Fishin' and Runnin' a Business Are the Same Thing

I have learned in the past three weeks, much to Entrepreneur Chick's surprise, that I love to fish!

"Lookie Joe, I gotta tackle box", I proudly announced and held up my prize.

"Huh. Bet ya don't got anything in it," Joe retorted as he pulled, without asking, my little brown plastic box towards him on the counter.

"Hmm. Lemme see..." Joe pokes around- "Worms. Hooks. Weights. Needle nosed pliers. Fishin' glasses. What's this?"

"Well, it's my nail file. What if I break a nail?" Joe rolls his eyes but he's proud of me, I can tell.

Joe runs the place. He's a little bit fishing pro, and a little bit magic. I actually saw him, just yesterday, pull out a huge bass, pregnant at that, using a hook no bigger than any ordinary green pea! Also, when I broke my line and had to reset it, and didn't know what I was doing for sure, Joe mysteriously appeared out of no where and questioned, "Jus whattaya think yer' doin'?" And he graciously helped me because I was screwing it up, biggern' Dallas.

If you closely inspect the brown, faded, dingy pictures on the wall, you'll see many of Joe, looking eerily the same as he did in 1972, his ever present cigarette dangling delicately out one side of his mouth or glued to his hand like one of his organic digits and matter-of-factly holding up a catfish as big as a fourth grade child.

Joe is a discovery in himself, as business is a discovery in itself.

It might look like you're doing nothing. But the whole time you are sitting there thinking, and thinking and rethinking about nothing but fishing. When you have a businesses, it's as if you're in love. You think about that (person) and you think about that business all the time!

Hmmm. Nothing's happening. Is my minnow dead? {{Staff not performing?}}

Wait! I got a bite! I got a BIG BITE! {{That large customer you've been trying to land.}}

I proudly caught thirteen fish yesterday but only two of them were "keepers."

When you pull out a "keeper" everyone has their say. "Yep. That's a keeper."
"Uh huh- that's a keeper." "Looks like a keeper. Better have Joe measure it fer certain."

Now, the funny thing about a "keeper" is- you can't throw them back in the lake. You have to actually DO something with "the keeper".

What do I do?! {{{Business grows and expands and is becoming profitable.}}}

For starters, I ran over to Joe with my "keeper" and sorrowfully said, "Joe, I know you're busy with customers, but I got a keeper."

Joe, unruffled not in the least, merely continued to puff coolly, on one side of his face, his Marbarrlo, and, as other patrons were volunteering- "I'll take it off of the hook for her!" "Aww, s'okay- I'll take it off for her." Joe gave his unalterable pronouncement: The heavens parted and thus sayeth Joe:

"Naw. She's got it."

An entrepreneur will finally "get it" and when it's "a keeper", an entrepreneur will, in fact, figure out what to do.

Could Your Staff Be Ruining Your Business?

"Hire tough so you can manage easy", is the thought that repeats itself through most business books, essentially. We, who are business owners, can all give mental assent to that ideology, but essentially, are we putting into practise what we truly believe? When the rubber hits the road, what's really going on?

The first point of contact many businesses have with their clients, believe it or not, is still the lowly phone.

If that person who is "the gatekeeper" has little to no social and phone skills, the business owner can expect their sales and their reputation as a company to plummet. Maybe you have the best product or service out there. Maybe no one can do it better than you- but yet, if you've mistakenly placed Mrs. Whiggins in charge of compelling that consumer to fork over hard earned, cold hard cash, in this economy, you are going to be in a world of hurt as a company.

For example, let me give you two exact businesses with two completely different out comes.

As you know, Eliot (my Yorkie) was not well yesterday. I first picked up the phone to give the business to a vet who is in the Chamber of Commerce with me. His name is John. John owns his clinic and his receptionist answered the phone using the following:

"Hello. This is Blah Blah Animal Clinic. This is Diane. How may I help you?"

When I, with fear and trepidation, explained to Diane what was going on, she thoroughly listened to me, asked questions, and gave me the information I needed, pronto. She further instructed me not to hesitate to call back if I needed anything or had any further questions.

The only reason I did not book with John was because he was out of the office as it was late in the afternoon, nearly the close of the business day, and he was on call. I felt bad to have him be called back to the office- so I called my first vet who I had established before John joined the Chamber. Wisely, John has Ms. Dreamboat answering his phones. She made me feel valued, and isn't that what we all want?

Calling vet #1 was an entirely different scenario. This receptionist could barely muster up enough vigor to say, "Hello"! And you could tell even that much was putting her out! Part of me wanted to say, "Never freakin' MIND." But Eliot was really ill and I needed him seen right away.

The vet I finally got into see (even at yet another hospital because that vet #1 was also gone for the day) was absolutely wonderful, kind, reassuring, gracious and honest. Plus he spoke with the most darling British accent. I have to say though, his receptionist was only a tad better than the one who was a real stinker-oo, and if I was not in a pinch, I would not have booked!

Don Preston is a first class business guru. One day we were talking and he was saying, "The Mission Statement of the business has to be so clearly and thoroughly articulated to the staff, that even without you being there, they make decisions in keeping with the integrity of that mission statement. Everyone has to know the intrinsic value of the business and what it stands for and how to carry that out day to day."

I own a business who's tag line (as it is a business to business enterprise) states;

"Our REAL business is getting people to YOUR business!"

I have to say- this one particular client of ours has everything going for it. Fabulous location. Fabulous atmosphere. Fabulous product. What they don't have, tragically, is a staff that has a sense of urgency regarding customer's needs. We have seen people walk out the door upset; and you know they are not coming back! Plus, have you heard that when people encounter bad service, they go and tell TEN of their friends? "Yeah, you know that place? Yeah, don't go there."

So as fast as we get new people over there, their inept staff is losing them!

I'm reading the book anew- "When You Say 'Yes' but Mean 'No'- How Silencing Conflict Wrecks Relationships and Companies...and What You Can Do About It." Leslie A Perlow- Harvard Business School

That title is loaded with wisdom. There is a way, however, to be diplomatic and sensitive in dealing with problems. Because, if you are in business, you are going to have problems; solving problems is what you're paid to do. Certainly I am not going to go to my clients and accuse unmercifully, "Are you guys absolutely clueless!? Don't you see what's happening?! Are you going to let these goobers sabotage your company and then you can't pay back your SBA loan and wreck your retirement and your entire future? Do you want to live in the projects? Be on welfare? Oh my God!" (Well, I articulated that so easily, I hope I don't burst out and blab that to them.)

Entrepreneur Chick believes that these two things are non-negotiable.

(1) Hire people with integrity, a good set of social skills, and a good work ethic. Hire tough.

(2) Teach those people what you expect, with clear and easy to understand protocol~ which exemplifies who you are as a company and which sets you apart from your competitors. Give them superior training.

Anything less than this mindset is as precarious as Lindsey Lohan's sobriety on New Years Eve.