Building a Better Business

There are a magnitude of ways to build a better business and become a better business owner each and every day. Ultimately, the goal is to take steps to doing both of these things each day so that your entrepreneurial journey keeps moving forward. We’ve collected tips to add to your bag of tricks, listed for you below. So, take them with you, and go boldly!

“Try new strategies, often. When your business has been around for a while, it becomes easy to fall into patterns of doing things the same way because you always have done it that way. Don’t just be open to change, seek it out.” -Vanessa Nornberg (source: Inc.com)

“Call on a mentor. Every business owner needs a cadre of mentors to call on, and especially those who have experienced growth and learned how to manage it well. These relationships have helped us stay calm and focused as our company has grown and changed. There’s nothing more comforting than sitting across the table from someone who can say, ‘Don’t worry, I remember when I was there,’ and who can also tell a useful, sometimes funny, story about muddling through the same situation and making it out alive.” -Anthony Shop (course: yfsentrepreneur.com)

“Get clear on your business and your personal priorities, and make sure the two align. Write down your priorities and have them visible somewhere where you will see them several times a day. Even if you’re not consciously reading them, your mind will still subconsciously absorb them.” -Tony Chapman (source: sararedman.com)

“Have a life outside of your business. Spending too much time focused on any single interest will almost always lead to hitting mental walls. Leading a balanced life – taking time for interests outside of work – means exposing yourself to a diverse range of mental stimuli (you never know what might trigger a great idea), and giving your work brain the rest it needs to be focused.” -Forbes Magazine (source: forbes.com)

“Set goals and look for early wins. Identifying and then taking small steps to reach your goals will enable you to generate positive, ongoing momentum in the right direction. If you want to close more sales, for instance, try scheduling specific time blocks to pick up the phone and call the people you’ve been meaning to call, write the people you’ve been meaning to write, and schedule the meetings you’re not getting to because you’re too busy reacting to fires. Don’t forfeit this scheduled time to other things that pop up.” -Doug Brown (source: hartfordbusiness.com)

You can take these recommendations to the bank. What other tips do you have for building a better business?

Here’s to the skipper

It’s not every day you get to have a skipper in your city like we did in Jim Leyland. The man is not only a baseball magician, but he is a class act. He may not always hold his tongue, but his fire is part of his flair. Though the ALCS didn’t end the way we all hoped it would, Leyland is and will continue to exude the characteristics of a great leader. While he won’t hold the post of manager anymore, he will certainly positively impact the next role he fills in Detroit.

Two qualities that every leader should have really stand out when you think about Leyland’s career and persona: inspiration and focus.

He inspired his players and he showed care and compassion for not just their play, but their lives. In an article on MLB.com’s Jason Beck, Don Kelly was quoted as saying, “It’s one of those things, he really cares deeply about his players. When you go out there, the way he treats you, you want to run tough a wall for him, go out there and get a win. That’s the way he treated me, he treated everybody like that.”

Inspiration makes a difference, and it’s something that is required daily in a team setting.

Leyland focused on the process and the end goal. Former Tigers coach Andy Van Slyke said of Leyland, “The great thing about playing for Jim Leyland is that he doesn’t care about winning and losing. I’m not saying he accepts losing. But his emphasis has always been on effort and preparation, and if you have that, you can go to bed at night.”

Focus is key. If you lose focus in leadership, in business, in any type of design process, you’ll be at a loss. Leyland certainly instilled this in his players.

He will go on to continue to support and grow the Tigers organization, and the team and our city will be better off for it. After all, as entrepreneurs, we know the importance of having a strong, able leader to guide the way, whether in sports, business or the pursuit we are on in each of our walks of life. Here’s to the skipper!

Photo courtesy: toledoblade.com

EO Detroit Member Spotlight: John Anderson, Owner of CEO Advisors, LLC

What would you say are the top three skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur?
1. A clear and compelling purpose for yourself and your business
2. Personal discipline in how you manage your time and priorities
3. Perseverance

How do you generate new ideas?
I generate ideas through daily journaling and annual retreats including, “Executive Wisdom Quest.”

Name one business failure and what have you learned from it?
A few other entrepreneurs and I launched a business with a great idea, but we were all strategic thinkers (idea guys). We lacked someone who could both focus daily on the business and execute the specifics of the plan. As a result, the assigned president never fully engaged and was unable to execute the plan through the startup phase, and we lost interest in funding the growth any further. There were a few other learning opportunities, because I don’t believe one thing contributes to the success or failure of a business. This was certainly a key learning element that I took away.

What is your greatest business fear, and how do you manage it?
My greatest fear is that I am not creating enough value for my clients and they will discontinue using my services. I manage it by continually sharpening my saw through learning and asking how I might generate additional value for my clients. Additionally, I have a clear personal and professional plan for my life (a personal and professional BHAG) that allows me to be confident about my long term future when I have short-term swings in my 90 day and/or one-year plan.

How do you define success?
The Dale Carnegie quote, “Success is getting what you want and happiness is wanting what you get,” sums up my belief. I think it is balancing the priorities in your life so the ride is smooth regardless if you are comfortably cruising along or going like a bat out of hell.

What has been your most satisfying moment in business?
Today! If I fail to enjoy this moment I will either regret the past or be overly consumed trying to control the outcome of tomorrow.

What is one thing that no one knows about you?
I am not sure there is anything my forum table of 17 years or my family doesn’t know.

Excluding yours, what company or business do you admire the most?
Southwest Airlines.

What is your favorite EO memory?
My favorite memory is launching the chapter back in 1996, simply because it is an experience that keeps on renewing by the growth of the chapter and global.

What is your favorite thing about Detroit?
My favorite thing is that Detroit is one of the birthplaces of entrepreneurism in our country and that the spirit still is alive today. Don’t give up on Detroit. We are perseverant.

In one word, characterize your life as an entrepreneur.
Purpose.

Contact Information

Company Name: CEO Advisors, LLC
Website: http://www.theceoadvantage.com

Entrepreneurship Is

This statement was originally made by a student in Warren G. Tracy’s class. It is a statement that was wise beyond the years of the student. You consider the student mentality and what they are thinking about on a daily basis, and the first thing you would think of probably wouldn’t be the fact that they are going to have to sacrifice and incredible amount of time and energy on building something that will last forever. You’d probably think they were thinking about what’s going on at the local pub this Friday. This student, however, thought beyond that.

It’s important that we keep this thought in mind when starting and growing a business. You work with all your might, all your passion and all you have to create something that you believe in, so that you can find the right people who will work alongside of you, because they believe in it, too. Then, you find the right audience to serve, because they not only desire what you are creating – they need it; they believe in it.

When this thought is played out, work is not work, but rather, it is passion. Let your passion rule and believe in what you are doing today. Whether they are all in place right now or not, there either are or will be a cloud of individuals and then masses who will allow the single idea you believed in to set the world on fire.

Go. Make something happen.