For the past few months the Gold’s Gyms of the Wenatchee Valley have been doing a great job of connecting to their members in a variety of ways, and not only while they are at the gym working out.
The Gold’s Gyms have been updating their blog often with great fitness and nutrition tips, as well as lots of overall wellness advice. But as the year began Melissa Schwab, a Gold’s Gym member, began blogging on the site about her experience trying to lose weight and get in shape as she participated in the Gold’s Gym Challenge. Hits to the site and comments on the posts are way up as people are excited to hear about someone’s experience from the trenches. They get to hear about the highs and the lows, the good times and the bad – told with the power of a personal voice.
At the same time Gold’s Gym staff ramped up work on the local Gold’s Gym Facebook fan page. And fan numbers and interaction there jumped significantly too. Staff created contests like “Post a picture that best says Strength to you,” kept Challengers and members updated on important times and events, as well as just providing a space for members to interact and support each other online. Read More »
Is it time to burn your company? No, I’m not talking about setting fire to your building like in Office Space, and this post has nothing to do with getting insurance money for some fast cash.
photo by Al_HikesAZ's
I’m talking about a controlled burn.
Controlled burns are used in forestry as a method to “reduce fuel buildup and decrease the likelihood of serious hotter fires.” Maybe its time to do a controlled burn with your company, to clear out the underbrush that’s getting in the way of your growth.
Burn Your Old Files
The longer you are at any job the more you accumulate a pile of junk. Old files stack up, in-boxes overflow, receipts and scraps of paper litter your drawers. Take a few hours, or even a whole day, to go through your entire office and trash what you no longer need. If you’ve put those files onto your computer do you really need to keep the storage devices they came on? Do you have piles of old computer equipment that can’t even be used any longer hanging out, cluttering your workspace. Clear it out!
Burn Your Old Systems
Old systems can clog a smooth running business engine faster than just about anything. There are certainly advantages to sticking with a system you know, but new business tools are being created constantly that can help you be more streamlined, mobile and efficient. Try and view your systems from a mindset of a new employee. Are there things you could be doing faster or better? Take a broad look at how your business progresses through work and see if you can simplify and speed up your systems using new tools and technology.
Burn Your Old Mindset
Working at a job for awhile can also get your mind in a rut. When you first started you proabably had lots of great ideas for ways to do things better and faster. Bureaucracy or an overload of work can strip that mindset away from you pretty quickly. You need to get that mentality back. What are ways you can change your thinking to have a more positive state of mind towards your job? What are some good ideas you had at first that have been sitting on the back burner? How can you motivate your employees or coworkers to make your company better for yourselves and your customers?
If you keep meaning to do something like this and never can find the time, schedule it out in the future. Pick a date on your calendar and make it “Burn Day.” Then don’t let anything else get scheduled for that day. Shut everything down until you let this fire do its work. Clear out the junk that keeps getting in your way and see new growth appear in its place.
Often we can get new ideas by looking at things from another angle. In this article we’re examining some aspects of outstanding basketball teams and players and applying those strategies to running a business.
Build a Great Team
Professional teams don’t just happen by coincidence. They are built over years of trading, drafting, and recruiting. Managers spend lots of time and money getting the exact person they need to complete their roster, even down to their bench players.
Choose your team carefully too. Look for people with a strong work ethic who are willing excited to learn and contribute. Even if you find a player with lots of experience, make sure their head is still in the game. Each player on your team should be interested in helping the whole team get to victory. Don’t grab the first Joe to apply for your new position, be as rigorous in finding that perfect person as an NBA manager.
Even if you are a single-person business like me, you can still build a great team. Friends and family can provide support, local business owners can be great for helping with ideas, and industry contacts can help give feedback on specific projects.
Be a team player
Its a well know phrase that “great players make everyone around them better.” Read More »
If you tell the truth you don’t have to remember anything.
Mark Twain
Honesty solves a lot of problems by never letting them show up in the first place. And its just as important in business as it is in your personal life. Here are a few places to think about your honesty:
Be Honest with your Employees
To a large extent you need to let your employees know what’s going on with your company. Finding and keeping good employees can be difficult for any business, and if you want quality employees that will last you need to let them be invested in the company and feel like a part of the team. Nothing breaks that down faster than them knowing that there is something going on and not being able to ask you what it is.
I’m not saying you should open your accounting files and let anyone scroll through, but the more involved an employee is along the way the more important and satisfied they will feel. Ideally they can help brainstorm solutions with you and may help you solve issues.
Be Honest with your Potential Clients
With some businesses there can be a lot of smoke and mirrors before the sale. Cut that out and let them see why they should work with you – without all of the fine print. Be upfront in your sales discussions about your costs (you should be able to back up your prices anyways). Read More »
The Gold’s Gyms have been updating their blog often with great fitness and nutrition tips, as well as lots of overall wellness advice. But as the year began Melissa Schwab, a Gold’s Gym member, began blogging on the site about her experience trying to lose weight and get in shape as she participated in the Gold’s Gym Challenge. Hits to the site and comments on the posts are way up as people are excited to hear about someone’s experience from the trenches. They get to hear about the highs and the lows, the good times and the bad – told with the power of a personal voice.
Be Honest with your Employees
