to invest? and how might you and others contribute? Let me know and we could have the start of something new and valuable
Have a good week.
Beverley
bev@onestepfurther.co.uk
www.onestepfurther.co.uk
+44 (0)1258 817647
One Step Further
The Business OSCARs: Best Actor or Best Director?
In the glamour world of running your own business consultancy you may think that the glory prize is best actor. In fact the real success goes to best director and here's why.
Firstly, independent business consultants (IBC) have often worked for medium to large organisations in which they held functional roles for example, HR manager, marketing director or IT project manager, which contributed to the bigger picture of their organisation.
They then decide that they want to have more of a say and set up their own business, offering consultancy in their functional speciality.
Their thinking is "I’ll just do what I've been doing for my company, except I'll do it for other people and have more freedom. As an "actor" in my own business I will be in control and run the show."
Secondly, consultants believe that simply telling people about their knowledge and expertise will
a) generate profitable business and keep the business profitable and
b) automatically give them the freedom they dreamt of whilst working for someone else.
Or "I'll just do my own PR"
So what's wrong with that?
Well newsflash!! What you do is not your consultancy. A successful movie is not just about the actors.
What you do is your service, product or offering. Your consultancy is a business: it's the systems, processes and general infrastructure that support you to deliver what you do.
On any movie the actors are only a small part of what makes the movie a winner. There are producers, carpenters, gaffers, lighting people and caterers all working together to make the movie. There are then editors, musicians, graphic designers, special effects people and researchers that play their part in order to complete a movie. Then there are the marketing, PR and distributors that show off the movie and bring it to the movie screens
It's the same for a consultancy. There is a complete business infrastructure that needs to be in place before during and after the "delivery" of your service, in order for your consultancy to achieve constant and consistent profitability.
And who therefore is key - the director. As an IBC you can play all of these roles or work with others. The point is the delivery of your service is only part of what will make your business a success.
So what additional considerations does this mean for your business?
* How best can you assemble a cast that will deliver for you?
* What do you need to consider as the director of your own consultancy?
* How can you produce a winning script with actors and backroom boys all aiming to produce an award winning production>
Put yourself up for best director and I'll see your name in lights!.
Personal Reflections
I don't know about you but I've been thinking recently that there are some things in my personal and professional life that I have been tolerating for too long; some things that I put up with and I'm not sure why. These range from the bottom of my garden which needs something (not sure what yet) doing to it, to my back which is getting worse and worse and a back log of admin which is staring at my over my desk. Why?
Why do we put up with these things when they get us down, get us frustrated and in extreme cases affect our physical and emotional wellbeing? What is that stops us addressing those things that are like the buzzing mosquito you can't see!
Well I've decided enough is enough so
1. Advice sought for ideas for my garden
2. Appointment booked with my physio to get my back sorted
3. A deadline for putting the back log of admin to bed - Wednesday evening.
And you know what it was easy once I set my mind to it. In fact it was all done in under 2 hours and yet it had been bothering me for weeks and in the case of my back months. In fact things had to get so bad with my back that my sleep was being affected (for those that know me that is the ultimate no no as I really need my sleep!)
So what are you tolerating? What are those things that are playing on your mind and distracting you physically and/or emotionally from focusing on the good stuff?
And so what are you going to do about it?
Best Regards
Bev
bev@onestepfurther.co.uk
www.onestepfurther.co.uk
+44 (0)1258 817647 |
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