planning

The Insidious Danger of “Displacement Activities”- Part II

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KickStart: I’m a slow walker, but I never walk backwards. Abraham Lincoln

As Home Service Business owners we’re often our own worst enemy. I call these “Displacement Activities” “Entrepreneurial Attention Deficit Disorder”!🤪 (Most business owners are blessed [cursed?] with a frenetic, almost manic energy/curiosity!)

Me? I would have driven good, old Honest Abe nuts! (As I did my long-suffering wife Sioux!) Both in business and personally I ran (not just  walked) forward, backwards, and much of the time in meandering energy and time-wasting detours!😥

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How NOT to Conduct a Service Staff Meeting!

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KickStart: “If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself.” – Henry Ford

overwhelmed home services business owner

If only for the sake of your aching back (not to mention your own Personal Freedom) I sincerely hope your Home Services Business (HSB) is more than a “group of one”! If so, you need to meditate on Mr. Ford’s sage observation above!

By far the biggest challenge you will ever face as a residential services entrepreneur will be recruiting, hiring, onboarding, training, motivating and managing employees. Am I “preaching to the choir” here?🤔 However…

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Program in “PMOT’s” to Consistently Make Homeowner Cheerleaders!

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KickStart: “Any time a customer comes into contact with any aspect of a business, however remote, is an opportunity to form an impression with a Moment of Truth.”  Jan Carlzon, Moments of Truth (1985)

Way back in the 1980’s this “Moment of Truth”(MOT) concept transformed my life! (Thanks, Jan!) Click HERE to review why MOT’s are so very important in our Home Services industry.

Of course, it’s easy to say: “Great idea, Steve!”👍 And then go back to putting out fires and/or planning your next trip to Disney World!😲 Instead, I urge you to…

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What is the ‘Primary Purpose’ of your Home Services Business?

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KickStart: Examine building a Critical Mass Business to bring you the elusive ‘Personal Freedom’!

We’ve recently discussed the why and how of creating a work atmosphere that is 1) safe, 2) sane, and 3) stable. (More important than ever in these CRAZY TIMES!) However…

While happy, engaged and committed workers are incredibly important they shouldn’t be the Primary Purpose of your business. NOTE: Please don’t focus ONLY on ‘getting big’. After all, I’ve consulted with Home Service entrepreneurs who have 100’s of employees and are totally enslaved by their business!

Of course, I (of all people) am a big fan of money! After all, I tell every class, “All things being equal… it is better to have more money than no money!” Why? Because financial success is a tool- to help others and bring you (and your family) freedom! (More on this in a bit.) But first, a warning…

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How a 3-letter Acronym Can Transform your Business!

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KickStart: Get your entire company focused on their ‘Triple A’s’ (Appearance, Actions and Attitude) and profits will soar!

progressing home service contractor

I admit it. I truly love inventing acronyms for routine daily activities. (This drives Sioux nuts!)🙄 But my staff used abbreviations in my residential services business all the time. For example…

We invented and implemented a PDS (Production Day Sheet), IQC (Immediate Quality Check calls) and an EEB (Employee Efficiency Bonus program), etc. You get the idea, right?

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In Praise of Creative Procrastination!

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KickStart: When you honestly don’t know what to do… WAIT!

motivation to get movingMotivational speakers constantly exhort you to “git ‘er done” and “get moving”! But since Steve Toburen isn’t a ‘goo-roo’ I’ll remind you that sometimes ‘Procrastination Pays’! Say what, Steve?😲

Yep, when I’m honestly perplexed on what to do going forward I’ll engage in what I call…

‘Creative Procrastination’: Waiting on events (or just plain ‘serendipity’) to show you the next step.

Let me be clear on what Creative Procrastination (CP) is NOT! CP doesn’t mean slacking off and then complaining that a) the economy is bad, b) competition is too fierce or c) there are too many ‘Price Shoppers’ out there! (Our industry is full of excuses like these and so many more!)

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Avoiding the ‘Road In-Between’ as a Service Contractor

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KickStart: Build a big(ger) company OR stay small (both business models work) but do NOT stay long-term ‘In-Between’!

Few things in life can bring more joy than creating your very own business. For me, my residential Critical Mass Business gave my employees better lives, Personal Freedom for my family and a very nice income too!👍👍

freedom in retirement“Personal Freedom, Steve?” Absolutely! I remind my clients that ‘the freedom to live your life as you wish’ is the New Wealth!😎 And yes, the Home Services industry can provide you with unlimited ‘Life Options’ going forward IF you ‘do it right’! On the other hand…

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