Feedback is Real-Time: Don’t take a critique personal and Don’t be afraid to try.

Two things that limit the human mind are fear and ego. We fear way too many things and we all tend to take people and the things they say very personal. This has been a struggle for me for quite some time and it usually keeps me from growing in the area that I most want to develop.

I hate saying "Darn my ego killed the learning process again".

How are these two emotions affecting you and your company's growth?

As small business owners, we are now in a position with the web and its different marketing, media, and business strategies to develop some strong relationships with not only are local economies, but the world as a whole. Our communications are no longer burdened by borders, languages, and in most cases governments.  We as business owners are liberated from the old ways of marketing and advertising our niche. Please “Do not fear” if you don’t try you are unable to learn and experience these new tools available for all.

Social media in all its forms can be a challenging road for most companies. Consumers are at the helm of the conversation, yet we have an opportunity for real feedback and engagement. We need to be open to our customers critique, they are responses to our products and services and how they are being perceived in the marketplace.  Priceless information if you can get your ego out of the way and grow from the good and bad responses to what you’re bringing to the world.

This doesn’t negate our responsibilities to act safely on the web. Seek out good policies for your staff and have a good code of ethics for how your company will respond and converse on the internet. Even if the policy is designed just for one, it can be a good guidepost for your company image. Also without being paralyzed by fear understand your privacy setting for each tool your using to communicate your message. There are many You Tube videos, webinars, and seminars that will help you understand these settings.

Bottom line: Be you and be open. Feedback is now real-time and fear of the internet and new media will keep you from an exciting adventure traveling the world marketplace.  Enjoy the journey!

Core: What is your company mission statement really saying?

Sometimes when you read something, questions emerge that really, shake you up.  My brain has been working on overload trying to drill down to the core mission of our company and the true meaning of its existence. I have read some great blog post lately from @chrisbrogan http://bit.ly/cswlic and another from @respres http://ow.ly/1z6tG that started this journey. I am happy to report that as of today I have discovered the answer to the question. What does our company do?  

Seems like a harmless question, but it shouldn’t be some vague platitude or an all-encompassing mission statement.  It should be clean and sharp! What your company does is a definer. It should be simple yet deep as the ocean. It should be the solid inner core.

My challenge to all you small business owners is to look inward at your companies and get back to the basics. De-clutter your strategies and missions. Don’t try to do 10 things when one or two are really at the heart of your company’s strengths. Clearly state the essential mission of your company and then define it with reckless abandon to the rest of the world. Staying focused can have huge rewards.

Our Core: Business by Design - We are the “triage” for small business. We view each small business through the lens of what immediate actions we can take to restore its vitality and ensure a vibrant and healthy company future.

If I asked you, what your company does? How would you respond? How would one of your employees respond?

Adding Insight to Injury!

I have so enjoyed the journey of the last month! A broken wrist can do quite a number on your life and reflection can bring good insight.

Lessons sometimes have to be learned the hard way, breaking your wrist hurts but the healing process has really brought some quality improvements.

Here is my short list of lessons, from the school of hard knocks and fractures!

 #1 I had to depend on others a bunch in order to accomplish even the simplest tasks. This can be a humbling experience, not being able to open the pickle jar for your wife and instead asking your oldest daughter to help, does make a temporary dent in your masculinity. It also teaches you that others care and are willing to help; sometimes you just have to ask. We could all benefit from this, not as a tool of laziness, but as a proponent of collaboration. People like to help people, each person gains from the experience. My daughters love the opportunity to cook with my wife and I, and sometimes I have viewed that as "awe that's just going to take more time and energy", what am I crazy! Why would I want to rob them from the satisfaction of helping and learning? The nugget here is collaborate, involve others, it really is good for everyone.

 #2 My tragedy slowed me down enough to reinstate the direction off my life. Please do not go out and break something just so you can plot your life's purpose. I do however recommend that we all stop... slow down… and regain focus. Where are you going? How important are your loved ones? Where are you spending the most time? Are you passionate about what you're doing, or are you faking it? These questions should be addressed, and they have for me over the past month. A temporary halt to my woodworking profession has allowed me to get in touch even more deeply with my heart and desire to help small business owners grow and develop their business. Take time to get to know yourself and make sure your being true to that person in all your endeavors!

 #3 I read a ton. Reading and Discovering! This is my pitch to all you TV lovers out there; I know Dancing with the Stars is addictive. I have had shows too, that have sucked me in for the whole season. I have also turned off our TV and no one died. It has been off for 4 years now, and yes, we are all healthy, we stay plenty informed and cannot imagine how we could fit TV time into our lives anymore. We read! Reading books, blogs, trade journals and some just for pleasure. Books have really changed me, and my family and they can do the same for you. Never underestimate this powerful resource. Go ahead and try it! Readers are leaders!

 To add insult to injury is just making it worse. Although the past month has been tough financially, I also believe it could have served as the catalyst for an even brighter future.

 Have you had any similar experiences?

The scariest campfire story ever...

Do you remember being totally freaked, heart pounding, hair standing straight up while your eyes peer cautiously into the night? The glow of the campfire provides the only light separating you from the unknown. You know you’re safe, in fact, you know for certain that monsters aren’t real. Right? Yet, your mind keeps entertaining the “what if”. Is that the wind really?

Did I just feel something lightly touch the back of my neck?

Silence...shreak...then it grabs you! Aaaaaaaaaaahhhhh.!!!

That feeling, the emotion that a great story invokes in us, the sheer terror of it all, has now become your most valuable marketing tool. I am not talking about make-believe or stretching the truth. I’m referring to your business as a remarkable story that once heard is worth sharing over and over again. The art of telling a compelling story, one that your audience will hang on every word is now… ALIVE!!! The new way to tell that story is social media, and just like the scary campfire stories of our youth, the stories that stick are the businesses worth talking about!

Today you cannot tell a willy-nilly, average, run-of-the-mill story to your customers and expect them to listen. We don’t have time and we don’t care. You cannot run a 30-second commercial on television or a one-minute blurb on the radio when I'm listening to my iPod and using my TiVo to skip your message. The consumer rules the day now, nothing is force fed to us anymore (unless of course you’re a congressman) and we choose who we want to listen to. If your story is boring, we tune you out for good. My charge to all business owners including me is, be authentic and compelling. Build relationships not sales pitches. Let your customers know that you care so deeply for them, and just how passionate you are about being remarkable! We are all listening, thousands of tuned ears leaning forward, hearts pounding and waiting. Waiting to hear, the greatest campfire story ever   told. Be that story, and we will never forget it.

You don't have to bet the farm...Stop thinking old-school!

I have lived in a bubble in my thinking for some time now. What I thought was the only way, was really fear and a lack of information. I dreamed something really big, and I contained it. Because of Old-school thinking, I shelved that dream. 

There’s a subject that I’m totally stoked on - a mission, and for the last two years, I’ve done little but hold it all in. Bad idea, do not try this at home. What I should have been doing for the last two years, is this right here. By now you’re wondering what the heck I’m talking about. I’m talking about your passion! I’m talking about speaking what you’re most passionate about, what you’re totally stoked on. Developing relationships with others who are interested in your passions. Helping others grow, develop and engaging them in new ideas. You don’t need an office, or employees to start. You don’t even have to quit your day job. You definitely do not need to bet the farm, or cash in your life savings to get your best idea off the ground. You just need to be able to communicate to others and energize them with the thing you’re most excited about.

When I thought of The Business Dojo, I thought building, staff, guest speakers, inventory, and invest everything. Don’t get me wrong The Business Dojo will still be the coolest place on earth for small business owners to come train, develop, strategize, and spar with the best minds in the business. Someday down the road that dream can come true. Then I realized, why am I waiting. Why am I holding inside this desire to help and work side-by-side with fellow entrepreneurs and business owners. Just because I don’t have a physical location to do it? Forget that!, Start now, we can help each other now. We don’t have to wait and you shouldn’t have to either.

The world of blogs, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, and so on are your platforms. Here is your community, there are people here who are ready to help, and there are people who need your help. There are people here who are just as passionate and excited about your endeavor as you are. This technology, is now bringing us closer. We know more about each other, the things we love and the things we hate. The political views we follow, the causes we support and everything else in between. Use it, use this new power of social interaction to allow you the freedom to tell the world about what drives you! You’ll find out real soon that you’re not alone. When your community grows big enough and your ready to open a physical store or company headquarters you won’t be advertising struggling to find interested patrons. You’ll be having a barn raising party! Your community will rally together to support and help you flourish because their your friends and biggest fans. So what’s your deal? What makes you tick and why are you not telling us about it already?