2015 - The good, the bad, the ugly

I always like to reflect back on my business year, note the lessons learned and what I would do differently next year.

So here’s the good – (the brilliant actually.)

1.            An element of surprise wins the day.
People are still talking about Liz Radzick’s entrance to the Journey 2 Success conference (carried on a stretcher by four hunky firemen).  It was an amazing day and Liz set the stage.  Now who knows what she’ll do next yearJ

2.            Women want practical skills, delivered through hands-on training.
We started to deliver Yes You Can… one-day sessions on a specific topic where the women left with new skills, all set and ready to go.   

3.            When you let go and listen to new ideas, your business can soar. 

 We now have eight chapters and I am really wowed by my team this year.  They’re keen, capable women, all committed to helping women succeed.  Just watch this space for new stuff “coming to a neighbourhood near you.”

4.            Making soup is another way to network.
Who knew? What started as a casual conversation about making soup, turned into two classes on how to do it.  It was fun and the conversations fascinating as a diverse group of women connected over a meal they’d made together. 

5.            The brain cells are still working
I managed to get away to attend two conferences in the US.  Learning always fuels me, even if it takes me time to filter and implement what I have learned.

6.            I love, love, love interviewing and writing women’s stories.
Doing the interviews for the One Red Lipstick was for me a personal high. Not only did I enjoy hearing the stories, but I loved that I was able to help the women best articulate what they wanted to say.

The bad (well not that bad)

7.            Not practicing what I preach.
I’ve always said that we need to deliver what our customers want, rather than what we want to offer or think they need, and I still think it’s true.  But it struck me that I wasn’t strictly sticking to my rule this year. 

We haven’t offered as many evening events as in the past.  Why?  When I dig deep, it was because I didn’t want to work evenings.  There, said it.  My focus was on what I wanted, not the customers.  Wrong. 

8.            It’s not all about me
With my new team, that will change, because there’s another lesson deep in this, it’s not all about me.  I don’t have to attend every event (even if I could).

9.            We’re a last minute society
Late registrations are the bane of any event planners existence and cause endless stress, and it seems to be getting worse.  Just as you think you may have to cancel, the last minute gals sign up and suddenly you have a sold out crowd!    

The ugly (the tough stuff)

10.        Life is fragile.
On a personal note, we’ve had a sudden death and serious illness within our extended family, which makes everything else pale in comparison.  Unfortunately as we get older, there will be more of this, but you never get immune to the sadness it brings.

So what’s my main takeaway from the year?   I’ve built a business that doesn’t need me 24/7.  It can tick along beautifully with the team I have in place,  which enables me to turn more of my energies to writing and publishing books.

It’s been a year of transition, with key lessons on letting go, listening and learning.

So how about you?  What were the lessons, highlights, low points in your year?  When you take the time to reflect back, there are lessons to be gleaned if you are open to learn. And trust me, we can all learn.  I for one am a lifelong learner.

Business lessons from the election

Like most Canadians, I am so glad this LONG election is over.  It became quite grueling at the end.  But, having said that, there were several business lessons to be gleaned from the whole process.

1.    The underdog sometimes wins

It was like David vs. Goliath in that right from the start, Trudeau was viewed as the long shot, “not ready” to quote the advertising campaigns. And compared to the big budgets of the Conservative party, the Liberal and NDP Parties were the poor cousins and had less to spend on their campaigns.  Yet, the Liberals won.

So in small business terms, it is a bit like us competing for a contract against a larger company.  Who’s to say we won’t win it.  Being smaller means we can be more nimble and flexible to the requirements and are used to achieving much with a small budget.

2.    Attitude matters

Regardless of your political stripe, I suspect you may agree that some of the campaigns were negative and divisive, focusing on what their competitors were not and their perceived short-comings, and spending less time on their vision and what they’d actually do for the country.

In business when we bad-mouth our competitors, we are actually saying a lot about ourselves.  And not good stuff either.  Staying professional is key.  Sometimes it is what is not said, that speaks volumes.  When we focus on what we offer, we stay on track and are not distracted by what our competitors may be doing.

3.    Listen.  Listen hard.

It pays to listen to your electorate and understand their issues as well as involving members of your team.

Likewise, when you listen to your customers, you get a better sense of what they need and want, and can deliver.  Involving your team, means they also have a vested interest in your success and can bring fresh ideas and perspectives to the situation.  

4.    Be open and transparent

That means being willing to answer questions, even difficult ones.  Open dialogue goes a long way to building a relationship, and that in turn leads to trust.  And trust means you stand a better chance of getting the business or in the case of the election, getting the vote.

The Liberal Party got our votes.  They got the business – the business of running our country.  With all the world issues and global meetings coming up, they are going to have to hit the road running, and as small business owners we know what that’s like. 

We also know what it is like when the stakes are high and you are scrambling to meet the deadlines; to deliver the goods.  So let’s cut them some slack.  Let’s have realistic expectations on what can and can’t be done straight away.  

Yes, most of us wanted change, but just like any trip, it’s better to have studied the map first so you get the lay of the land and know where you are headed, rather than heading off in the wrong direction.  

Congratulations to all the newly elected MPs.  Thank you for taking on this important responsibility.  

Game.Set. Match. Business lessons from Wimbledon

Photo courtesy of Danilo Rizzuti

Wimbledon is a special place for me.  It’s not just about the tennis, but I went to high school, lived and got married there.  

So the fact that my recent visit back to the UK just so happened to coincide with Wimbledon tennis, made the trip even more special.

In the past I have written about the business lessons to be gleaned from Wimbledon and this year, was no exception. 

Being loud doesn’t win you fans

My main observation this year was that more and more players are grunting their way through their game.  To the point where, frankly it became irritating and a real turn off.

Maria Sharapova, in particular, makes a noise that is reportedly over 100 decibels.  In the UK papers, viewers were saying that they put the sound on mute, so they could watch the game in peace. Not a bad idea.

One tennis player observed that the grunting distracted the opponent too, drowning out the sound of the ball, so it was impossible to judge the spin and timing.

From a business perspective, I am sure many of us can think of unhappy clients who shout and complain loudly about whatever irks them, but does that work?  I suspect not.  Just as in the tennis world, it certainly doesn’t win you any fans.

Expect the unexpected

Fortunately there wasn’t much rain this year, but when it did come, the play had to stop and for some players the interruption took them off their stride, as they waited for the roof to go up.  But as John McEnroe observed, that’s part of the game and you have to deal with it.

Just as in business, there are bound to be curve balls that come your way, and it is how prepared and ready you are to deal with them, that is key.

How you lose says much about you

As in any sport, there are winners and losers and how you accept your losses says a lot about you.  In particular I am thinking of Roger Federer.  He is such a class act.  Always professional, always the gentleman.  We could all learn from him.

David vs. Goliath

On a positive note, it was lovely to see some new and young players get through to the quarter and semi finals, especially a Canadian.  These newbies have nothing to lose, and so play some of their best tennis against the icons of the tennis world.

Likewise, as small business owners we can compete with the big guys and not let ourselves be intimidated. We have a right to be in the game, and who knows, we could just win.

Are you tapping at the right window?

For the past three weeks a small yellow bird has been tapping at different windows of the farmhouse.  He starts with one and then moves to the next, systematically working his way around.

At first I thought he wanted to get inside, but after making a few enquiries to my country friends, it turns out it is mating season and the bird, on seeing his vision in the window is attacking his assumed competitor.   Fascinating.

We actually could learn some business lessons from this young bird. 

1.              Wasting time

If we use our time attacking or obsessively watching our competitors (real or otherwise) we are wasting our time and energy which should be focused on what we want to do, not what others are doing.  Yes, pay attention to what your competitors are up to,  but don’t let their strategies force you to do something you don’t want to do.

2.              We get in our own way

My feathered friend is so persistent on attacking himself that he is getting in his own way of success.   He needs to be out and about strutting his stuff, instead of attacking my windows.  Often we can get in our own way, doubting our abilities and holding ourselves back from the success we deserve.

3.              Know when it is time to change direction

Now this one is harder for the business owner but watch for signs that perhaps, just perhaps, you are heading in the wrong direction and it is time to give up and move on to something else. 

4.              Make sure your persistence is not misguided.

After three weeks, the bird is beginning to look frazzled and while you admire his tenacity, you have to ask yourself whether he is focusing on the right thing. My poor lad is not going to get anywhere, regardless of how much he tries to eliminate the supposed enemy he sees in the window.  All he is doing is exhausting himself and we can do that too when we insist on pursuing the unattainable.

I haven’t seen him for a couple of days, and my hope is that he’s changed his plans and maybe even got luckyJ