Business automation can play and should play a big part in your business. So much more can be achieved for less cost by using technology and business automation tools.

“It is not the most intellectual of the species that survives; it is not the strongest that survives, but the one that is most responsive to change.” Charles Darwin Origin of Species

I love this quote by Charles Darwin because it’s also so true for businesses. Just look at the last ten years and the number of brands that have disappeared because they didn’t change and evolve to their environment or market place. And these weren’t small companies; Comet, BHS, C&A, Woolworths, Blockbuster, Austin Reed, Staples, Maplin and Toys’R’Us, at their peak were all £100m-plus per year companies.

And I see this so much in small businesses. They get stuck in the “but we’ve always done it this way” syndrome, particularly when it comes to their business processes.

As businesses grow, they can become fat and lazy. In the beginning, they were slick and lean, the business owner was at the heart of everything. But as the business grows, more people get involved in the processes, bad habits form with poor disciplines and over-complexity. There’s a strong belief that the only way to improve is to throw more staff at it.

This leads to increased overhead costs, poor customer experience, and frustration for all staff. The Business Owner gets really frustrated: “ahhhhh, business used to be so much easier.”

The challenge for you as the business owner is that you’re a control freak and a perfectionist. Yep, sorry, unfortunately it’s a by-product of being an entrepreneur and here’s why:

• You’re really, really passionate about what you do.
• You also care about the services you provide for your customers.
• You believe everything you do should be top quality because it has your name on it.
• There are many jobs you believe only you can do in your business and you don’t trust others to do them.

Do some of these sounds familiar? The mindset you have has got you a long way and to where you are today. Getting your business over £1m in turnover and employing more than three people put you in the top percentile of business.

But I’m here to enable you to fall back in love with your business. One of your major frustrations is:

“The harder I work, the less money I make.”

The mindset and approach which got you here were great, but to grow beyond it something has to change. I want you to rekindle that entrepreneur’s mindset and, as we’ve already discussed in this book, you need to start looking at your business in a different way.

Many business owners spend lots of time trying to save money, entrepreneurs spend money to save time.

There’s a big difference.

Many modern-day Wizz kids have used technology to solve a problem for themselves, and this ends us being so great others want to buy it. They monetise it and boom, they have a million-plus business.

Technology can play and should play a big part in your business automation. So much more can be achieved for less cost by using technology, digital applications and business automation tools such as customized dashboards and app modernisation. Your customers will increasingly be wanting more, faster, and with less complexity. Retail shopping habits are increasingly crossing over into our business buying habits. Businesses are getting more and more comfortable and confident about buying services and products online or with reduced complexity. You’ve got to change with the times. Only three things in life are guaranteed, death, taxes, and CHANGE. Through technology and ever-changing digital applications, the world has gotten significantly smaller and that rate of change seems faster than ever.

The good news

There is a better way. But it’s going to take a lot of courage and time. I know you haven’t got any extra time, you’re far too busy.

But I’ll give you a really strong reason why you should…

Because if you don’t your competitors will, and you’ll get left behind, and at a great rate of speed.

In the next articles, I’ll take you through how we enabled businesses to take hours out of their processes, saving time, cost and improving the service delivered to customers.

There’s a simple four-step process to follow:

1. Map your current processes
2. Review
3. Map New and Add Technology
4. Test & Implement

How can we be faster, slicker, and more efficient?

Follow me in the next article.

A few years ago you started your entrepreneur’s journey by launching your business, either on your own or with a business partner(s). There’s a high chance that you come from a technical background and are good at what you do. You started your own business with great plans and, for a number of years, it has grown well, based on your sheer determination, hard work and passion. In time you have managed to get it over the £1m turnover ‘mountain’ and you’ve taken on employees. 

So what’s next? And this is where you’ve got stuck. The growth of your business has now slowed down, has plateaued or dropped back. Since you started the business has changed considerably, and you’ve changed with it. When you started out you had a dream about how your life was going to pan out, all the things you were going to do. But the greatest challenge to you now is TIME. Where does it go to? You start every week with great gusto, determined you’re going to smash that to-do list; Before you know it, BAM! It’s Friday again. 

Your entrepreneur’s journey hits serious traffic

As the months roll by you are more worn down and frustrated. Yes, there are some highs but it’s not what you really want, and you know you can achieve so much more. You start to look overly forward to weekends and holidays and, before long, you’ve become an employee. You have lost sight of the reason you started the business, and in the words of Bob Geldof, you “Don’t like Mondays”. Life is starting to feel a bit like Groundhog Day: every week is filled with unwanted noise and, before you know it, it’s the weekend again. You have started to become bored, easily distracted, disinterested and have lost your mojo. 

You’ve fallen out of love with your business. You may not realise, or it might just be that you’re not quite there yet. But believe me, you will unless something changes.  

How would you know you have or you’ve started to fall out of love? You’ve lost the passion and drive you once felt. You’re bored and easily distracted. You blame the industry, the economy, your competitors or anyone else. You’re frustrated and stressed. But there’s something else lurking deep inside…The Fear of Failure. Without knowing it you’ve also developed a fear of failure. You’re worried that you have built your business this far and, if you try to change it, it could all come tumbling down and you will lose everything. 

So, the best thing to do is to bury your head in the sand and ‘pretend/hope/kid yourself’ something magical will happen, and it will change. How can I fall back in love with my business? 

You are not alone. All your feelings, challenges and fears are a normal part of the Entrepreneur’s Journey and shared across most £1m-plus growing businesses. Your strength now is to recognise the traits and signs mentioned above and do something about them. 

By reading and implementing the principles that I’m going to share with you in this book, your business will be easier and more enjoyable to manage. Through focus, better utilisation of your team, and by doing the things you enjoy, you’ll achieve the aspirational results you desire and fall back in love with your business. Real results drive wealth and, in turn, you will start to live the dream that your hard work deserves. I would love to talk more with you about your journey, your business, and how my expertise and digital applications can reignite your love for your business, so contact me today.

It’s time to stop procrastinating. “Only sh#t happens, everything else you have to make happen.” 

1. Ending Direct 

And that starts now. Request your free paperback copy of How To Fall Back In Love With Your Business, we’ll pay for the printing costs, you just pay a small shipping fee. I’ll also include a free copy of the eBook and a free copy of the audiobook, for instant download. This package is worth over £20 but all I ask is for you to cover the packing & shipping. Don’t delay getting this Amazon top-selling book now.  

1. Amazon Direct 

To get this Amazon top-selling book in Paperback, Kindle or Audible now, just follow this link or search in the Amazon store – “How To Fall Back In Love With Your Business”