Doors Of Opportunity Opening For Entrepreneurs

When I played baseball in college, our coach had yearly reviews with each player, similar to reviews an employer might conduct with employees. He’d call us in one by one and let us know the strengths we displayed during the year and our weaknesses we’d need to work on in the future. I’ll never forget seeing one of my teammates as he stumbled out of his conference. He had a blank look on his face.
“What happened?” I said. “He said I wasn’t coachable,” said my friend, miffed at the thought. “He said I never listen or take any type of criticism or coaching and that’s why, as a player, I never improve and will never improve.”  Ouch. That hurts.
The problem for my friend was that he never owned up to the criticism. He wasn’t willing to break down the barriers he built around himself to get the help he needed to improve. He never became coachable.
Over the past two years, a transformation has occurred in St. Louis with new organizations popping up, new resources and all types of mentors available to entrepreneurs, at all different levels. I’d mention them all, but there are way too many to list.  Many doors, once closed to entrepreneurs, are now opening.
Here’s where my former teammate’s story comes into play. While the doors of opportunity are opening, business owners need to walk through them. We can’t be “uncoachable.” We need to approach our resources, listen to our mentors and meet with our valued contacts.
This can be a struggle for entrepreneurs (as I’ve seen firsthand). Business owners are always ultimately responsible for their own success and failure. With that responsibility often comes the concept of holding on too tightly and not letting others in.
It’s taken many, many years to get the resources together for small companies. Now is not the time to be “uncoachable.” The doors of opportunity are open. Now is the time to step in.

Get Off Your Lawn: Gain Some Needed Perspective

I have relatives in Florida that used to own a lawn-mowing business. They would cut and trim grass for local residences and businesses. A few years ago one of my relatives was telling me a story about how the crew members are perfectionists about the lawn.
"After we're done, we walk across the street, into the adjoining neighbors' yards, etc., to make sure we've done a great job trimming," he said. Then, I said, "why walk across the street? Can't you tell when you're trimming." "No, way," he said. "You can't tell when you're on it. It all looks good from that vantage point. You need a different perspective."
I've thought about this conversation a lot since I've become a business owner. There are things we just don't see as we are forging ahead each day, toiling in our businesses and our lives. We need to step back and try to see how we're doing and where we can improve. We need to get off the lawn. How can we do this? We'll we can gain help from mentors, peer groups, etc., and we can stop working in our business and start working on our businesses.
Sometimes, it just takes some humility. It's ok not to have all the answers and ask for guidance and help. That's how we all grow.
Just realizing you need to "get off the grass" is the first step. Take it today.
--Ron Ameln, SBM

The Power of the Thank You Note

Thank-you notes can be powerful business tools. The sad thing is these notes are a lost art in today's hectic, technology-driven environment. Let's put it this way, the more than-you notes you send, the more people you'll have eating out of your hand.
Think about it. Positive reinforcement goes a long way; and most people don't give (or get) much of it.
On his lecture tour, management guru Tom Peters told the story of a retired 3M executive who was a stickler for expressing his appreciation. He described to Peters his retirement party. "Several people came up to me, one or two with tears in their eyes, and thanked me for a thank-you note, sometimes one I'd written 10 or 15 years before!"
People don't forgot kindness. Who can you send a thank-you note to? Anyone and everyone. Employees, clients, prospective clients, anyone you appreciate. What about a phone call or email? Too easy. Writing a note demonstrates a level of effort, and it is permanent. And these letters must be handwritten. A two-line, largely unreadable scrawl beats a page spit out by the laser printer.
-Ron Ameln, SBM

Myth Buster: No Such Thing As A Dream Job

I recently read a Facebook post encouraging people to pursue their dreams. "What's holding you back?" enthusiastically wrote the pal on Facebook.
What a crock of crap!
Let me be the first to say: there is no such thing as a "dream" job, "dream" occupation, "dream" mate, etc. The concept doesn't exist. Why do you think it's called a dream? It's not reality. Stop trying to chase dreams, slap some cold water on your face and join the rest of us in reality.
Now, I'm not saying you can't live a great life, create or find a great job. I believe you can, and it's not as hard as you think.
I'm saying the idea of chasing a dream is ridiculous. Great jobs usually develop out of hard work and dedication, not dreams. Do you think Ray Gallardo was chasing a dream as a dishwasher in the 1970s? Hell no. He was trying to make a living. He ended up moving up to a cook, then manager and then starting his own restaurant chain, Casa Gallardo.
Now, many people have dreams of starting a successful restaurant. The problem isn't following the dream. The problem is finding people who are willing to persevere through washing dishes, taking orders, scraping old food off of plates at 2am on a Sunday morning. That's no dream. That's reality. To find a great job or great career or great mate, what holds many people back isn't dreams, but reality.
--Ron Ameln, SBM

Do You Have A Vision For Your Business?

In 2004, the Coca-Cola Company was struggling, to say the least. During a seven-year period (1998-2004), the company's total return to shareholders stood at minus 26%, while rival PepsiCo delivered a 46% return. At one point, the company's third quarter earnings fell 24%, one of the worst quarterly drops in its history.
Shareholder return and poor numbers weren't the only issues for the company. Employee morale was down, capabilities were lacking, good employees were jumping ship and the company's vision was unclear.
New CEO and leader Neville Isdell was given the challenge of transforming the once-mighty business back into a powerhouse.
Isdell's solution for turning the company around: "His Vision."
The new CEO wrote his vision for the company, which he referred to as Coke's "Manifesto for Growth." This vision outlined a path for the future, not only where Coke was headed, but how it was going to get there and how people would work together along the way.
He got rank-and-file employees involved in helping him create this "manifesto," which immediately improved employee morale. He created teams to tackle the issues and make sure time lines were met.
Shareholder value jumped from a negative return to a 20% positive return in just two years. By 2007, Coke had 13 billion-dollar brands, 30% more than Pepsi. Staff turnover fell by almost 25%.
How about your company? Do you have a vision? Have you shared it with your employees? Have you asked for their input?
It is amazing where the bus can go when everyone on board knows which direction it is headed.
--Ron Ameln, SBM

Need to Diversify: Don't Sell The Fried Chicken

Years ago Hardee's Restaurants came up with a great idea, or so the company thought. The idea was to sell Fried Chicken. After all, customers loved their burgers and fries, why not create fried chicken that was just as delicious. The company was searching for a way to pull in even more customers, diversify the company offerings and provide a need in the marketplace.
And did they ever. I'm not sure if you ever sampled it, but the fried chicken was awesome. There was only one small problem. In order to make the chicken so good, it took some time. In fact, Hardee's often ran out of chicken, making customers wait more than 20 minutes for the next batch. Customers, while they liked the chicken, weren't used to spending 20 minutes at a fast-food restaurant. Do you know what happened? Customers stopped coming.
In its efforts to diversify and meet a need in the marketplace, the company actually drove its customers away.
I see this happening all the time in business. Companies want to diversify their businesses, but they completely forget about their own strengths. Many entrepreneurs ask the questions, "What is not being offered today? How can we make money the quickest?" They should be asking: "What is our strength? What are we really good at?"
You don't want to end up selling fried chicken.
Hardee's learned from its mistake. It stopped selling fried chicken and began focusing on its strength: big burgers.
--Ron Ameln, SBM

Everyone Is A Salesperson

Tony Rubleski, an author and national speaker on sales, recently noticed a trend forming with his audiences. He noticed more ministers, accountants and attorneys were coming to his sales seminars.
Said Rubleski in his book, "Mind Capture": "Many ministers believe that if you build it, and the message is great, people should show up. That's fine to think and believe this, but at the end of the day, whether they believe it or not, their selling their followers on the message and vision they have."
The lesson here is simple: Everyone is involved in sales. The sooner you recognize this in your organization, the more success your business will enjoy.
Everyone in your organization should be trained on sales strategies and how to help improve sales within their own jobs. Accountants, ministers, attorneys, receptionists, service techs...they all have a role in the sales process.
Start providing your employees with some sales training and tools to help them better interact with customers. You may get some pushback (No one wants to be the telemarketer who calls at dinner). However, we're all sales people. More experience in sales will ultimately help all employees. Who do 99% of CEOs say are the most valuable employees: the top sales producers.
-Ron Ameln, SBM

The 5-Year Employment Contract

I remember when I bought my first car, a beat-up old Ford Mustang I bought for $700 while a senior in high school.
While it might have been laughable to the neighbors, to me it was a Cadillac. I would wash it every Saturday. When I went on errands, I'd park it way far in the back of the parking lot (didn't want to get the dings).
That lasted for about 6 months. A year later I parked in the closest spot in the mall, and I wondered how I could afford to buy a nicer car.
That, my friends, is human nature.
If you own a business you recognize this behavior. When we hire employees they come to us engaged, enthusiastic and fired up. That attitude changes over time. As the years mount, some employees find themselves going through the motions, even bored. The enthusiasm they once had for the job is a distant memory.
Owners are constantly trying to find ways to keep employees engaged, including things like open-book management, cool office environments, etc. to keep employees motivated.
Here's an idea: Why don't we put the responsibility on the employee.
What would happen if most jobs in America became 3-5 year engagements, only. Now, the average tenure for most employees falls into this timeframe anyway, but what if it became mandatory for all.
-Employees would be in a much better position. They wouldn't get bored with the details of their jobs as quickly, they would learn to become better networkers (will need another job soon), they will be forced to learn new skills and meet new people every 3-5 years (thus building their skill sets and marketability), and they will become more engaged at work.
-Employers would be forced to build systems into their companies (thus building the value) and they will be greeted with fully engaged employees.
I realize this is a far-fetched example. Maybe the real solution is force this policy on the employees that aren't bringing value to your operation.
--Ron Ameln, SBM

Your Biggest Competitor? Your Numbers

When I made the decision to stop playing baseball after my sophomore year in college, my biggest worry was that I would miss the competition. You know, me against my opponent to see who comes out on top.
What I quickly realized was that I didn't miss the competition at all. In fact, my joy for the game really wasn't about the competition. It was about the challenge of improving on my own performance. I missed going out and trying to win games for my team (more games than the year before) and I missed trying to improve on my statistics, each and every year. Hit .360 one year, the challenge would be to hit .380 the next year.
As business owners, it's the same. We're all competing against our own numbers (revenue, expense, profit, productivity, etc.) every year. That should be our focus and that should be what gets us charged up each day to work.
Lately, I've been hearing a lot of owners focus (some even obsess in my view) on their competitors. These owners will say: "My competitors are doing.....I heard they are going to start...."
There is no doubt you need to know your competition and what is working for them, but keep in mind that, as business owners, our biggest competitor is our own numbers. If we move those numbers in a positive direction, it doesn't matter what our competition is doing or not doing.
-Ron Ameln, SBM

Human Capital: Solving A Recurring Business Problem

When it comes to entrepreneurial firms growing in the next few years, Andrew Sherman, author and business growth guru, sees human capital as one of the biggest challenges entrepreneurs face. “This is a real problem,” he said. “Keeping GOOD people, motivating good people and figuring out how to pay them properly is very important.”
Sherman said the real problem is a lack of “old-fashioned loyalty.” “It is not always the employees fault,” he said. “It is a two-way street. Employers need to show a commitment to people. You get what you give. If you treat employees like a true peer, they will probably stick around for a long time.
“Smaller companies need to understand what it is going to take to hold onto good people as they compete with larger companies with bigger benefits in era of reduced loyalty. Our children are growing up in an era where they are watching their parents switch jobs every three years. Small-business owners need to develop a compensation system, a motivation system and a culture that keeps employees. It’s not just about money. Everyone wants money, but people want other things as well. Small companies are in a great position to deliver big on those other things.”
--Ron Ameln, SBM

Entrepreneurs: Embrace Your Role As Salesperson

Listen, there are just certain tasks that come with certain jobs. Take, major league baseball player. Yes, you play baseball and get lots of money, cute girls and free dinners, etc., but you also have to answer questions from the geeky, very non-athletic sports reporters everyday (I know this because I used to be one). That's just part of the deal.
When it comes to being an entrepreneur, especially a solo-entrepreneur, sales is part of the deal. You don't have a boss, don't have to clock in or ask for PTO days, but you do need to sell.
As a consultant recently told me, "How come none of these solopreneurs want to sell?" Selling is part of the deal if you want to survive. Yes, old fashioned, selling. That means cold calls, presentations, networking, alliances, referrals, the whole nine yards.
Own it. Live it. Do it now.
Your head trash can tell you all types of things: "No one cold calls anymore," "cold calling doesn't work," "People don't like to be sold anymore," "Social media is all I need anymore," --whatever.
Tell yourself whatever you want. But the fact is when you became a solo business owner, your No. 1 job became salesperson.
The sooner you embrace that, the better off you'll be.
--Ron Ameln, SBM

5 Signs Your Business Partnership May Be In Trouble

Are business partnerships for dummies? Well, at least my attorney thinks so. In many ways, business partnerships are more challenging than marriages. These partnerships bring all types of moving parts, like employees, debt, hopes and dreams, etc. Just like a marriage, business partnerships are hard to make work.
Because of financial reasons, some entrepreneurs have no choice if they want to start and build a thriving company. So, if you find yourself in one of these partnerships, look for the following 5 signs of trouble and get help early.
1. Sign No. 1: One partner says he/she is unhappy. When this starts happening, the clock is ticking. Do nothing and the partnership will end in a bad way. Jump on the problems early and start getting them resolved.
2. Sign No. 2: Little effort by one of the partners. If one of the partners starts slacking on his/her duties, that's a sign of disinterest.
3. Sign No. 3: One of the partners feels superior. If one of the partners feels he/she is more valuable than the other, that's not a good sign. The feeling of an unfair situation can often lead to partnership issues.
4. Sign No. 4: Little compromise. Just like a marriage, compromise must be present for a healthy relationship.
5. Sign No. 5: Lies. Trust is the key in any valuable relationship. If your partner isn't trustworthy, get out quickly.
--Ron Ameln, SBM

5 Questions For A More Productive 2011

Did your company perform as expected in 2010? Did you reach your goals?
If you want to build a thriving company in 2011, answer the following questions. Good answers to these questions will lead the way to a productive year.
1. Are you gaining feedback from customers?Entrepreneurs listen to customers and gain feedback. This is how they discover great ideas. Successful entrepreneurs are out in the field finding out what customers really want and need.
2. Are you looking for more opportunities, both inside and outside the organization?
Successful companies are not afraid to dump old products and move on to new ones.
3. Do you have a mentor? Mentors can jump-start an entrepreneur’s knowledge level, link him or her up with new contacts, offer feedback on ideas, plans and strategies and even provide help in raising capital.
4. Have you built an A-team?Savvy entrepreneurs bring people into the organization who are smarter and more skilled than they are. They then create incentives to keep them. The best entrepreneurs are clearly team builders.
5. Are you providing mind-boggling service? When you deliver legendary customer service, customers will rave about your company and become tremendously loyal.
-Ron Ameln, SBM

Do Groupon-Type Offers De-Value Your Services?

No one can argue with the success of Groupon, the entrepreneurial coupon-based tech firm that started from a Northwestern University dorm room a few years ago. Its success has spawned numerous imitators. From a business startup standpoint, the business model earns an A+.
With all that said, here's a question: For those businesses participating in these types of deals, what are these companies really saying about their products and services? I mean, if you are willing to provide your products and services for 1/2 (sometimes even 2/3) of its price, what are you saying about the value of your products and services? Aren't you turning your product/service into a commodity that can be devalued (sometimes by 1/2 price). And, if your profit margins can afford a 50% decrease, maybe your overcharging customers in the first place.
Six months after the coupons stop running, are your customers going to be excited about paying twice the price for the same meal they paid 50% less for a few months ago? Or, will they just go to the next business down the street that offers another 50% off deal.
The big question is: How will customers see your product/service in the long run? Will it be seen as just another product/service, or will it be seen as something that is unique and has value to it?
Business owners should all be striving to create unique value in their offerings. Once you start slashing prices, your product/service begins to lose that value.
--Ron Ameln, SBM

4 No BS Ways To Sell More In 2011

2011 is just weeks away. The economy is starting to pick up. Now is the time to start building new sales. Here are four things you can do immediately to gain more business in 2011:
1. Start Measuring. You can't accomplish anything in life (i.e., weight loss, productivity) without charting and measuring your actions. Start by determining your goals (you can't get there if you don't know where you are going). Then, start measuring all of your sales activities and actions. After the first quarter, take a day and go over your activities and actions and see what worked/didn't work.
2. Find Your Niche. The 80/20 rule generally applies to most sales. 80% of your sales comes from 20% of your clients. Narrow your prospects. Take a look at your past sales and find out what industries, types of clients you've had the most success with and just focus on them. You'll build better relationships over time, which will lead to more sales.
3. Get Some Help. Everyone needs a coach. Professional athletes have coaches, professional singers have coaches. You need one as well. The coach doesn't need to be an expensive consultant. It might be a friend who can listen each month and offer encouragement. Sales can be a tough mental grind. All sales reps need someone in their corner to help when times get tough--and they will. Think of this person as your sponsor, similar to the AA model.
4. Don't Listen To The "So-Called" Experts. Find out what has worked for you in the past and focus on that before you try out the latest strategies from the "so-called" experts. For example, it's easy to find a guru to tell you cold calling doesn't work anymore. It still does work for some, and it may work for you. It all depends on you and your industry. Most of these gurus have never sold a thing before in their lives. Don't buy into their BS.
--Ron Ameln, SBM

Look In The Mirror For Real Answers

"The lesson has been: If you are looking for where to assign blame or find solutions, then don't look outside yourself," says Mark Richman, president of Skeleton Key. "I can't control the economy, but I can control my response to it. We have been deliberate in our actions for the last year, and that has allowed us to achieve our goals despite the economy."

(As seen in the St. Louis Small Business Monthly, http://www.sbmon.com/, October 2010).

--Ron Ameln, SBM

Embrace Failure

"Don't embrace it as an end, but as a necessary component of success," says Eliot Frick, CEO at bigwidesky. "It is necessary for everyone. You either have a series of small failures that you can hide, or you are going to have one that you can't hide. If you look at the natural world, failure and redundancy is built into our system. We think that failure should never happen, but that is a chauvinism of our understanding."

(As seen in St. Louis Small Business Monthly, www.SBMON.com, May 2010).

--Ron Ameln, SBM

Sluggish Economy Is Great Time To Raise Prices

"This economy is the ideal time for businesses to get back in touch with who their ideal customers really are," says Dale Furtwengler, president of Furtwengler and Associates and author of "Pricing for Profit: How to Command Higher Prices for Your Products and Services. "
"When they do that, they become more profitable by shrinking the customer base and providing great value rather than salvage market share with people that are only moderately interested."
(As see in St. Louis Small Business Monthly, February 2010)
--Ron Ameln, SBM

A Lesson From Bill Walsh on Blocking And Tackling In Your Business

In the late 1980s as a young sports reporter, I was in Kansas City covering a Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers game. The 49ers had just defeated the Chiefs on their way to a third Super Bowl Championship in seven years. In those days, the 49ers ruled the league.
I was with a mob of other reporters after the game asking questions of the late 49er head coach, Bill Walsh. One reporter asked him a question about the West Coast offense, an offensive system Walsh helped create and the 49ers utilized at the time. "With this system, you can pretty much plug any player in and win?" Walsh shot back angrily. "Wait a second. We're not winning because of our offensive system. We're winning because we're blocking and tackling better than our opponents. If we block and tackle better, it doesn't matter what system we use."
I think the same can be said for business. In business, blocking and tackling means: 1. Knowing your numbers (inside and out); 2. Hiring A Players; and 3. Serving your customers like no other business could.; and 4. Having a plan for exactly where you are going. That's blocking and tackling.
I thought about all of this a few weeks ago when a social media expert (they seem to be multiplying) told a group of business owners that "if they weren't a part of social media, their businesses would die." Unfortunately, I've seen some businesses spend a lot of money and time with social networking. I don't see that as a problem necessarily (there are a lot of advantages). However, just as the West Coast offense didn't help the 49ers win three Super Bowls, social media won't help your company succeed. A focus on blocking and tackling will help you succeed.
First and foremost, spend time and resources on blocking and tackling. If you don't, social media won't help you at all. This is what the so-called "social media guru" should have told you.
--Ron Ameln, SBM

Are You In The People Business, Or A Commodity

Customer service is a mindset. It takes thinking of your customers first and really, truly caring about people. It's easy to spot companies that are not in the "people" business.
A few weeks ago I had such an encounter with a car rental company. I don't want to name them (although the name rhymes with Avis), but here is the story:
About a week before my rental I reserved the car for a $100 rate (for two days, picking up the car at 9am). I was actually running early the day I picked up the car and arrived at 8:30am, 30 minutes before my reservation time. I asked to pick up my car.
I was told I could not pick up the car at 8:30am at the $100 rate. If I wanted the car a 1/2 hour early it would cost an additional $90 (for the 1/2 hour). I was a bit taken back. I offered to bring the car in a 1/2 early if that helped. No, I was told. You need to have a seat in the corner and wait 30 minutes. I wasn't alone in the corner. One guy was sitting there for two hours.
So, here is a company that instead of taking care of their customer, tells me to sit in a corner for 30 minutes. Now, I was certainly a 1/2 hour early and I'm sure Avis doesn't want people showing up hours before arrival. However, I am a paying customer and this was an opportunity to become a hero.
Avis took that opportunity and blew it up.
Some rental car companies are in the "serving people" business, while others are in the renting car business. Take, Enterprise, for example. It's slogan says it all, "We'll pick you up." Enterprise employees will take time out of their busy day to pick you up and return you when you return. Is it profitable to be shuttling customers around? No. But they want to take care of their customers. That company is in the "people" business.
When you are not in the "people" business, you've become a commodity. At that point, who cares what business you are in!
--Ron Ameln, SBM