Pursuit of Excellence

Items in italics are direct quotes from the articles below

http://www.cnbc.com/2017/07/11/marcus-lemonis-this-is-the-no-1-sign-its-time-to-fire-someone.html

When you’re running a small business, there’s not much room for an employee who isn’t meeting expectations — one person’s poor performance can impact the entire company. But how does a manager know when it’s time to let an employee go? That’s the tough lesson that turnaround king Marcus Lemonis has to teach one business owner on this week’s episode of CNBC’s “The Profit.” Though Lemonis has helped dysfunctional teams overcome obstacles before, he faces a challenging environment at California-based Bodhi Coffee, a high-end coffee bean wholesaler. Their story illustrates a key management lesson for business owners: When an employee demonstrates consistent disregard for a company’s well-being, it’s time to take action. In this article, the author examines Bodhi Coffee. The company saw success in its first few years of operation, but its internal issues were revealed as the company grew, and those issues were a direct result of one employee. Because the employee didn’t have consideration for his co-workers, the company began to suffer, and the owner had to change how he ran his team. “Humility is a requirement for me to be in business with somebody,” Lemonis tells Sims, “but there’s a certain amount of confidence I would like you to have to be partners with you.” Sims began holding more staff meetings to increase communication with his team. He had a difficult conversation with the under-performing employee and after weighing the pros and cons of letting him go, Sims decided to terminate him. “You’ve got to be able to communicate,” Lemonis says. “If you can’t, it’s like, people don’t know what to do.” Communication is the most essential key in any relationship both business and personal. Personally, I have an open-door policy, and don’t believe in talking behind another person’s back nor ruling by fear. Work is a place you should want to be at, and if it’s not there are other jobs out there. At the same time, co-workers should respect each other, and treat each other with care. Some of us will spend 8+ hours with the person next to us, and having a good work environment is essential for productivity and efficiency.

https://www.inc.com/brian-scudamore/how-to-build-a-multi-million-dollar-business-wi.html

Spoiler alert: most of today’s top companies are based on old ideas. Uber is a modern twist on the taxi industry; Airbnb has done the same with hotels. Tesla’s electric vehicles are just another incarnation of a centuries-old idea. And yet the founders of these companies are heralded as the most innovative entrepreneurs of our time. Entrepreneurship is rarely about inventing the next best thing — it’s about innovation, thinking differently about how things work, and asking questions others won’t. You don’t have to be revolutionary to be successful; you just need to revolutionize the way things are done. Invention vs Innovation: What’s the Difference? These words are often used interchangeably, but they’re very different. Inventors introduce a product or process for the very first time. Innovators identify opportunities to improve on existing inventions. Not all inventors are entrepreneurs (in fact, that’s a rarity). Likewise, entrepreneurs are hardly ever inventors — but they are innovative. They don’t have to come up with the big idea; they can take any idea and turn it into a successful business. For example, Tim Bernets-Lee invented the world wide web but didn’t turn it into a business, and Richard Branson hasn’t invented anything, but has improved on existing businesses. The mistake people make is that the word entrepreneur is an occupation when in fact it’s a mindset. Personally, I hate using that word, and I feel it’s been overused. Away is transforming the luggage industry by meeting real travelers’ needs. Netflix took over the video rental space by bringing the movie store to your living room. The most successful businesses don’t have to invent a completely new product — but they do need to reinvigorate old ideas with new-and-improved tricks. To stand out, your business must have a differentiator. Staying ahead is about making things easier for your customers than any other company on the market. By thinking unconventionally about conventional things, you can make even the most ordinary things exceptional. Look at the opportunity in the world around you and ask yourself: how can I make it better?

If you are interested in creating a budget, then contact me for a financial checkup in the contact me section. Also, learn more about the self-lending principle in the mustard seed section.

This week, I’ve included WHEN LIFE GETS HARD – MOTIVATIONAL VIDEO – GYM MOTIVATION from the Mulligan Brothers YouTube channel.

“If you think you know it all, you’re a fool for sure; real survivors learn wisdom from others.”

Proverbs 28:26 MSG