FM Walsh & Associates Inc.

Notice What You Notice – Growing Pains

Growing your business is a challenge and sometimes the responsibilities and decisions that need to be made can seem overwhelming. The following article is written by an incredible life coach I know named Willie Carter; she really helps put issues into perspective and gives a tried and tested strategy for dealing with issues that arise.

NOTICE WHAT YOU NOTICE – GROWING PAINS

“Business is great! But I can’t keep up. I need more staff, but………
…..the cash flow won’t support it,
…..I don’t have time to recruit and train someone,
…..I’m overwhelmed! I don’t even know where to start!”

Any of these sound familiar? I remember my dad going through this phase with our family lumberyard. He had just built a new showroom and office. Things looked really good. He had accomplished all of this with the help of just one other full time staff person and very occasional part time help. Built the structures by himself while also running the retail side of business. My dad solved the problem by recruiting the help of his many children, nieces and nephews. Mutually beneficial for all concerned.

Not all entrepreneurs have that option. Take J., for example, an amazing wedding and events planner. J. could no longer continue to meet the demands of her growing clientele without losing quality of service. There was only so much of J. to go around. What to do? What to do?

Here’s what happened. J. was willing to pretend that she did have the resources to hire more staff. We took a look at the many hats J. that was wearing and which hats she wanted to keep and which she wanted to delegate. A piece of cake for J., since she knew what she loved to do and what could be better offered by someone else.

As we created the job description for this new employee out of the stuff J. no longer wanted or had time to do, a person popped into J.’s mind. She would be perfect for this job. But where to find her? They had lost touch and J. had not seen her in years. This woman had since married and changed her name. Not to worry.

Over the next week, I suggested that J. notice what she noticed and that she follow her urges, which is precisely what J. did. One day J. found herself pushing her empty buggy up and down the aisles of her local grocery store, not really knowing what she was doing there but following her inclination to go to the store.

As she turned up one particular aisle, there was the woman who had popped into J.’s mind during our session together. It turns out that she was ready to return to work and was looking for exactly the kind of work J. had to offer. Mission accomplished! It all worked out beautifully with very little effort.

So, WHAT’S YOUR NEXT STEP?

• Figure out how many hats you’re wearing
• Keep the hats you LOVE wearing and delegate the rest
• Pretend you’ve got the money to hire staff
• Who are they?
• What do they look like?
• What will they do for you?

Then: LET IT GO! Notice what you notice and follow your urges!

THE NEXT STEP
Willie Carter
604-601-2105
thenextstep1@shaw.ca