What is your toughest challenge in business?

[Scott]

I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours. I'll start.

When I was a young businessman, the toughest challenge was getting work. My vigor was unmatched, we just needed more customers.

When our company got real busy, the toughest challenge was scaling the company with more employees. I made the decision to grow and get off the truck, but that meant I had to train others to be me. Not easy then for me.

Now my biggest challenge is balancing other interests and life with my cleaning/restoration business. When I was younger, smelling the roses and pursuing other interests took a back seat to my cleaning/restoration biz. Now that I've matured I realize I should have budgeted my time more wisely between my other interests and work. The good news is it's never too late to change.

What's your challenge(s)?

Scott

 

[danpauselius]

Making the phone ring.

 

[-JB-]

Delegating/allowing others to do the work.

Simple as dat!

 

[KeithCo]

Making Tuesday evening meetings.

 

[Bob Foster]

Making the phone ring.

 

[Doug D]

love doing the cleaning end of the business, hate the office work part of it.

 

[Rex Tyus]

Paper work. Every time I sit down to do invoicing or accounts payable, I log on here instead and stay wayyyyyy to long.

 

[XTREME1]

paper work and making the daily deposit before it is time to pick up the kids.
I know how to do the paperwork but why do today what you can put off until tomorrow. The only problem is I haven't had a day where I haven't been cleaning in weeks

 

[Jack May]

Implementation of systems, marketing etc.

It used to be the office work but I recently employed a mum that works schools hours for me and I love coming to work now

I love designing marketing stuff and adverts and promos and new things, while 'fired up' about them I start sending them out/calling people/implementing it and then a month (if I'm lucky) later I'm soo busy it falls by the way.

Things are easier with Karla in the office now as I can delegate because marketing is part of her job description and she quite likes it too which helps.

I've been continually shocking her as I slowly pull more and more stuff from the bottom drawer and she exclaims over most of them as great ideas but why didn't you continue :shock:

John

 

[Tony Neville]

Employees, easily the hardest part here!!

Tony

 

[Scott]

Ahhh...paperwork. ICK! That's a challenge for most entrepreneurs, including me. I do it, but hate every bloody second of it.

John, by "school hours" do you mean she works for you while her kids are at school?

I know a couple of savvy business owners who co-op their office work and are extremely happy with the arrangement. The office worker handles accounts rec/pay, prepares deposits, creates invoices the night before, runs reports, makes follow-up and reminder calls and files/organizes paperwork for several local companies. Might be worth a look for those buried in paperwork and don't want to hire someone outright.

LOL Keith! Inside joke for those scratching their heads.

Steve - it's all about confidence. It'll come, just keep grinding.

JB - have you asked your team members to assist you in helping write your systems? I've found delegation comes a lot easier when the team assists in assigning their own tasks.

Dan - You're probably your areas' Best Kept Secret. I've found we get a lot more quality work and a lot less resistance from people we know than strangers. Networking has been huge for our company over the years. Networking is cool because you meet all kinds of neat people along the lifelong networking journey.

Scott

 

[Jack May]

Yes Scott I was referring to that. 9-3 Mon - Fri.

I pay her well... and she loves the work. win win.

She just had her first week off during recent school holiday and by 11am Monday morning I was ready to give her a $5/hour raise

It set me back about 20-25k/yr initially to employ her. I found that the free time that I had to cover a couple extra jobs a day and therefore the increase in t/o easily covered the increased payroll.

John

 

[Scott]

Good thinking, John.

By my calculations you need only $96.15/day extra to compensate her, or just enjoy $96.15/day in less frustration and spending the time on things you like.

Scott

 

[Ivan Turner]

Tony,

I bet you have an endless supply of college guys don't you?

Ivan

 

[Desk Jockey]

As a business it would be staffing for the peaks and keeping those you have on staff busy when there are valleys.

We also have a tough time with marketing consistently.

We always start out with good intentions and then get busy and do little to none until we slow down again.

 

[Steve Toburen]

Be honest here, Richard. Here is what you really meant to say:

"I 'always start out with good intentions and then get busy and do little to none until we slow down again' BECAUSE I am hopelessly addicted to the Internet bulletin boards."

There, now didn't that make you feel better? They say confession is good for the soul!

Steve Toburen CR
Director of Training and nagging conscience of SFS members
Jon-Don's Strategies for Success

PS S, Richard, how is your SFS Action Plan coming? Hmmmmm ...

 

[Jay D]

ONE WORD-------IMPLEMENTATION!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Desk Jockey]

What a smart ass! :wink: (guess that's why I like you!)

Amazingly I am good at multi-tasking and am able to stumble and fumble my way through my menial tasks ...plus feed my addiction!

My action plan, I'm ahead already, although not in order I've knocked off 4-off my list.
(FYI the spiral pocket note pads are at Sam's 12-for $4.00)

See I work too....sometimes! 8)
Richard

P.S. We will in the Lawrence

Business Expo next week if you are bored and want to drop by! We did Topeka's last week.

 

[RichardnTn]

Aches and Pains Every Morning...Richard R

 

[Fon Johnson]

Balance. Working on the business, planning, budgeting, networking, marketing, immediate family, working in the business, paper work (ick), personal obligations, spiritual life.. I'm bad about getting stuck on a tangent, and I'm off to nowhere like a beagle after a rabbit. Then there are those times when I'm so doggone slammed with work that I just can't do everything else I want to do, which is not a bad problem, but it riddles me with guilt. Then when I'm exhausted from a 3 month 90 hour a week marathon, I have trouble getting off of my butt.

 

[RandyHilburn]

Counting all the money!

 

[Guest]

Making the phone ring.
_________________

 

[Kevin Hamer]

Business skills. After getting off the truck after 18 yrs and going into the office, implementing a business plan and dealing with employees is by far the hardest for me.

 

[Driguy]

GETTING STARTED

I have a head full of knowledge and experience as a technician, and about a years worth of book knowledge on business planing, management and execution.

Making that leap into the unknown of business ownership

 

[Goldenboy]

Affording a $6,000.00 mentorship.

Golden Boy

 

[orbitalclean]

Making the phone ring. I have tried door to door flyers, door hangers, mailers and we are now having 6 people Sat and Sun place flyers on cars in shopping centers. We are getting nowhere quick with our current marketing!!

 

[Bob Foster]

David, take no offense but the only thing worse that I hate worse than getting an unsolicited phone call at meal time is someone putting a flier on my vehicle at a mall.

I think many people would get a negative reaction to that tactic.

 

[orbitalclean]

I guess I better shell out the $14k then.

Dont forget about door hangers, no one like those either.

 

[Yaser]

Scott

How about you tell how you faced each of these challenges, especially getting more work!

 

[Bob Foster]

Yaser, who you asking that question of?