KickStart: “Success breeds complacency. Complacency breeds failure…” Andrew Grove, CEO of Intel
During his eleven years(1987-1998) as CEO at Intel, Andy Grove used his absolute hatred of “business complacency” to rocket Intel’s value by 4,500%! (From $4 billion to $197 billion!) But now let’s talk about you and your residential services business…
KickStart: “I have just one day, today, and I’m going to be happy in it.” Groucho Marx
So, have you found your “Happy Place” as a Home Services business? (And life?) Your biggest “Happy Place Choice” in our residential services industry is…
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…
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…
KickStart: Get your entire company focused on their ‘Triple A’s’ (Appearance, Actions and Attitude) and profits will soar!
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?
KickStart: BEFORE you diversify into a new service STOP🛑 and ponder on Steve’s ‘8 Introspective Questions’!
di·ver·si·fy: “enlarge or vary the range of services or products of a business.”
Hmmmm… does diversifying sound good? Maybe. As with so many undecided business questions, “It all depends.” Above all else one not-so-simple question…
KickStart: When you honestly don’t know what to do… WAIT!
Motivational 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!)
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!👍👍
“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…
KickStart: STOP🛑 consistently ‘over scheduling’! Instead, book employees (or you) for 75% of the day to have ‘troops in reserve’ for your inevitable overflow work.
Running a multi-crew, residential Home Services operation is not for the faint of heart! It’s a WAR out there! And as a business owner or manager you are the ‘commanding officer of your troops’! OR…
If you are a ‘Lone Wolf’ owner-operator it is even more important to not crash and burn out! Read on to learn how to avoid disaster…
All Home Services entrepreneurs are navigating murky (and very treacherous ) waters! Frankly, working with stressed out homeowners has always been ‘challenging’.🙄 But today…
When you add in increasing competition, the brutal hiring crisis (especially the shortage of front-line technicians) AND the ongoing issues of this stubborn COVID pandemic PANIC can strike! Is it time to… ABANDON SHIP?😲 No! However…
As a prudent ‘captain’ you should be making disaster preparations now while constantly looking downstream for both your business and your family. A good place to start?