Difficulty with one's own advice

Have you ever been in a position where you often offer others advice about the situations you face? To tell the truth it always seems easier to do so, but when faced with the same dilemma personally, the situation can take on a different complexion.

Quite recently, I was ill. Not because of any viruses or bugs going around. I literally was disobedient to advice that I have given most about balance. I didn't follow it myself, almost believing that I could be all things to all people until I realized the following:

• I was over worked and under rested 
• My family's suffering from my being, broke busted and disgusted 
• My focus was no longer laser sharp
• My mind wandered often and I was easily distracted 
• Exercise was something I now only knew via spelling 
• The list goes on and on

It is times like this, when you no longer look human, due to the wires and needles that are hooked up, and the poking / prodding that takes place that brings one into contact with their mortality in a hurry. SUPERMAN'S MADE OF PAPER / PLASTIC, depending on his rendering and only exists fictionally. My day consisted of meetings and conference calls, planning projects and their operational elements, dealing with for commercial entities and not for profits / charities. The list goes one. Fortunately / unfortunately, depending on one's perspective I was not as elastic and the time frames in any given period day / night. 

When one's sick, it's when you learn of other who have ailments. Some similar and others much worse. Nonetheless, they have a common thread. We as a society are under way too much stress. We are accommodating everyone and doing precious little for ourselves. 

ENTER ME TIME...

This is when we need to take the opportunity to recharge. No meetings, no commitments to others, no church activities, no children to swimming or any other events. It's when we take time to recreate; and it doesn't involve having to catch a plane. 

I have a friend who take a one day vacation weekly, thanks for that lesson Lorna. Other's go to the gym. Still others just vanish for the sake of their sanity. Is there a lesson to be learnt in all this? I think so. What about you? Recreation is a mustcessity to borrow my friend Dave's word. 

Understand that the work has to be done and will be done, but live in the present. While at work - WORK. While at rest - REST. Schedule appointments with yourselves, so you have time to really get away; time that's important. Time for yourselves. 

I'm done for now, as I'm going to exercise. From now on, I'll have no difficulty with my own advice. 

Celebrity Service

Have you ever been somewhere and received service that had you totally delighted? I mean you totally did not expect it, yet the service was such that it created a memorable experience for you rather than just mingle well camouflaged among the thoughts that you would have had for a lifetime. When you talk with your friends and colleagues afterwards you totally rave about how the service made you feel important - you were made to feel like a celebrity.

Would some of these statements describe your service experience?

• I didn't have to ask for anything really, they brought it before I thought it. 
• When they described what the experience would be and then exceeded it, I thought I found my piece of heaven.
• I felt like family there! 
• Have you ever been pampered; having your every need catered to? ....just when you thought that was all, then they catered to your wants? Wow!

You begin to get the picture. The experience that you received made you feel so great, that as you think about it, you realized that you received Celebrity Service.  Sure you can use the term, my only caveat is that you don't try to own it, but to share it thereby raising all the service standards one at a time with everyone that you come into contact with regardless of where in the world you are.

What's celebrity service? You get the opportunity to decide it, since there's no cookie cutter approach. It can be a standard that has application across cultures, races, classes, and creeds. It doesn't matter who you interact with, it matters that you made an extremely positive difference to their lives that they not only feel the gratitude of being on the receiving end of the service, but goes a step further in their wanting to serve whoever they come in contact with in a way that makes the experience most memorable.

• It goes beyond good customer service, since the emphasis is not on whether or not the other person is a customer.  
• It's not about differentiating between the internal / external customer. 
• Class demarcations like first, club, executive cannot define it. 
• It's personal; in that the experience of one person's celebrity service does not define that of another.
• Those with whom you interact must feel special, almost as if they are the only one that mattered at that time. Yet the feeling of celebrity service must extend beyond the interaction that they have had with you.
• Celebrity service is the journey, not a destination to be reached. 
• It is tangible, yet vague and wispy; neither governed by stars nor ratings.
• Celebrity service is when your people skills become you most important marketing asset. Not being governed by if the environment is highly classy or rustic. 
• It is reached by training in standards, where the key elements being developed are better people, not better looking environments. 

Here's the clincher. It's something that the Old Caribbean offered that enabled people to speak about going back to their holiday domiciles before they even left to go back home. Celebrity service is enchanting and enhancing. I love it when I experience it, but I love it more when I give it. 

The secret is that it isn't just something that takes place at work, but goes into the household. It's:

• spousal 
• family oriented 
• colleagues cooperating 
• church related 
• just good hospitality 

Are you ready for celebrity service; willing to experience it and to demonstrate it? I would love to hear / read your stories. Be the celebrity hosting other celebrities. Changing you mindset and behaviors can result in better life experiences! We all owe it to ourselves to have a quality of life that's exemplary. Here's another secret. It's service offered in an environment of love and care.  

Opportunistic employment - A potential conflict of interest?!?!

There's a pattern developing among entities that are in businesses that require training. It is the behaviour that has the following steps:

• requesting proposals 
• trying to get the training provider to prepare a comprehensive document which outlines the elements of the training
• then trying to do the training themselves using the template that they would have received from the training provider and any additional information that would have been provided in the attempts to seal the deal. 

Often a poor job is done since the end user trainer does not have the benefit of the comprehensive information the bonafide trainer would have had. In many cases they are not suitably qualified on the subject area, but attempt to read and bluff their way through.

Is this value for money to the entity? In these economic times, more companies seem to want to adopt this approach and in so doing compound their already challenging situations. Keep reading as some may feel that I'll outline a procedure here, and you may be right, but it is not the one that you expect.

Trainers modify your sales techniques so that when you provide information within your proposals, you outline what you'll do, not how you'll do it. Too often, we feel that it's necessary to tell of the tasks required to do the job, when the true value's in the results. Once you follow this path it should reduce, if not eliminate this practice of people wanting to be opportunistic trainers when they are trying to supplement their income along with what they're getting from their job. It should reduce the potential for conflicts on interest.

This can be applied to a cross section of professions and is so rampant, it needs urgent address.

Life Happens...

The days are going by so quickly, that getting on here just to do a quick post seems to be a challenge. Sure... more experienced bloggers will say, you have to schedule the time. However I'm telling you, it's just crazy how time is going by. When was the last time you had time to just stop, observe, and realize a couple of things?

I remember my last vacation like it was yesterday. Literally, days are going so quickly, I can remember things that took place 5 years ago like it was yesterday. Thing is every time I think about going on vacation, my workload increases significantly. It's like clients think I'm not going to come back. Some of my colleagues say that in order to bump revenues up, maybe we should constantly think of going on vacation. Though it gives me a chuckle, I sometimes wonder if they may be on to something.

Over the past number of months, I've been seeing people going through all kinds of changes. Is it all financial? No. But many seem to be the spin off of financial circumstances.

There are many people who are in the following situations:

• More month than money
• More ideas than available resources 
• Living pay cheque to pay cheque
• Financial strains due to family situations - death, life, marriage, divorce, growing children, aging parents, challenges that come with the job, challenges that come from being without a job, the list goes on

How are we as a people coping? This atmosphere of busy-ness seems to creating a life / lifestyle that keeps us, as a people, on the treadmill. So can we do about it? 

Every now and again, we need to stop and recreate. 

What is it that we are seeking? What keeps us going at this frantic pace? What is it that keeps so many people up at night? Surely, it can't be anything new as this seems to have been happening for ages. 

Are we doing it for - Honor?

I then did some research from a biblical perspective. It's easy nowadays with the online access to e-bibles and found the following:

• "Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you..Exo 20:12
• After these things I heard a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, "Alleluia! Salvation and glory and honor and power belong to the Lord our God! rev 19:1
• Pray for us; for we are confident that we have a good conscience, in all things desiring to live honorably.Heb 13:18 

There are many more passage on honor, but these stood out with me. 

Are we honoring honoring of father and mother as commanded that we do in Exo 20:12? Are we functioning under the shadow of the almighty so that we experience not only the salvation, but the glory and honor and power of God? How can we be close and not be affected? if we aren't affected than are we close enough? Are our lives honorable? Put another way, if we looked at ourselves from the outside, would we want to be in the company of ourselves? 

What do I mean? Many of us use these words to describe ourselves and our situations:

• stressed, rinsed out, beat, lick up, under the weather, etc. 

We behave as if we are in total control and are not accountable for the way we live. We we do realize accountability, it seems that we prefer to acknowledge what other people think rather than what God thinks of us.

If you need to recapture some measure of honor in your life, why not look in the bible at the examples that are within the word. Remove the constant panic and apprehensive by reading all of the Basic Instruction Before Leaving Earth and really getting personal; knowing the contents for yourself.

Once, I had a picture of God asking me "What have you done for me lately?", like you I first thought that was Janet Jackson's song, then I realize who's the composer. I decided to get busy, cause it wasn't about all the activity that I thought it was - going to church, singing in the choir, leading classes. None of that stuff mattered. Was I leading the life that God would be proud of what what counted?

1. Was I cussing and swearing all the time?
2. Was I setting a great example for the children around?
3. Was I being an excellent example for the surrounding adults?
4. How was I ministering to those who observed me but never said a word to me?
5. Am I experiencing the life worthy of Kingdom Living?

I got a "NO!" 

I also got a here's what you need to do - Get to know me personally through my word and you will experience the lifestyle of Kingdom Living. 

Does it mean that we won't have struggles still? I hardly think so, but there hope.  

Richard Blades is a Business Consultant & Trainer who lives Barbados, West Indies. You can find me on Google Plus and Twitter my handle's richieb93 

Here's my Money - Why should I give it to you?

Daily, I manage to have numerous business plans come across my desk with requests to review them. It's been years that this has been happening and this is a process that's paid for by the clients. Often though, my feedback may not be what they want to hear, but it definitely needs to be told if they are going to meet any measure of success in their attempt to get funding.

Here are some findings:

Based on many of the plans that have been presented, here are some common threads that go through most of them. The reason I'm putting them out here is so that they can be addressed before your next wave of funding is being sought. Hope this helps the entrepreneurs / small businesses.

Businesses are not well researched

• Too many feel good statements are made. One that sticks out in particular was one which under the title of Research and Development, the document said, "Research and Development will be ongoing". Tell me would you part with your hard earned dollars for a plan with this in it?
• Many of these business plans use assumptions that are filled with errors and overly simplistic with these kind of results - "Earnings should reach $1 million dollars within 12 months and then grow by x% per month for the next year". Many start ups span years of operating without seeing a million dollars pass through it. It depends on too many factors which are often not addressed within the confines of the document. 
• Benchmarks are used which originate in markets dissimilar to the one within which the business has to function. 

The request for capital are hugely unrealistic 

• "Did you really just ask me for that much money?"  How did you arrive a such a figure and; what will you do with that much money? These questions are often asked and seldom answered adequately when presentation time comes up. 
• Capital requirements are often not recorded or given in lump sum in the hopes of the reader glossing over them.
• If you were presenting to someone like you, would you part with that much money for so little benefits? That's a question that needs address. 
• How will you pay it back? Investors are not only looking for ROI (Return on Investment), they are also seeking Return of Investment.
• WAIT A MINUTE?!?! What are you putting into this business other than an idea?

The operations elements of the business are at best weak

• How does this business operate? Truly! The vague information that you put up here does not suggest that you've done your research. Matter of fact, it doesn't even seem like you know what you're doing in this business. Sure I understand that you want to say what you do, without saying how you do it; but clue me in - that you know what you're doing!
• This document does not show that you've even considered the elements of the business that you need to at planning stages. DO NOT WASTE THE TIME OF THE INVESTORS / FINANCIERS!
• Who is your team? What will they be doing? What examples do you have for success in other ventures with which you were involved?

The marketing addresses mostly all elements except sales 

• The demographics and psycho-graphics look great! So does the industry information that you pulled from the internet. But....how does it related to what's happening in this area where you want to set up business?
• You've sort of addressed advertising - newspaper, radio, television. Your budget looks more than a little low. Do you know how many times you must run the advertising before people even hear about you, let alone purchase what you're offering? Blank look / dead silence comes back.
• Then you say, but we're going to use Social Media - you know Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook, LinkedIn, and a host of others. Once we throw enough mud at the wall, something's got to stick, right? Do you have a network that we can have access to? 
• What are you going to say to them? Based on what you've presented, quite frankly - NO! 
• Learning to use Social Networks has a learning curve that is steep for some. Most don't manage to develop a following as quickly as some may presume. 
• But all this marketing is expensive. Putting together ads before they even get to go out costs - no kidding. Are you going into business to give things for free? Why then are you trying to get everything for free? 
• Where are you sales strategies? Is often met with, "I don't like selling". That's why I'm doing marketing. Well, you tell me what's wrong here. Yes sales is an element of marketing, and it is the only one that brings in the money. All the others are cost centers. 

Things that you should consider   

• Often, there is a need to get have sound business planning documentation prepared
• When you intend to go into business you need to have money for a variety of reason
• You will need
• Business start up funds - registration / incorporation, bank account
• Professional fees - legal, accounting, business advisory, real estate 
• Meeting costs, research for your business may be time consuming / costly
• Remember, excess greed will not make you money. As you wish to be paid when you are in business, those whom you contract their products / services will also want to be paid in a timely manner. 
• If you still decide to get into business, and do it well, chances are you will be successful. Here's wishing you every success. 

Richie B. is a Business Consultant & Trainer located in Barbados. He's well versed in business development for start ups, expansions, and turn-around projects. Richie's also capable of training to implement the plans that have been developed. For more information, see Blades & Blades Consultancy Services.

Entrepreneurship - Too Simplified?!?! Not for everyone.

Sure...anyone can register a business! Great...now what?

The media is touting entrepreneurship as the remedy for just about everything - wealth creation, the solution to this recession and the list goes on.

Recently I read a series of articles, and what came across to me is that this seems too simple. Take for instance this extract:

"What if we were to understand that people are a nation's greatest asset and were to go out in joy not only developing our people to the fullest but instilling in them the confidence to quit their current employer and develop their own start-up, spin-out, and scale-up enterprise and become their own boss hence gaining control of their own destiny?"

Which appeared in [WEALTH DISTRIBUTION - BASIL SPRINGER COLUMN WHICH APPEARED IN THE BARBADOS ADVOCATE'S BUSINESS MONDAY ON AUGUST 5, 2013]

Is it really this simple?

My mind went on to extrapolate this base information, and the result was chaos. All Chiefs no Indians. Is this really what is required when building a productive society in which entrepreneurship is expected to thrive? Somehow, I do not think so.

Yes the human resources are important, but we must be mindful of what they want. Not everyone is geared or have the desire to be an entrepreneur. I have met many people who desired to have their own business. Upon a more in-depth series of meetings, it was found that they really should not embark on the enterprise as they were ill prepared for the challenges of running a business.

Here's why:

• They lacked capital / access to capital
• They lacked knowledge of the elements of operations required to run their type of entity
• They did not know who their competition was in the market they wanted to operate within 
• They lacked the dexterity, discipline, and tenacity to find out / to do certain things
• They quickly found out that more than a big dream was required
• Business needs people in order to function, it is not what you know, but also who you know and how useful they can be in helping you realize your potential achievements 
• Planning is a skill. It requires being able to develop and systematically layout steps necessary to reaching your objective. It is not a collection of wishes
• It may mean sharing ownership of your business to truly advance it to realize its potential 

Here's another article that you can read about entrepreneurs who turned their passions into the livelihood. They short stories of what they did to become successful does not mean they did so without challenge. It meant that they considered and worked on the aforementioned why's as well as others that are not on this incomplete list. 

That being said, are we in the right environment for entrepreneurship? Our governments have to be careful about the climate they create that would support entrepreneurship. One that's too heavy on taxes and too light on incentives can create a sluggish environment for business start ups and expansions. There needs to be the right mix that enables business development while government realizes their revenue needs. 

In closing, let's stop making entrepreneurship seem more simple than it really is. It does not mean that we don't simplify the processes, but we must be realistic in our observations about the area of business development. 

Richie B. works as a business consultant & trainer, since 1995 operating from Barbados, West Indies. He's practical in his applications and offers sound information which can be quickly acted upon. Richie operates in the Caribbean region predominantly and via the internet offers solutions to some North American entities. 

Starting a business....are you serious?

Entrepreneurship is a word that's touted about a lot these days. Everyone seems to want to begin a business of their own, and who can blame them. There are certainly better educated, greater connected, and have more resources. However, you can imagine the questions that come to mind when we look at todays businesses. Let's look at a few.

• Why do so many of them fail?
• Do we really know why we want to be in business?
• Have you thought out the process well?

Let's stop at these three. Since these alone can take quite a bit of time. Let's look at them succinctly.

Businesses fail due to:

• Being under capitalized
• Poor operating systems 
• Weak marketing & sales 
• Poor accounting & cashflow management
• Weaknesses in human resources - training deficiencies
• Lack of discipline and planning
• This list is not exhausted

We want to be in business for a variety of reason

• Some don't want to work for someone else
• Others just want to be their own boss
• There are still others who just want to be creative and can't be bothered with much else
• Many want to make money that they can spend as they wish
• They saw someone do it and it looked easy
• Many don't like their current bosses 
• Some want to genuinely make a difference in the lives of others with their product / service
• The reasons are endless 

We thought

• This would be a walk in the park
• This much strategy was not required
• We could do it ourselves without much expenses or help as we know our field
• Why did we leave our jobs, we had it made when we got our payment from where we were employed (and, we didn't have to work as hard)
• We didn't want this much work, just more money. 
• We didn't have a vacation since leaving our last jobs and we don't have money to go on vacations either 
• If I had only known better, I wouldn't have left 
• Well, we're too committed to turn back now. 
• If I could do this all over again, I would do this so much differently

Business is never easy. As one friend put it, you have money problems either-way - too little / too much. There are many who believe that they wouldn't mind having too much money. It is often heard said, I know exactly what I would do with that money if I had it. 

So are you serious about starting a business? If not, please don't. It would be more trouble than profit. However, if you are, then you need to make contact with someone like me in your area. There are plenty great consulting resources out there, and they are some that aren't so great. You must do your due diligence. 

So starting and expanding a business, especially when you are serious can be quite rewarding. Surround yourselves with others who have achieved some of the things you desire - learn from them taking the good and leaving the bad behind. Yes you'll find many have flaws that make it difficult to work with them. Be prepared to endure, so that you can enjoy.