Monday, December 29, 2014

Planning to Grow Your Small Business in 2015?

Mission matters: What’s your why?  Employees need to know why your company does what it does in order to engage effectively. Do you have a mission statement and do your employees know what it is? The mission should be prominently posted, (multi-lingual, if necessary), simply stated, and easy to memorize, like this one from Starbucks: 

To inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time.
People need to feel connected to the bigger picture of why they come to work each day. They need to feel like their individual contribution matters. 

Technology matters: Don’t take things for granted. What's been working for years may not work anymore.Technology is a game-changer. If you don’t progress, you are regressing. If another company can do it better and faster for less, you will be out of business. Make sure you have the most current system you can afford.

Productivity matters: Most companies hire too quickly and fire too slowly. Which employees would you hire again today knowing what you know now? Mediocre employees make everyone else’s job more difficult and, as a result, may actually drive your top producers away. Your best employees will actually be relieved when ineffective employees are let go, and those on the borderline will take notice.


Networking matters: Networking is not like speed-dating. It's about carefully building solid relationships. Identify a half-dozen relationships you need to nurture in 2015 in order to grow your business.  The conversation should begin with what you can do for them. It can be as simple as making an introduction for them. If you take action to help someone grow their business, most likely, they will return the favor.  

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