The Growth Coach Blog

As a business owner, your individual success is ultimately based on how hard you are willing to try and persevere, but there are times when every business owner could use some outside help and guidance.  If you feel lost or confused about your goals, a business coach is able to give objective advice and assistance. They change lives and help build better businesses. This is the inspirational story of how one coach was able to facilitate his client to reach astounding new heights.

Bill Hurston, The Growth Coach based inSt. Louis, held many different positions before becoming a coach, from Financial Analyst for the U.S. Army Special Operations Command to CPA. On June 2, 2011, he began coaching Darryl Carron, owner of an electrical contracting firm, founded in 2009. Over the next few months, Bill helped Darryl improve his business and improve his life.

When Bill first began coaching Darryl, his gross revenues were around $400K for 2010 and his small firm had only three employees. The most troubling part of Darryl’s business is the toll it took on his personal life. He received more than 100 phone calls a day. Most of the daily functions of his business rested solely on his shoulders, from electrical work to driving the company van. Darryl was so busy and overwhelmed by his business he hadn’t found time to take even a small vacation in years.

On June 2; however, Darryl resolved to hang up his tool belt and start acting like a CEO, not a technician. He began to understand that the key to business success is to work on your business not in it. Darryl is a master electrician with years of experience in his field so leaving the technical work to his employees was not an easy task, but he managed to do it. By delegating and creating systems, Darryl’s business is now booming.

Darryl’s revenues for 2011 more than doubled. For 2012, he predicts they could double again and reach $2 million dollars. The small firm has grown from three employees to 21 and Darryl expects that number to keep climbing over the next year. The number of phone calls he receives is down to 25 a day or less, saving him between 500-700 hours a year of precious time and greatly reducing the clutter in his life. As a result, Darryl was confident enough in the self-sufficiency of his business to take not just one, but three small vacations since June.

These are just some of the highlights of the great things that have happened in Darryl’s life and business since Darryl began experiencing the Growth Coach process he became able to remove himself from the equation. He began to take control of his business instead of letting it control him. By hanging up his tool belt, he mastered the position of CEO. Every business owner faces the difficult task of delegating the daily operations of their business to others, but it is necessary to obtain greater business success. Hang up your tool belt today and begin the journey from technician to CEO.

A new year has begun and a new page in the story of your business is ready to be written. Remember, you are the one who holds the quill. The future of your business is ready to be molded, but only if you are prepared to take action and start a new chapter. Nothing will change if you don’t. Use the New Year to force yourself to do things differently and do them right.

Simply going along with the decisions and actions you made last year could keep your business from growing, and will cause it to stagnate. Consider all the things that weren’t working last year and make it a priority to fix them. If something goes wrong, be accountable and learn from your mistakes, but don’t be afraid to make them. You have to start making the changes and taking the risks that are needed to begin this new chapter, no one else can take them for you. You are the author of your business and as you look toward a new page, reflect on the previous ones.

Don’t dismiss the past, learn from it. Everything you did in 2011, both the good and the bad, will stay exactly the same if you don’t take the time to meditate on what happened. This is the perfect time to change your business and change your results. As you reflect, ask yourself some of these questions

·What didn’t work in my business in 2011? ·

What does a potential buyer see when looking at my business? What are their concerns and fears?

· Where there any problems I refused to face?

· Did I put off making decisions or making change?

· What worked well last year and how can I replicate it?

· If I could change one thing about my business or personal life, what would it be?

Use these to help you gain focus and clarity. Once you understand what’s wrong, you can change it and get back to what’s right. The New Year is a new opportunity for you. Utilize it to reinvent your business and reinvent yourself but don’t think that the change stops at the end of the month. Continue this process of reflection and action throughout the entire year to really see improvement. Be accountable for the past, and use it to build a better future and a better business.

Driving a car is a lot like running a business. As the driver, you steer your business away from obstacles and maneuver it through rough roads. Unfortunately, sometimes even the best driver gets lost in the fog or on a new route. When you get lost driving you can rely on a GPS.  When you get lost in your business or simply need some help finding the way to your goal, you can rely on a business coach.

Watch this two minute video on GPS = Business Coaching.

Like a GPS, coaches leave the driving up to you. You’re still in charge of your ultimate success during your journey. A coach can help lead you toward it, assist you and guide you along the way. Coaches illuminate the path ahead of you and keep you on course. Whenever you need additional guidance, a coach can point you in the right direction.  Coaching is empowering and fulfilling, showing you the road, but not walking it for you. You are the one who must make the journey and achieve your goals; coaches are simply there to keep you steady on the long drive to success. The path to a better future lies before you. You can reach it if you’re brave enough to start. Keep a coach, a business GPS, along with you on the road, and you’ll find yourself at the goal.

It’s Thanksgiving again, and this year take a little time to remember all the things in your business you have to be thankful for. Consider all your hard work and successes and celebrate them. You deserve it. Remind yourself that your business is where it is today because of you.

While rejoicing in all the things you are thankful for, don’t forget to also consider the areas where you could have improved over the last year. What are you strengths and what are your weaknesses? Look at all the great things you’ve done, but also try to learn from the failures. When you’ve identified your problem areas, make a promise to yourself to focus your efforts there, and hold yourself to that promise. Be accountable for your business and to yourself. The end of the year is the perfect time to reflect on yourself and your business. It’s a great time to start working towards a long term change. Success is within your grasp. Don’t be afraid to reach out and grab it.

As you enjoy the Holiday surrounded by family and friends, make sure to appreciate the time away  from your business too. You and your business can’t be one in the same all the time. Use this time to get away from your work. As a business owner, entrepreneur or professional remember that your job is really to be thinking big picture, not to focus on every little task that needs doing. Enjoy this time at home, time that you can spend doing the things you love with the people you love. Don’t you wish you could do it more often? You can. Delegate the small tasks to others, your job isn’t to manage everything. Deal with the big issues and focus there. If something isn’t working, examine it and fix it. Don’t be afraid to let go of all the busy work.

The Thanksgiving holiday is a great time to reflect and allow yourself to have fun, but it shouldn’t be the only time. Take 15 minutes each day for a strategic time out. Use this time to reflect, re-energize and plan. Don’t forget to hold yourself accountable. Allow yourself more time to have fun and spend time with family. Your happiness is important and never forget to give yourself  a break when you need it. Most of all, enjoy your business, enjoy your holiday and be thankful for all the wonderful people and opportunities in your life.