successful company

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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The Insidious Danger of “Displacement Activities” – Part I

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KickStart: Don’t waste precious business time on non-important busy work.

Maybe Fyodor Dostoevsky said it best 143 years ago, “Above all, don’t lie to yourself.” And yes, our Home Services industry is full of hard-working entrepreneurs who are lying to themselves.😥

“Say what, Steve?” Here’s the deal. Everyone “fritters away” time. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing- we all need down time to relax and recharge.😎 But when we fool (lie to) ourselves we may fall into what I call…

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Why (and How to) Focus On 3 Essential Business Areas

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KickStart: man·​age ˈma-nij To direct with a degree of skill. 

small business owner focuses on prioritiesFinding a balance in business (and life) is an ongoing, moving target for most of us. Our shared Home Service Pro entrepreneurial challenge? Managing our OCD tendencies to not get distracted off into Displacement Activities!🙄 Instead, you must focus ONLY on the high-profit, “important stuff”.

True Confession Time: I still find myself going down obsessive rat holes while wasting enormous time on pursuits that add nothing to my happiness, relationships or even my financial net worth!🤔 (You’d think I would have learned by now!)😲

Remember, your residential services company is an incredibly fragile creature. This means as a service business owner or manager you must…

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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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Are You Known for Your Humility?😲

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KickStart: Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less. C. S. Lewis

I’ll admit it. When I started my first Home Services business I was a cocky, proud and yet insecure jerk!😲 (My dear wife is saying right now, “So Steve, you think you’ve changed over the last 50 years?”)🤔 Hmmmmm…

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How to Keep Great Home Service Employees from Leaving

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KickStart: “There are two things people want more than sex and money: recognition and praise.” Mary Kay Ash, Founder of Mary Kay Ash Cosmetics

I count four very strong “wants” (desires) in Mary Kay’s quote above. And yet, I’m guessing YOUR #1 business desire/ want/ need is finding committed, hardworking and (most of all) reliable employees!

This ongoing recruiting quest for quality workers is brutal in today’s hiring crisis. But wait! You likely already have these reliable employees… already working for you!👍👍

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Here’s WHY Homeowners Blow Up on Contractors … With No Warning!

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Miguel Cervantes quoteKickStart: “Forewarned, forearmed; to be prepared is half the victory” Miguel Cervantes

Normally you’ll find me commiserating with the poor owners (and managers) of residential service companies. (This can be a tough business!)

But let’s save some pity for your front-line workers! After all, every day they’re walking into the “minefield” of a customer’s home!😲

“A minefield, Steve? Seriously?” Too dramatic for you? Then think on this: The dictionary says a minefield is: “Any area filled with hidden explosive devices.” 

Hmmmm…🤔 So, are your client’s homes “filled with hidden explosive devices”? Absolutely! Think how often your employees (or you) get bushwhacked by a homeowner “blowing up” with zero warning and for no apparent reason! (The stories I could share!)🙄

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Clearly Defining Your Home Service Client’s Expectations

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KickStart: ‘Clearly defined expectations’ are the basis for all successful relationships.(Including with your homeowner clients.)

This KickStart quote above is a one-size-fits-all principle to guide your business and just maybe… your life!💖 (After all, you have a myriad of ‘ongoing relationships’.) But today, let’s focus on molding your business relationship with each residential customer…

complicated service client relationshipI know. You’re thinking, “Steve, I’m not marrying my homeowner clients! I don’t care about a ‘relationship’.  Honestly? All I want is to a) do the job, b) get paid and c) get on to the next job!”

I get it but SORRY! It just doesn’t work that way!👎 To be truly successful in any Home Services business you MUST focus on each homeowner’s relationship with you AND your workers! Here’s why:

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