Small Business | Teik Oh

How Systems And Procedures Can Build You A Better Life

Oct 08 2019

“How Systems And Procedures Can Build You A Better Life” – that’s a heck of a promise, isn’t it?

Well, I think it’s true!

Life could be great for you right now, and you’re pumping it! But I know this – if you own and run a small business, especially if you started it within the last few years and you’re starting to get busy, you’re working pretty hard in your life right now, and dare I say, your work-life balance is probably out of whack.

I know what it’s like, I’ve been there, I’ve seen so many clients go through the same thing as well.

You start your business with a passion, you’re doing everything from opening the doors every morning to the marketing, to fronting the front-counter, to producing your service or product, to keeping the books – right up to sweeping up and locking the doors at night.

It’s pretty exhilarating at first – this is what you dreamt of, owning your own business and carving out your own pathway to business success!

But as business ramps up, it becomes a little consuming. It’s hard to maintain the energy levels and feel like you are focusing on what really drives the business because you are involved in doing everything. Even if you hire staff, it doesn’t seem to quite work out. You have to train them in what you used to do, and they don’t quite get it right, so you get re-involved. Or they leave and so you have to find and train someone else. Sometimes wires get crossed and tasks fall between the cracks because someone thought you were doing it when you thought they were. Pretty soon customers start to comment that the quality of what you deliver isn’t quite the same anymore, or worse, that it’s patchy and sometimes it’s good and sometimes it’s not.

So you work even harder to get it right, mainly by doing it yourself and pretty soon you’re working hard every day on all the details and the direction of the business starts to stagnate, your work-life balance, that dream to earn enough to spend time with the family seems to be a long way away.

Your life might be rocking, but it’s not well balanced! Ask your spouse!

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Why Customer Service Systems Are Better Than Maple Syrup On Warm Pancakes

Oct 01 2019

We had a cold, wet and stormy winter this year and I spent the whole winter wanting to go somewhere dry and warm!

But if that was not to be, then I hankered for some comfort food – and what’s more comforting than a plate stacked with warm, soft pancakes drizzled, nay, swimming, in maple syrup?

Have I got your attention now? Feel the warmth and the love? Well, that’s how a really good customer service system makes me feel because a good one can wrap itself around your customers and make them feel like they are eating a big plate of lovely warm pancakes and spoonfuls of maple syrup!

It’s all about having a system. In fact, I have a free eBook on How To Create Your Self-Running Business by creating a systems-based business that you can get here.

Let’s see how a customer service system can be better than maple syrup on warm pancakes.

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How Organisation Charts Predict Your Business’ Future

Sep 24 2019

Wouldn’t it be nice to start your business and know exactly where you are going to be in 2, 5, or even 10 years’ time?

Well, obviously if you are starting up a business, you will have read my articles on what you need to look out for – including the need to prepare your business plan, which is a way of mapping out your future. You may even have completed my online training on How To Start Your Business. Your vision-definition especially will be part of the planning process, and it envisions for you what your business should look like if you succeed in following your strategies.

“But”, you say, “Even my vision is what I hope my business would be like, I wish I could see what it will be like.”

Well, full disclosure, I do not have a crystal ball, but I do have a method where you can “see” with some clarity, what your business will look like, and it’s not about envisioning anything, it’s about creating your business structure now, in mind for the future.

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7 Financial Measures To Help You Manage Better

Sep 10 2019

If your small business is in the growth phase, that means you have survived your startup phase and are on your way, so well done!

The growth phase of a business is characterised by a rapid increase in sales. Customers have become aware of your business and know how your product or service meets their needs. So, they buy more and more, and more of them come to you, at least to try you out further.

However, I have to rain on your parade slightly to tell you that the growth phase of a business can be stressful times.

This is because the characteristics of the growth phase poses a number of challenges.

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Your Unconventional Guide to Hiring Staff for Your Small Business Startup

Sep 03 2019

Unless you are starting a micro-work-from-home business, you are likely to be hiring staff when you start your small business.

It is tempting to follow the conventional route and figure out what skills you need to have in your business to support you, and then advertise for those skills, and hopefully find someone who can do the work. Then, as your business grows, you do it again.

However, as a first-time employer, and in a new business, this can have some risks attached.

Firstly, if you hire someone now, will they still be required in a few years’ time once the business has grown? Or will the skills required have grown as well? Then, how confident are you that the skills the candidate shows suits the purpose, especially as the position is new and you have nothing to compare it against? Perhaps they show the right qualifications and experience on their resume, but how do you judge character, will they “fit” in with your style? Will the candidate show responsibility in the tasks you want them to be responsible for?

Many startup small business owners take the plunge, gradually learn from experience, and get better at it. But that is a long and painful journey on the road to finding the right people.

So what if you turned the model on its head and instead of relying on conventional business practice, relying on what you do know – your vision and your reading of people’s attitudes?

I have an unconventional way to look at hiring staff for your small business startup.

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Increase your sales through a highly focused marketing plan!

SMART Marketing: In this book, the owners of a small business are led through the SMART Marketing 7 Step Process to produce a marketing plan targeted at their most desirable customers. Any business can use these principles and in 4 to 6 weeks implement a plan to get them through the door! Find out how...

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Category - Small Business

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How Systems And Procedures Can Build You A Better Life

Why Customer Service Systems Are Better Than Maple Syrup On Warm Pancakes

How Organisation Charts Predict Your Business’ Future

7 Financial Measures To Help You Manage Better

Your Unconventional Guide to Hiring Staff for Your Small Business Startup