Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | Leadership

What’s In This Episode:

Does practice make perfect? Brad seems to think so. Not only because we practice, but because the benefit increases the more we do something. Jill agrees, especially when it comes to business: the operations and managerial tasks get easier, as well as figuring out how to pitch properly so that you get a response! In fact, that might be the difference between a bad entrepreneur and a good one.

"Good entrepreneurs pay attention and aren't mindlessly doing the same thing over and over again." - Jill

Author and teacher Kimberly Johnson calls into the show because she doesn't have enough time and she's not the best at delegating. Brad says that you need to make a list - who can do things for you? Then write down procedures. Furthermore, Jill says to put a timeframe on it. If you write down 5 things, pick the first item and say, "I'm handing this off in the next 12 hours." And when you hand things off, you're actually allowing people to share in your success.

"You're more likely to get referrals the fifth time you ask than the first time you ask." - Brad

Jill and Brad then discuss the top 5 things that are better the more frequently you do them:

E-mail marketing. The more frequently you e-mail, the more people respond.
Asking for referrals.
Communication with employees. You need to communicate more than you think is necessary.
Saying no. Do one thing, and do it well.
Oh, and then there's that one thing that business owners forget to do...
Want to know what it is? Listen in!»

Listener question:

Will asks, "Do you have any tips for taking a break from your business due to moving?" Think about your clients. Will they go anywhere? You can bring on contractors to cover some things for you. Phone calls can be done from the road.

Guest:

Kimberly Johnson is the author of The Start of Something BIG:: Your Ultimate Guide to Writing a Dynamic Business Plan, now in its second edition. She founded U3I, a management and marketing consulting firm which provides business development, project management, and management/technical assistance to small, medium, and large private businesses, government agencies and not-for-profit organizations. 

Direct download: Breaking20Down20Your20Business20EP20229.mp3
Category:Business -- posted at: 11:00am CDT

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