Got Team? How's that working for you?

About 3 years ago, I started on a quest to change my business and myself.  In reality, I was fine and my business was chugging along fine, but I was restless. Unsatisfied. Cranky.

I started my business in 2003 because I very tired of the 9-to-5 grind. I was tired of the kind of jobs I found myself in, working in offices with horrible florescent lighting, doing the same thing day after day. I jumped jobs often to relieve the boredom, to get a pay raise, and to see if the next  job might be “the one.”

And then one day I realized it wasn’t working. The job hopping was getting old. The jobs weren’t more challenging. And I was just getting more cranky by the day.

So, I got a mentor. Karen spent a few hours over a few months having coffee with me. And one day she looked at me and said, “You, my friend, need to be self-employed.”  A little more conversation, an injection of “you CAN do this” from Karen, and *poof* I started my business.

Those first three years were great. Challenging, satisfying, and fun.

And then, damn it, the restlessness came back again! The desire for more. The desire for change. The desire for a new challenge.

It’s been a long and bumpy road. But the change, the challenge, and the *more* have come together.

And beautifully, a book about the journey has been published! Of course, author Seth Godin did not write his book, Linchpin, about me or my journey.  But I so identify with his thought process and his observations that Linchpin surely could be about me and all that I’ve learned in nearly seven years of self-employment.

I’ve already tweeted many times quotes that really resonated with me. I’ve marked up my copy of the book to a point that loaning it out would be like giving my diary away for someone else to read.

Linchpin is a profound book – for me and for anyone else who really wants to make a life that is different, unique and very much their own.  It’s about thinking differently, acting differently, giving a shit about your life and about how you interact and influence others (using your powers for good, not evil).

My favorite parts of the book are where Seth discusses the “art” inside each of us. How we are all meant to contribute something unique and powerful for the benefit of ourselves – and most importantly – for other people. He delves into fear of failure (we need to fail a lot and get comfortable with it), fear of success (using our art, being seen), and fear of “shipping” (you’ll have to read the book to find out more about this).

And I like very much that he doesn’t harp on self-employment as the only way to tap into and create our “art.” He’s just as much in favor of maximizing opportunities in a job-job as he is in taking the leap and being your own boss.

“It’s a new world out there, people!” is something that Mr. Godin practically shouts from each page.  Even if you have a job-job, you can go from being a faceless, replaceable cog in the wheel of business to becoming a linchpin – someone irreplaceable that provides something unique, recognizable, and critical to a partnership, a team, or a whole company.

This book is about creating value in anything you do. That value is your ART.  It’s your gift, your reason for being. Your unique and special way to make an impact on the world.

Oh, and it took me forever to realize that art isn’t paint on a canvas, clay on a wheel, or a beautiful voice. Art is whatever you think it is, Mr. Engineer. Ms. Organizer. Mr. Project Manager.

Don’t know what your art is?  Keep looking, searching, testing and trying. You’ll find it, and when you do, life becomes so much sweeter (notice I didn’t say easier, necessarily). You find your “flow,” create that value and share your art.

For me? I found my art. I’m finding the “flow” more and more each day. And thank heavens for it.  I’m much less cranky these days!

Recently, I met a businesswoman who is, to put it mildly, vastly disorganized. She spends considerable time on manual and repetitive data entry. She’s drowning in email inquiries. She spends a lot of time telling story after story to prove herself “right.” And unfortunately, she continues to be drawn to sexy “time saving” software that promises to help her manage the mess she has created.

I explained to her the greatest time-saving software programs won’t help a bit if they aren’t used properly. And continuing to add more and more of them only serves to increase frustration, confusion, and inefficiency.

This woman would do well to go slow now so she can go fast later.

By “going slow” she should spend time figuring out how to systematically communicate with those potential customers who send her email inquiries, regardless of the system she uses. She should do online advertising that is simple, repeatable, and effective to bring in more customers. And by taking the time to find the right database program, she’ll eliminate repetitive manual data entry and having to personalize email responses over and over.

Unfortunately, I think this woman won’t be willing to go slow first. She’s frustrated, overwhelmed, and feels if she slows down for even a few hours, her business will fall to pieces. She wants a quick fix – but there simply isn’t one.

I encouraged her to begin getting clear on her priorities as they relate to business: customers, activities that drive company profit, obvious money makers. She is spending too much time trying to discover the latest and greatest way to “get organized” when in reality she should be focusing the essence of what makes her business work – providing products and service for customers. For instance:

How do we stay in business (i.e. generate revenue)?
What actions create excellent customer service?
What actions drive new product creation?
Who are the key people in my organization?
Who are my key clients, suppliers, or customers?
How do I stay in touch with them regularly?
What information sources do I need to review regularly?

Break that down and the organization of it all will become apparent.

“Going slow” allows us to stop and think through the answers to the questions above. It opens up space for us to ask, “Why?” and “then what happens?” Those two questions are crucial for breaking down your business operations into manageable pieces. From there you chart processes, systems and repeatable steps.

It’s true – systems aren’t sexy. Some are simple as a checklist on a piece of paper. But once you create them, tweak them, and get them working, they sure are effective. And much more effective than trying 20 different “productivity-promising” software programs, don’t you think?

That being said, I’d LOVE to hear the productivity and time-saving programs that either worked marvelously for you – or were a bigger waste of time than you ever imagined. Do share!

There are a lot dynamics at work in teams and small businesses. Individual personalities, differing viewpoints and communication styles.

A consultant named George called me recently and admitted that he was really frustrated with his administrative team. He kept saying they couldn’t seem to get him the information he needed. That they weren’t engaged in their work, and that most of all, they had no urgency around his business – especially his VIP clients.

“I want to hire you to manage my administrative assistants,” he said.

After I gently explained to him that that wasn’t quite what I do, I asked him to tell me more about his staff issue.

He sighed and gave me a dozen examples of fires he had to put out, details he had to chase, and tasks he ended up doing that he thought his administrative staff should be able to handle.

As I asked more questions, we reviewed his office procedures, what he needed, and what was working (or not). He gave me a tour of the office and right away I noticed the clutter that blanketed his floor, desk, chair, and credenza – it occupied every flat surface, spilled out into the hall, and into another vacant office.

Next, I interviewed his assistants. They felt like George wasn’t sharing enough information with them. They didn’t understand who the VIP clients were. And they felt like George didn’t trust them to do their jobs – when they asked him a question, rather than answering it, he just took the task away from them and did it himself.

Ah, communication! Sometimes we have it – and sometimes we don’t!

After asking George to clearly define what a successfully working team would look like, I gathered George and his team, we picked the top three income streams for his office, prioritized them, and dug into the details.

I created procedure manuals, charts, checklists, and delegation assignments. We invited his staff to give their input, fill in any missing information, and make suggestions for improvement.

In the process, George realized each of his assistants had been missing pieces of information crucial to getting their jobs done.

By digging into the details, filling in the gaps, and documenting the steps, I created assignments and noted the “can’t miss” deadlines and milestones. We listed and prioritized the VIP clients. And through this process, I was able to get everyone working toward the same goal with focus and with urgency. George was no longer involved in the details of managing those income streams and income was being generated faster.

And George’s VIP clients? They are now being treated with the attention they deserve.

I’ve worked with lots of small business owners over the years and I see recurring themes each time.  Now, I’ve come up with rules for organizing a small office.  Make them work for you!

1. There is no ‘one way’ to organize an office – the system that works for me might not work for you!
2. Being organized doesn’t equate to “anal retentive.” Organization is simply a series of actions that have created a positive habit (like filing or sending thank you notes after meeting a potential client)
3. We all have too much clutter. Reduce the superfluous and unnecessary clutter and you’ll instantly feel more organized.
4. Getting organized leads to a feeling of being control.
5. The simple rule of organizing is: put “like” with “like”
6. The difficult rule of organizing is: gifts are not obligations. Just because someone gives you something does not mean you need to keep it
7. When creating a filing system, alphabetical isn’t always the “right” way – maybe groups work better: personal and business or banking and clients
8. Clutter drains energy and is a distraction. If you don’t think so, perhaps you’ve been surrounded by it for way too long
9. People hold on to papers and information (including email) a long time because of one reason: FEAR (“I might need it later”) A good system helps you manage or eliminate that fear
10. My favorite organizing tools are the trash can and the shredder. I use them both liberally.

The ten rules will give you a good place to start when organizing your home or small office.

If you get stuck, you have until November 30^th to sign up for a 30 in 30 brainstorming and problem solving session with me. Or go for the whole she-bang and schedule a Complete Small Office Makeover (this can even be done virtually)!

Contact me: angie@mattsonbusiness.com or (704) 553-8082

Filing Fatigue

Potential and new clients frequently ask me, “Does getting organized really result in dollars saved?”

I can unequivocally say, “Yes, it does. And many times it translates into more dollars earned as well.”

Consider the following scenarios that I’ve seen with my clients:

As you can see from the examples above, getting organized saves time and money. It also opens up new avenues of communication, eliminates frustration, and helps the entire team understand what’s going on.

If you’re ready to get organized, give Mattson Business Services, Inc. a call. If it’s a quick fix, try out our new 30 in 30 — we’re searching for 30 business to help solve a specific organizational challenge via phone in 30 minutes.

Call us to schedule a 30 in 30 or to participate in an organizational audit. Call (704) 553-8082 or email angie@mattsonbusiness.com.

This morning’s exercise was so fun! Nope, I didn’t go running. Or biking. Or kayaking. In fact, I never even left my office.

What kind of exercise did I do?

I virtually organized a home-based business owner’s office.

Yes. Virtually. This particular business owner lives in Louisiana. she’d commented a few times on Twitter and Facebook about how disorganized and chaotic she was feeling. I offered to help her solve this in about half an hour. It would have been FAR too expensive to travel to her home to organize such a small space.

Here’s how it worked — we used email and the phone to quickly lay out a plan. She sent me half a dozen pictures of the room she worked in, we reviewed each of them, targeted the biggest areas of disorganization and clutter and found creative and easy solutions for her to implement.

Things like:

In a half-hour phone conversation, we solved a number of problems that will allow her to create a clutter-free workspace. Her comment at the end, “I’m feeling more peaceful already.”

Are you ready to create some order and find peace and calm in your home office workspace? If so, give Mattson Business Services, Inc. a call at (704) 553-8082 or email angie@mattsonbusiness.com today.

I’m going to let you in on a little secret about why you, Mr. or Ms. Business Owner, seem unable to get much accomplished these days…

Are you ready?

Are you sure you want to hear it…?

The answer: you’re doing so many other things that half the time you can’t even GET STARTED.

It’s true! And I only really realized this today.

Two very important things happened: I had an illuminating conversation with a client about her marketing and I had someone pose the question, “What is it that you really do for clients?”

For me, the real answer to the question, “What is it that your really do for your clients?” is twofold:

1. I help my clients get organized by creating systems and processes
AND
2. I help them get projects started

The first part is so important because removing all the mental and physical clutter releases so much energy that my clients then begin to have thoughts of MORE. It goes something like this:

“Gosh, Angie. My filing system really works. I can find papers. I know where to put things. My email is more manageable. There’s a system to follow up on prospects. I have a system for marketing. My welcome packets are all put together. Now I’m thinking about…” and they start spouting out new ideas to create more value for their clients, more ways to service their existing clients, more creativity in contacting prospects, and more products and services in general. Organization and systems in one area encourages organization and systems in other areas.

This leads to the second part: getting things started.

It’s easy to generate ideas, but when faced with an empty sheet of paper or a blank document on the screen, procrastination sets in. Other stuff suddenly becomes a priority.

And this is where I come in. It’s music to my ears to hear clients say, “Hey, Angie, can you at least take this information, organize it and get it started?” It’s the first step in a crucial growth process for many solopreneurs and small business owners:

DELEGATION

And for some clients, it’s music to THEIR ears to hear me say, “Hey, Client, give this to me to get started. I’ll create a rough draft that you can then take and finesse with your own thoughts, images and words. But I can at least get the project started for you.”

My satisfaction comes when I hear the relief in their voice because someone can help them AND they feel confident enough to allow that person to do so.

For almost seven years now, I’ve been helping my clients to get and stay organized. And for almost seven years now, my clients have been released from clutter and disorganization to get in the MORE mode: more creativity, more ideas, and more energy. I’ve gotten a whole lot of projects started for them that have in turn given them a lot more time, clients, and money.

Think it’s your turn?

I sure do. Call me at (704) 553-8082 or email me at angie@mattsonbusiness.com. We will get some things started — and done!

I was reading a blog post recently by coach Melanie Benson Strick. In this post, she outlines 10 ways that business owners become “the Bottleneck” and speedbump in their business. They can’t grow because they won’t let go.

This got me thinking about a couple of recent interactions I’ve had with clients and their administrative teams. One of the conversations went like this:

Business Owner: “I can’t get my administrative assistant to get me information to finish project X.”

Admin Assistant: “Well, he won’t let me call the client to get the information I need so he can finish project X.”

Uh-huh.

To put it simply, the business owner didn’t trust his assistant to call the client to collect the necessary information. The assistant wasn’t confident enough to gently push her boss by saying, “I can help you with this. Please let me call the client.”

In the end it became a standoff.

The client suffered because he wasn’t being well served. The boss suffered because he felt like his assistant was underperforming (or at least not being helpful). And the assistant suffered because she wasn’t being fully utilized and felt like she wasn’t a “trusted” member of the team!

A variety of techniques could solve this issue quickly. Some include letting the business owner continue being the “Bottleneck” that Melanie Benson Strick talks about. Better solutions would include the boss taking time to train the assistant how to call a client and collect information or simply letting the assistant do it and then talk about the results. Either way, the boss would be “empowering” the assistant to a job that she is (probably) perfectly capable of doing. This would free up the business owner to do other work AND the project would get much closer to being completed.

Going forward, consider investing some time and training into your administrative staff. Do some role-playing as customer and business owner. Demonstrate to your assistant how you’d like things done. Ask for feedback. Allow time for questions. Create a script, a step-by-step process manual, or work on the project together the first time. Then next time, allow your assistant the freedom to do it on his or her own. Evaluate the outcome, tweak the process, and viola! You’ve successfully created a process and delegated something.

The long and short of this story: by “empowering” your team with the ability to make some independent decisions and take some independent actions, you are conveying (1) trust and (2) demonstrating accountability and (3) giving them initiative to start, handle and finish projects on their own. This allows them to feel more ownership in your company – that they are part of making things happen, part of the decision making process and thus a valued team member rather than one cog in the wheel. And most importantly, this frees up YOUR time to handle the big parts of your business that you do the best.