Are You Ready For Change?

I was watching Brad Pitt in World War Z and he made a statement about people surviving a disaster better if they stay on the move. It was the overall theme of the movie The Croods as well. Change was uncomfortable but necessary for survival. The fact is, that is just as true in business as it is in war or Armageddon.

One of the problems that I see many people struggling with is the need to change. Change is uncomfortable. We don’t like it. We don’t want to move. We want everything to be the way it always has been even if it has been bad. We would rather work with the devil we know than try to figure out how a new devil will deal with us.

It is weird really, because we are in a life that is full of changes. Change is all around us in the seasons, and in the seasons of our own lives, but we fight against it. The young adult who doesn't want to leave the house, and the mother who suffers with empty nest syndrome are sufferers in change.

Business owners also struggle with change. It is one of the things that make an entrepreneur different from a business owner. Anyone can own a business. Anyone can go through the day to day mundane tasks and even reach a measure of success by keeping things static, but an entrepreneur is a starter. They take risks. They try new things. They learn about new ideas and they want to try them. Sometimes they are dragging spouses, employees, accountants and other Croods who like everything stable along behind them.

If things are good, there may seem to be no need for change. Yet, we are moving forward, or going backwards in reality. Competition could be gaining on us if we are staying where we are. It is harder to hit a moving target. So change may be a very good thing. Tweaking may be all that is necessary but even tweaking can only be done if we are open to changes.

How do you know if your business needs some changes? Do you have a working strategy? Do you have a business plan and are you planning to use it? Have you compared your business to your competitors? Are there areas where you could expand? Are you measuring the cost of your product vs the profit? How do you know this is as effective as it can be? When was the last time you checked the industry prices on the widgets that you need? Are you sure you are using the best technology? When did you last compare new technologies? Are your staff trained to ask these questions or are you hoping they will come up with these good ideas on their own?

Speaking of employees, are they growing? Is working for your company enriching their lives or just trading them dollars for hours? Do you want the cost of replacing them? Have you considered training that would increase their value to you? Does your sales team have all that is needed to succeed? How do you know?

Do you need a business coach to stretch you to the next level? Do you need a better bookkeeper or a virtual assistant to help track your sales results? Do you need a brainstorming session or a MasterMind sales group to get you thinking outside of the box and moving forward again? What do you need? What do you need to change to get what you need as a result? How do you know?

Is the phone ringing with new business? Are your customers happy? Are you feeling fulfilled? Are your employees at the top of their game and excited about coming to work?

What are you leaving on the table for your competitors? How do you know?

Watch the numbers and change if you need to. By the way, you need to change. You already know it, but are you ready for change?

Always Loyal2U,

Kerry George

403-397-1909

PS…

If you need any of the above mentioned people call me. I know a lot of people in the Calgary region. I can connect you to an expert in any field who can help you improve your bottom line.