The Alternative Board - East Valley

NEVER WORKED HARDER FOR SO LITTLE – Isn’t it a great opportunity?

We had an interesting conversation at one of our Alternative Board Meetings this past week. All 6 business owners and I agreed that we have never worked so hard for so little monetary reward. Is this all bad? Not at all. It is teaching us how to run better businesses, and developing new skill sets or improving on old ones. For example, many businesses in the Phoenix area relied solely on referrals. CPA’s, lawyers, and a whole host of professional services never had to look for business. The market has changed, and the ones that are learning how to develop business rather than wait for it to come to their door will survive. Another example is how much has been learned about cash management and cash flow. Small businesses never really worried about this aspect of business as long as sales were coming in, it hid all the mismanagement in cash. Monthly profit and loss statements were never looked at. We had some business owners, that could not tell you were their bottom line was in previous years. Now everyone is looking daily at their cash and trying to project forward. These are lessons learned that will never be forgotten after this economy turns around. At our monthly “think tank” meetings we discuss these and many other tactics to supporting each others business. If you are interested, please do not hesitate to contact me. Allan Himmelstein allanh@tab-eastvalley.com 480-656-3565

WHERE IS YOUR BUSINESS NOW AND WHERE IT IS GOING?

Difficult economic times call for ACTION.  One of the unseen challenges of small business owners is to know exactly where they stand with their customer, their employees, and consequently their business.  I do not know how many times I have asked business owner why they sell, and then ask one of their customers and get a completely different answer.  Honestly ask yourself the following questions: 

1. Is your management team in alignment with your Vision and Goals of the Company?
2. Is your organization aware of the factors which are critical to your success? 
3. What does your staff REALLY think about the direction of the company?
4. Do you really understand your companies Strengths and Weaknesses? 
5. Do your customers really KNOW what you do better than all your competitors, and do they pay for it? 

At The Alternative Board® we offer an on-line business assessment tool which will evaluate the company performance utilizing the input of yourself and key company employees.  We can also compare your results to those of companies with similar SIC codes.  It will give you an in-depth 360 degree snapshot of your business and will help you brainstorm ideas, create goals and strategies, and prioritize those areas most important in developing your business.  The key functional categories include:

Sales                                                                Operations

Marketing                                                          Corporate Finance

Planning                                                            Computer Technology

Customer Service                                               HR Procedures

Internal Communications                                    Employee Development

There are special sections for different company situations such as

Overseas Markets                                              Not for Profits

Time Management                                             Retail

Manufacturing                                                    Distribution

Planning to sell

 

Call to Action: If you are in the metropolitan Phoenix area and would like a complimentary TAB Business Vantage assessment plus a one hour face to face debriefing of the report please give me a call at 480-656-3565 or e-mail me at allanh@tab-scottsdalenorth.com .

 

 

Better Communication - A Key to Growing Your Business

Throughout time miscommunication has always been a problem. Today, with the advent of e-mails, texting, and voicemails, miscommunication has become dramatically worse. We have more communication and greater misinterpretation. People are more likely to avoid face to face confrontations and difficult discussions, and rely on e-mails and voicemails. In these difficult times, where fear and security in companies is prevalent, clear communications understanding, and empathy are vital in growing your business. At The Alternative Board, we encourage open communication among business owners. This requires strong interaction,confidentiality, respect, and commitment. We use TABenos to assure that the egos are checked at the door. TABenos is derived from the Greek word “temenos" meaning: “A sacred palace in Greek Mythology where warriors felt so safe, they could take off their armor. We ask two basic points: 1. What characteristics have to be present for you to feel totally safe, so safe you can be completely honest and open with those around you? 2. What does your armor look like? That is, how do you defend yourself? How can the group recognize it, so that it does not impede further communication? There is a list of approximately 200 behaviors and attitudes under these two points. This is a great group exercise. If you are interested in getting more information, call me. DON’T e-mail. LETS TALK.