Business | Ideas, Strategy and Tips

Archive for September, 2010

Mind The Gap Between Business Strategy & Operational Change

Anyone who’s been on London’s Underground will have heard the world famous warning for passengers. “Mind the Gap” was introduced in 1969 to warn passengers about the space between the train carriage and the platform.  Just like passengers in a hurry or who think they know best run the risk of falling between the two, businesses need to maintain conscious awareness of the very real and tangible gap existing between their strategy and desire to achieve effective operational change.

Business Strategies are specific when it comes to the organisation’s mission, vision and objectives; Direction is clear, ROI specified, and growth expectations and market share targets listed to support both. Now the challenge starts. This beautifully constructed well thought out strategy must be turned into operational reality and if the strategy is one that sees the business moving through previously uncharted waters, there will be the inevitable changes along the way to operational practises.

In order to successfully translate the strategy, disseminate it through to operations and minimise the pain experienced during times of change, leadership is paramount. In his book “High Flyers – Developing the next generation of leaders”, Morgan W. McCall, Jr talks about linking business strategy and executive development. He suggests an “organisations ability to achieve strategic objectives will depend in large part on the leadership ability of executive leaders.” This makes perfect sense but what makes an effective leader and how can they reduce this very real gap?

Really good quality effective leaders are generally recognised as those who have developed a high degree of emotional intelligence.  William Tate references emotional intelligence in his book “The Search for Leadership – An Organisational Perspective” when he discusses the two halves of organisation life.  I’ve referred to William Tate in previous posts and will continue to do so because I see how his ‘Systems Thinking’ approach will transform leadership within organisations. His discussion about the two halves of organisation life sees him refer to what he calls the rational half and the non-rational half. The rational side holds all those elements we fully expect to be associated with a business and its strategy: Strategic plans, Directives, Job Titles, Policies, Organisation Charts, etc. These are if you like, tangible things you can physically touch or at least see pinned up on a wall somewhere; they are documents and diagrams that are reference points along with targets that can be measured as time progresses. Then there’s the non-rational half, which is where I firmly believe much more can be achieved at a much faster rate, particularly during times of change. These non-rational factors form the heart of an organisation are where the gold nuggets are to be found: trust, friendship, power, culture, ambition, fears and insecurities, the corridor conversation and grapevine etc.

These non-rational factors are more implicit and concern the “who” rather than the “how”. It’s these things that effective leaders really understand and act upon. They are tuned-in to emotions, feelings, behaviours and motivations in both themselves and those around them. They can answer the ‘what’s in it for me’ question, which is just one of many employees ask when they’re expected to buy-in to the strategy, work for the good of the company and achieve the objectives set to maximise the ROI to ultimately make the shareholders or investors happy.

So here’s my call to action for you. Pull out that strategy and take another look at it. Don’t just look at the how, put effort into considering the who and consider all the non-rational factors as it’s these that will play a far larger part in delivering a well defined strategy. Only once they are understood will you have the solid foundation to be more effective in closing the gap.

7 Lawn Business Tips For A Successful Lawn Business

If you own your own lawn business and want to see more money coming in, these lawn business tips will help you to maximize your profits and have a successful business.

Knowledge is power. Read up on and research everything you can about being in the lawn business to learn new ideas and improve upon what you are already doing.
Keep good records. Know what your costs are and where you are spending your money. Finding ways to cut down on some of your costs will mean more money in your pocket.
Do not go into debt. Spend the money that you have to but do not go out and purchase many expensive items on credit. Save up to buy what you need and pay in cash.
Maintain your lawn equipment. It is important that you keep your equipment in tip top shape. If your equipment is down or in the shop, you are losing money.
Being efficient will save you money. Try to get several lawns to mow in the same area and do them all in the same day. This will save you money on gasoline and on travel time.
Advertise, advertise, advertise. This is the way that you get your name out there and get more business. You don’t have to spend a fortune in advertising costs either to do this. Print flyers and banners from your home computer and place them in local businesses around town. Tell everyone you see that you are in the lawn business and give them a business card. Chances are someone they know will need lawn service. Your customers are also good advertisement for you if they like your services.
Learn how to properly give estimates. The more estimates that you give and the longer you do it, the easier it will be for you. However when you are first starting out, if you overprice jobs you might not get any business and on the other hand if you price too low, you may be losing money. When first starting out, it would be a good idea to find out what other lawn services are charging so that you can stay in line with your competition.

By following these lawn business tips you will be able to have your own successful lawn business and see maximum profits.

More Business Tips Articles

Ebay Business Strategy?How To Be A Successful Ebay Seller

If you are planning to start your own online business on eBay, you should think about finding the best eBay business strategy that the most successful eBay sellers use. There are many business strategies that can help you get ahead in eBay. All you need is a little creativity and resourcefulness.

Selling in eBay is a great business opportunity because it is very convenient and you have complete control over your business. You can do everything at home and you do not need to rent a shop or a commercial space just to sell your products. This saves you a whole lot of money. And because of this, you can make your prices lower, which can attract customers.

It is not necessary that you use only one eBay business strategy. It is even better to use a combination of several business strategies for you to become successful. To give you an idea, here are some business techniques and strategies that you can use in eBay.

• Just like in all types of business, you should first and foremost determine the needs. You should browse eBay for the most popular searches or the most in demand products. This way, you will at least have an idea n what products to sell. There are two things that you can do. First, you can try selling unique products that not many sellers have tapped into, or second, you can sell products that are common but are always in demand.

• You should also now your customers so that you can better position your products. One great factor to look into is the online aspect of the business. Ask yourself, who are the typical users of the internet? You should also look into the mode of payment that is commonly used in eBay, for example, Paypal. Who are the people who can open an account in Paypal? These general questions will let you know your customers better.

• Once you have chosen your products, make sure that you research on the current prices. If you can, try to make your prices lower than other shops that sell similar products, especially if it is your first time to sell and you are just starting to build your reputation by earning positive feedbacks.

• To know more about eBay and what’s going on in this online marketplace, you should join forums where both buyers and sellers participate. You will learn a lot by joining forums. You will see what make customers happy or unsatisfied, and what separates a good seller from a great one. You will find useful tips and techniques from the sellers and buyers themselves.

• Always create an event or try to update your online shop’s background from time to time. For example, if it is Christmas, you can have a Christmas sale and use a background that looks very festive and Christmas-y. This will attract customers and they will know that you are really taking good care of your shop.

These are a few eBay business strategy and tips that you can use to have a successful selling career on eBay.

Conquer the World With Small Business Ideas

Every big or small business is based upon the foundation of fruitful, potential business ideas. And every take over and conglomeration is also based on some overpowering business ideas – from small ventures to something as big as the giant Microsoft buying another giant, Yahoo for a whopping .6 billion dollars. Yes, even the biggest of business decisions come from the business ideas taking birth from the human mind.

In this article we will discuss how to convert small business ideas into successful ventures. We will discuss the four pillars of a business that will uphold the projects and deliver satisfying results to your clients and in turn to you. The four pillars of a business are finance, human resource, non human resource (tools, equipments and devices) and marketing.

Hands down, finance is the most important requisite for any business to take birth and grow. It is money that brings human resource and it is money that buys tools and devices. Money is the most important when it comes to marketing and money is important to strengthen each pillar that supports your business.

Now, let us talk about human resource. Sure money can buy the best of manpower. But the will to work and the determination to succeed, is the human factor. A highly motivating team can be created once the path ahead is clear and the goals are spelled out to each of the team members. But they should be provided with adequate resources too so that they can attain the goal – this is where the business needs non human resources that includes hardware and software.

Last, but never the least – marketing – none of your business ideas can be successful unless you sell your products or services. And no product or service can not be sold, unless the consumers come to know about it. Here comes the need for marketing and promotion.

Home Business Ideas and How to Get Started

It would not make much sense working at home doing something that you do not really enjoy, so firstly, before deciding which home business is best suited to you, find your who *you* are. You need to consider the things you are good at and list your skills, hobbies, personality, likes and dislikes.

This discussion will help guide you with some great ideas for your own home business. Here are a few questions to ask yourself to zero in on what business ideas are well suited for you.

Are you a creative person?  Event planning such as weddings, corporate events, birthday parties may be may something to look into.  Perhaps you are already into the internet so maybe web design would be great for you. What about photography or creating your own custom gift baskets. A creative mind allows for endless home business possibilities.

Is business your ‘thing’? You may be like many others and not like having a boss, but you have a head for business. Administration and keeping books is what you like to do. Have you considered doing accounting work for other home businesses? As more people look to work from home on a full-time basis, they will need some of these tasks done for them. Being a consultant is another option if you already have a specialty.

Are you a writer? How about writing an e-book (a book written and delivered in digital format) and selling it online? The one thing that drives the Internet is the desire for information. If you have a knack for writing, then you should have no shortage of potential income. Proofreading and ghostwriting are also viable ways to earn an income from home. Your expertise, reputation and demand will determine how much you can charge for any writing.

Are you a marketing person?  An online affiliate marketing business may be the choice for you.  Set up your own website, join a number of reputable affiliate programs and market several products at once to generate multiple streams of income. 

Are you task oriented? Even those who are not creative can do very well. Something as simple as setting up a reminder service is ideal for those that are task oriented. People often need research done, or data analyzed and are willing to pay for it.

These are just a few ideas to get you thinking. You know yourself better than I do. Get to know yourself and ask yourself the tough questions.  Consider the time spent doing this as an investment in your future.

Knowing who you really are will help you build a home business that you are happy with. It really is possible. Every day, new people are discovering how fulfilling owning their own business and being their own boss can be.

Also there are so many intangible benefits of being your own boss. Setting your own schedule, flexibility, and more time to do the things you love are high on the list. Now that you have some idea of what types of businesses are a good match, you can explore the home business ideas further. Soon, you may find yourself without a boss, doing something you love from your own home.

More Business Ideas Articles