Posts Tagged ‘business consulting’

PowerTips: Leveling The See-Saw Called Life

Tuesday, December 20th, 2011 by victoria

Each member of the Remodelers Advantage team brings a unique and powerful point of view to our organization and I love it. Having an array of personality types, and people with differing sets of experience on our bench means that we can have a wide set of information at our fingertips, and we deliver that much more value to the members of our learning community. One of our most effective business coaches and  popular facilitators is Paul Winans. Paul’s thoughtful yet exacting input helps our members identify the stumbling blocks that are holding them back from reaching their potential. Here, Paul shares his views on the importance of building a balanced life.  I thought it was particularly appropriate for this time of year.

Remember going to the playground when you were young and riding the see-saw?  Some people call it the teeter-totter.  Little more than a board centered on a fulcrum, you and a friend would get on each end, alternately pushing one another up and down.

After doing that for a while (sometimes trying to move the see-saw so violently that you would knock your partner off!) you might work with the person on the other end to try to get the see-saw balanced, so nobody’s feet were touching the ground.  This took a little more work than simply pushing up and down, and you and your playmate had to work together to make it happen.

I mention the see-saw because the way we played with that is a lot like how we approach trying to create work-life balance in our lives as adults.  It IS possible to create it, though not without investing effort that is often counter-intuitive for motivated people.

Why bother creating such a balance in your life?  My wife, Nina, and I went to a wedding recently.  The bride was the daughter of dear friends we met 33 years ago.  We knew them before their daughter (the bride) was born.  Now we were watching her get married

Sitting in the chapel I couldn’t help but reflect on where did all the time go?  How did she get to be such a beautiful young woman, no longer the young child who once played with our children?

I was grateful for the choices I had made which allowed me to see much of the growing up their children and our children did in all those years.

At the same time, there were times when I was too consumed with work.  So much so that I was not able to appreciate how ephemeral so much of what I took for granted as being permanent truly was.  My see-saw got out of balance pretty regularly.

My experience of being alive for all these years so far is that each year makes it easier to understand how important it is to get the board level.  Yes, there will always be that tension between work and life on either ends of the see-saw.  Those choices about what to pay attention to are your life in the long run.

How to make it happen in your world?  Simply put, take a long term perspective when trying to decide what to do today.

What does that mean in real practical terms?  Consider this: When you are lying in your death bed what will you be reflecting on?  Probably not that you wish you could have worked more hours and days!

Rather, you will likely be thinking about the relationships and memories you helped sustain and create.  Try keeping that in mind when the board is being pushed down by the weight of work and all its attendant obligations.

Put into your planner all those things which will help keep you healthy and keep you connected to family and friends.  THEN fit in the remaining space your work.  This looks like a simple thing to do and I know that it is not.  Remember how you had to work with your friend to get the board balanced and that it took more work than simply pounding your side of the board up and down?

Your life is as balanced as you take responsibility for making it be.  There is no right way or wrong way to live your life.  Do keep in mind what you want to be reflecting on when watching people who used to be your age going through one of life’s wonderful transitions.  That is all up to you.

If creating the life you really want is a challenge for you, let us give you a hand. Everything we do is aimed toward helping you life a better life — and our coaches are ready to work with you.  Contact our friendly staff today at 301-490-5620 or complete this form and we’ll give you all of the details on this very effective service. Learn how we’ve helped our clients — straight from the horse’s mouth!

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Posted in Business Coaching, Business Management, Leadership | No Comments »

Our Sponsors: They truly get it.

Friday, June 18th, 2010 by victoria

I know you’ve heard it all before. A manufacturer will approach you and tell you that they are investing in remodelers, that they want to get to know you and learn how to serve you better, that remodeilng is where they want to be. . . then, new home construction comes back and they drop you like a hot potato!

I’ve heard it all before too — how much can you miss in 20 years — but I have to tell you that our sponsors–Wellborn, Pella Windows , and Kohler/Sterling–are truly different. They are putting money and energy where their mouths are and our members are benefitting from it. Over and over, I’m hearing from those in our learning community that they are building strong relationships with these vendors and that the vendors are helping them overcome business challenges and grow their businesses profitably. I encourage you to reach out to each of these companies to talk to them about how they can help you. One can never have too many friends!

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Posted in Strategic Alliances | No Comments »

Internships Ease Office Workload

Friday, June 18th, 2010 by victoria

If you need some extra help in your office but don’t have the budget—or enough work—to hire an employee, consider bringing in a part-time unpaid intern from a local college or high school.

Len McAdams, founder and president of McAdams Builders in Kirkland, Wash., posted an ad for non-salaried internship on craigslist (www. craigslist.com) and received many responses from interested students. “We continued to receive applications 2 weeks after the ad ran, says the remodeler.

McAdams selected Dan, a student in his senior year at a local college. At McAdams Builders, Dan’s duties include keeping the company’s image current on various social media Web sites and scanning old files for permanent storage.

The arrangement is a symbiotic one. Dan is gaining experience in a business environment to enhance his resume. In return, “We have a high-energy person doing things we would otherwise not have time to do,” says McAdams. The company also benefits from Dan’s young insights and perspective—“which are, unfortunately, lacking in our aging staff,” says the remodeler.

McAdams points out that he is carefully following legal advice to make sure that Dan does not become an employee by accident. “A maximum of 12 weeks and 20 hours per week (Dan works far less) are a few of the criteria,” says the remodeler.

Before you bring in an intern, sit down with your staff and identify tasks you’d like the intern to do. Perhaps he or she could draft customer satisfaction surveys, help organize a home tour, put client files in order, send out invoices, or possibly shadow some of your production personnel to help them with miscellaneous administrative tasks.

You may want to contact a nearby college or high school and talk to a guidance counselor or department head to see what kind of tasks would benefit and interest students seeking internships.

As McAdams did, be sure to consult your lawyer about work hour limits and other federal and legal stipulations for unpaid internships.

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Posted in Administration and Human Resources | No Comments »

It’s A Whole New World Out There. Are You Sure You Want To Go It Alone?

Friday, June 18th, 2010 by victoria

Now that the dust is settling, we can all see that our business world has changed and will never go back to the way it was. So it’s up to us to learn how to function in this new world and it’s lots easier when you’re learning along with a group of your peers. One of the ways we’re doing this is through our own Roundtables group. Yes, we are part of a group of companies that facilitate peer groups for specific types of business owners:  dentists, optometrists, health club owners, garden nurseries, IT companies and more.

I started this group after experiencing years of our own Roundtables and seeing the huge value that our members receive from working with a group of savvy peers. And it’s been SO well worth the investment of time and money!

While everyone works differently, the core business is alike so we are free to pick and choose best practices that will enhance our company’s programs and bring more value to our members. It’s several days of nothing but talking business and learning about each other and our operations. I love it!

And it’s wonderful to hear from our members who feel exactly the same way about us. Here’s just one unsolicited comment:

Thanks Victoria to you and all of your staff for a great workshop. We here at Craftsman Design are really pumped up and had a great meeting with our staff reviewing our notes and making plans for our future. It is REALLY nice to see that the REALITY of your organization meets the ADVERTISING. We are looking forward to the focus and direction that a group like Remodelers Advantage helps give our company!

If you’re ready to stop working alone, we’d love to have you join us. As another member said recently, “It’s no secreat that may of the best and strongest companies in the country are  Remodelers Advantage members.”

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Posted in Business Management, Leadership, Why Join a Peer Group | No Comments »

Book Review: The Knack How Street Smart Entreprenuers Learn to Handle Whatever Comes Up

Wednesday, June 16th, 2010 by victoria

This book is written by two of my favorites from Inc. magazine, Norm Brodsky and Bo Burlingham, who totally understand the challenges faced by owners of small business.  As we see regularly with our consulting clients, people building a business look for a silver bullet, a step-by-step formula or set of rules to help them grow profitably and successfully. Unfortunately for all of us, that doesn’t exist! Instead, you have to grow a certain mindset that will help you handle the ups and downs of business. Brodsky and Burlingham call it the Knack.

This is a must read for all of us as it uncovers the major challenges, forces us to look at our most critical business information, and tells us how to build a business that fits us. One of the pieces of advice they give is to follow the numbers. Boy, they took the words right out of my mouth! We all agree that this regular review and understanding of our numbers is the best way to spot problems before they become life-threatening.  Some of our clients and members ask why we spend so much time on the numbers and this is exactly the reason. We want you to understand where your company is heading in enough time to take action to change if necessary.

If you aren’t following your numbers the way you should, let us know. We can help.

We are delighted to welcome Bo Burlingham to our 2010 Business Summit as our Keynote Speaker.  You’re invited too! Learn more about the Summit here.

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Posted in Business Management, Leadership, Uncategorized | No Comments »

GroupThink Rules!

Thursday, June 10th, 2010 by victoria

I truly believe in the power of group-think — in other words, that better ideas are generated and stronger solutions formulated when one works with a group of sharp individuals vs. working alone.  I see this time and time again. This week, it was demonstrated in our company when a team of us met to brainstorm about our upcoming Business Summit. Linda Case, Arlene Alfano, our Meeting Planner, Rose Grabowski, Director of Member Services, and I spent several hours talking about all of the little details that make our events unique and memorable — the fun in the event. As you can imagine, we laughed, we groaned, we exclaimed as wilder and wilder ideas were thrown into the ring for consideration. At the end, we’d come up with a line up of little extras that are going to add just the right amount of zaniness and interactivity to this great conference.

The power of group-think is one of the most important concepts around which our Roundtables groups are designed. When our members, owners of large-volume remodeling companies, sit together focusing on the challenges of their peers in the room, the ideas, the suggestions, the business management knowledge gained from shared experiences is awesome! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard, “Wow, that was a great idea! It just paid for my entire investment!”

So if you’re facing a challenge, have an important presentation or proposal to create, are stuck on a problem, think about how you can use group-think to help.  You’re probably surrounded by savvy business people who would love to be part of your success. Of course, if you really want to see the best group-think in action, join Roundtables.

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Posted in Business Management, Employee Retention, Why Join a Peer Group | No Comments »