This story is from my dim, dark past, with “dark” being the key word... read on, it’ll make more sense. It gives context to a number of personal insights into the challenges faced by business owners everywhere, together with some thoughts on how to resolve them.

While the story is important, if you’re one of those people who needs to cut to the chase, either due to a lack of time or lack of attention, then head to the section titled The Insights I Gained, otherwise I hope you enjoy!

Business Systems and Personal Systems create focus and, far from limiting you, allow you to be more creative!

The most productive people are not always busy people, they don’t need to be. But, when they are, they know exactly what they’re working on and why. Read the following statements and consider which group best describes how you operate. Is it time to make some changes?  

Two factors that dramatically impact our ability to "achieve outcomes" are stress and overwhelm.

Look at the picture above and guess how heavy the glass of water is?

Would it surprise you to know that the absolute weight doesn’t matter? It depends on how long I hold it for. If I hold it for a minute it’s not a problem. Hold it for an hour and my arm will start to ache. Hold it for a day and my arm will feel numb and paralysed.

Thomas Watson, the father of IBM, was once asked how he built his company into the structure it became – because, he said, “I planned that structure from day one”.

Most small businesses, if they have a structure, build it only to suit their current needs. Consequently, a few people are designated to fill all the roles so the structure is defined by the individuals and not by the tasks they do. As this becomes ingrained over time it becomes difficult, if not impossible, to separate the two.

You might know this one,  but here's a story about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody.

What Do You Do?  In many cases, your success will be determined by how accurately you can define what business you’re in. It has to be presented from your customer’s view – they need to know WIIFM (What’s In It For Me!)

In working with business owners as they strive to get the most out of their operations and, at the same time, try to create a degree of personal balance, I’m often confronted with the response – “but I just don’t have the time to do it all!” Does this sound like you?

We're being bombarded by information, and often at the wrong times!

Distractions like this have a major impact on our ability to manage and grow our businesses. So, here are a couple of ideas to keep you on track.

Have you heard of “Just in Time” manufacturing? Many big businesses (like car makers) operate on this basis – that is, they hold very little stock of anything and work with their suppliers to ensure parts are delivered direct to the production line just in time.