Don't Ignore Your Best Performers

Sometimes CEOs are so busy trying to keep their business alive that they forget the people that got them there. Don't ignore your stars. If you ignore them and assume that they will just keep on giving above and beyond for too long, they will go elsewhere just to be appreciated. And, they'll even take less money for it.

Every business owner out there has experienced this scenario: an employee with key knowledge walks into your office and says, "I love you and I love working for you, but I have an offer I just can't refuse." Most of the time, the CEO finds extra money or whatever is necessary to keep the employee. My suggestion is to be proactive about keeping key people in the first place.

Pay increases and performance bonuses are more than extra money to an employee. It's your way of saying, "You are valuable around here and I appreciate you." Try giving that key employee 1/4th of the money you would have to give them in the "I'm quitting" scenario. See what kind of loyalty and morale you build then.

Doctor - Operation - Plan

I just acquired a new client... a world-famous surgeon who has retired and is focusing all his energy on his foundation. I am so excited about this project because this guy "gets it." He has always understood the need for accurate strategy, careful planning, and skillful execution... no deviations from the blueprint, or someone could wind up in very bad shape on his operating table.

His foundation, however, is a completely different story. Yes, there are some plans, but very little passion, execution, or sense of urgency.

Well over 90% of small business don't have an operations plan. Why is this? All the good businesses do. However, the real reason is that writing an operations plan is a real pain. It requires hard work, sacrifice, and understanding your business extremely well.

Perhaps it is this understanding of the business that scares people away? If you don't have a full understanding of your business and its systems, you will be unable to write a roadmap. Don't let fear hold you back. the point of an operations plan is that you most likely do NOT understand your business systems at the beginning of the process. However, you WILL understand them by the time you are done.

This is the reason you do the plan. It's not the plan itself that is of value, it is the process of doing it forcing you to refine your procedures, tighten your strategies, and point out any "holes."

Remember Everything

Cool new item I found over the weekend... courtesy of Cali Lewis and GeekBrief.TV.
With the tagline "Remember Everything," Evernote allows you to easily capture information in any environment using whatever device or platform you find most convenient, and makes this information accessible and searchable at anytime, from anywhere.

So, what’s the point of Evernote? We are all constantly bombarded by information, much more than our brains can handle. So, we end up forgetting all sorts of things. With Evernote, you can start capturing all of those experiences, ideas, and memories, from both your real and digital life that would otherwise slip away.

I see this as a great tool for photographers, artists, and other visually creative types who store images rather than documents. No more "senior moments."

The Beauty of the Beating

"One day, in retrospect, the years of struggle will strike you as the most beautiful." Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) Austrian psychoanalyst

I found this gem of a post from Danny Evans, author of Dad Gone Mad who expressed his joy at realizing his dream of writing books. Excerpt:

One night, about a year ago, I decided to quit dreaming.

Every day, every night, for 20 years, the dream was exactly the same – same props, same characters, same outcome. I could picture all of it with vivid clarity, but the fantasy never survived the transition from sleep to the real here and now. It burned up on re-entry. It lived only in the ether of my mind.

In the dream, I was an author. I wrote books. I spent my days on safari in my own imagination. I was satisfied. I was doing what I loved for a living, and that contentment permeated every hard, dark corner of my existence. Then suddenly I was awake again, and the reality that I was NOT the person in my dream washed over me like rain cloud.

So one night, about a year ago, I decided to quit dreaming. I sat down at my keyboard and began to write. I began to create the trappings of my dream in real life.

It has been the hardest year of my writing life. Rejection has reigned. Every small victory has been countered by enormous disappointment and despair. I have neglected friendships, responsibilities, family obligations. Phone calls and emails have gone unreturned. I have opened my soul to criticism, and I have convinced myself that this is my last best chance to accomplish something for myself – to escape the rut of cubicle jobs, financial desperation and career aimlessness.

Thursday morning, my agent called from New York. “You have a book deal,” she said.
And, just like that, the dream became real.

Whether it's authoring books or founding the next big technology "thing," behold the beauty of your entrepreneurial dream. Weather the storm; Take the beating; STAND. Your vision is worth it and your journey will become a legend.

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone...

How to Keep Your Brand Fresh

Conduct a "brand audit" once a year. Look at how your product or service is marketed and branded (i.e. what messages you're sending), and analyze your brand position by asking your customers what they think of your company. Then, compare the two sets of data and see how well they connect.

A coffee-house owner, for example, might think she serves great coffee, while convenience or ambience may be a bigger selling point from the customer's perspective. Realize that it is the customers' perspective that is most important to your success. And, don't fight it. I watch so many entrepreneurs get wrapped up in the fact that they "built the best widget," yet their customers love them mainly for their speed of service, or their friendly staff, or their whatever it may be.

The point is: WHO CARES?!? If you have a loyal following for particular reasons, focus on those reasons and continuously reinforce those messages. However, realize that those reasons may (and probably will) change over time. Market forces shift. New competitors come into play. New products are invented that create new desires which shifts attention away from old habits. Make sure your company stays fresh and in the middle of the conversation.

SEO Like a Pro

Spiders love links... search engine spiders, that is. So, don't just optimize your web site for keywords and rest on your laurels.

To climb to the top of search results- for free- get links. Not all links are created equal, though. To engage in ethical search engine optimization, think quality before quantity. Find quality blogs, magazines, and sites where your content will be relevant.

Next, submit a helpful comment or article. If it's accepted, you'll get a link (what I like to call "link love"). Here's the essential step: Link your most important keyword phrase to your site. You'll improve your rankings because spiders will follow the links from authority sites to yours... and so will future customers and clients.

Ayn Rand, Where Are You?

On Monday, May 5, the Wall Street Journal's Erin White ranked the top most influential business thinkers: Gary Hamel, No. 1. This article follows up a recent story in USA Today talking about rich entrepreneurs.

Who's missing from both groups? Women.

Not a single one popped up in the Journal's Top 20 list. Rankings were based on Google hits, media mentions and academic citations. But, I say where there's weakness, there's opportunity.

I would love to hear about more female speakers. (Better still, I'd love to BECOME one!) Yet, most of today's wealthy women are still making their money through inheritance or divorce. So, why aren't there more influential women business thinkers on these lists? How can this change? If you're a man, would you be motivated to hear a female speaker? If no, why not? If yes, who?