FAQ The 7 Big Questions for building a Beautiful Business and Life

7 Frequently Asked Questions

About Small Business and Life

The Seven Big Questions we all face from time to time in business

To Build a Beautiful Business and Life and build a business that stands the test of time, there are the 7 Big Frequently Asked Questions all of us have to face.

The Big Seven Frequently Asked Questions to Build a Beautiful Business and Life are:

  1. About Business Growth: My business is stuck at a certain size… How can I grow my business?
  2. About Money: I’m not making enough profit and cash… How can I make more money in my business?
  3. About Overwhelm and feeling Stuck: I am overwhelmed, stressed and frustrated… How can I feel happier and less overwhelmed in my business?
  4. About Support: I feel alone in my business… How can I find the right support, advice and guidance in my business?
  5. About Work-life balance: I’m missing out on life, on family, and on friends… How can I find better work-life-balance in my business?
  6. About Leadership: I am spinning my wheels as a do-er rather than a leader… How can I become a better business owner and leader?
  7. And about Family Businesses: We are struggling with the challenges of being business partners as well as life partners… How can we make our family business work better?

Each of the 7 Big Questions has a dedicated FAQ page on this website, with links to many relevant resources both within my website as well as throughout the internet. Scroll down or click on the links above for a  summary of each of the 7 Big Question with a link to that question’s full FAQ page.

Further reading:

How can I grow my business?

business growth strategy Summary: To build a Beautiful Business and Life, we need growth. Seth Godin made a great statement some years ago on his blog. He said: To build a great business you only have to do two things: first you have to do great work or deliver a great product and second you have to make sure lots of people know about it. And that’s exactly how simple it is to build a Beautiful Business that Stands the Test of time. But, as with so many things in life, it’s easier said than done.

Business growth is about research and product and systems and quality assurance and innovation and inventory management and people management and everything in between and then when you get that right, it’s about customers, and marketing and sales and communications and PR and SEO and content marketing and advertising and design and branding and of course leadership and you might well argue that before all of that comes Visioning, Mission, Purpose, Goal setting and Strategic planning. In short Business growth touches all aspects of business. Read More Here…

Click here to download my Free Guide to finding the perfect coach or mentor for you.

How can I make more money in my business?

make more money in business Summary: To build a Beautiful Business and Life, we need to make profit. A business that doesn’t make profit and that doesn’t generate cash flow isn’t a business, it’s a hobby. Profit is not the Purpose of business, and nor is generating Cash the reason the business exists, but without profit and cash it is not possible for the business to deliver on it’s Purpose.

Business growth will have an impact on the flow of profit and money in the business, both positively and negatively, but many other aspects of business have an impact as well. There’s pricing, discounting, inventory management, costing, trade terms , collection policies and procedures, expense management, cost control and many other aspects of business will determine the profitability and sustainability of your business.

And on the other hand there is financial management. The management, reporting and analysing of the flow of profit and money through the business. Having your fingers on the pulse of all of the key indicators of the health of your business every day, week, month and year. Management of the numbers in other words. Read More Here…

Click here to download my Free Guide to finding the perfect coach or mentor for you.

How can I feel happier and less overwhelmed in my business?

overwhelmed and stuck in busines Summary: To build a Beautiful Business and Life, we need to get unstuck. In my experience, business owners operate in a state of overwhelm many days of the week. They’re often first in the door in the morning, last out the door at night and have to catch up on their admin and email after dinner. They run around from crisis to crisis most days, extinguishing brush fires along the way.

Staff don’t seem able to tie their own shoe laces without input and supervision from the boss. Customers expect the business owner personally to solve all their problems, immediately,  rather than the perfectly qualified and expensive staff that are employed by the business for that purpose.

As a result, the critical business development projects are constantly pushed back and the business gets stuck in the mud. The way out of this overwhelm is to learn to focus on three letters FUN. Fun in Business is the opposite of overwhelm. Developing a discipline on making Business Fun again works, because when business is Fun it means everything is working. Read More Here… 

Click here to download my Free Guide to finding the perfect coach or mentor for you.

How can I find the right support, advice and guidance in my business?

guidance coaching support in business Summary: To build a Beautiful Business and Life, we need support. One of the most consistent complaints I hear from business owners is that it’s all down to them. They feel alone and unsure of themselves. They need to have a sounding board. The people around them don’t get it. The staff are affected by the decisions the business owner needs to make, and so are their spouses and family.

Human beings work well with external accountability and advice. Independent external support is invaluable to any business owner who wants to build a Beautiful Business that Stands the Test of Time. External support can take many forms: A mentor, a business or life coach, management consultant, a virtual board, an executive coaching group, a regular get together with a group of fellow business owner buddies or all of the above.

One thing is for sure: Don’t think you can do it on your own. But how do you go about finding the right support for you? Read More Here…

Click here to download my Free Guide to finding the perfect coach or mentor for you.

How can I find work-life-balance in my business?

work-life balance in business Summary: To build a Beautiful Business and Life, we need to create a balance between the demands of the business and those of the rest of our lives.

In the many years I’ve worked with business owners, I’ve come to believe that business owners are the most “guilt driven” people on the planet, “worse than Catholics” I sometimes joke. Business owners generally go through life believing they are not up to the job in some way. They tell themselves (and me), that to compensate for their perceived failures, they’ve got to work harder than anyone else in their business or else how could they ever ask their people to put in the hard yards when required? (see also what I wrote above about overwhelm). But in the mean time they’re missing out on the important stuff in life. Their health and well-being suffers, as are their families.

For business owners to create a greater balance between work and life, the first step is to acknowledge that owning a business is never a 9-to-5 job, you probably won’t ever be able to close the door behind you on the way home entirely. The business is your baby, you’ve put your heart and soul into it and it’s part of who you are as a person.

Once you acknowledge that fact, the immediate next step is to recognise that your own time, your health and your general well-being are the most valuable and important assets of your business and as the business owner it is your prime responsibility to look after your assets. In other words, not looking after yourself and ensuring you are in a great physical and mental state means you are not taking your responsibilities as the owner of the business seriously. Once you’ve learnt to accept the realities of those two principles (contradictory as they might seem from time to time), you’re on the path to create the business and life you dream off. Read More Here…

Click here to download my Free Guide to finding the perfect coach or mentor for you.

How can I become a better business owner and leader?

leadership in business Summary: To build a Beautiful Business and Life, we have to become better business owners. As I’ve said above in the “work – life – balance” summary, most business owners feel they’re not quite cutting it as entrepreneurs. Oftentimes, business owners start their business on the back of their profession, trade or skill they have learnt (plumber, architect, accountant, chef) and they feel confident in that particular skill. But when they start a business based on that profession, they suddenly realise that it takes a lot more than being a great plumber to build a great plumbing business.

Few business owners have studied to be a business owner, and even those who have attained an MBA or similar qualification, find that they’re not prepared for the realities of life as a small business owner. Suddenly everything is down to you, the big decisions about whether or not to bid for that contract, or hire that expensive employee, or sign the lease for the new office, as well as making sure the toilets are stocked with toilet paper and that there’s ink for the printer.

To top it off, your people look to you for having Vision (with a capital “V”), having the answers and being the leader. It’s a frightening place to stand in the middle of, but there are three pieces of good news: (1) You got this far and you’re still breathing so you must be doing something right. (2) Your people actually want you to be the leader and they’re ready to forgive you just about any balls up you’re going to make along the way. (3) Leadership is something you can learn, practice and get better at. Read More Here…

Click here to download my Free Guide to finding the perfect coach or mentor for you.

How can we make our family business work better?

husband and wife family business Summary: To build a Beautiful Family Business and Life, we need to get good both at working with our spouses as well as living with them. As I’ve said above in the “better business owner” summary, many businesses are founded on the profession of the business owner. The plumber starts a plumbing business and the lawyer starts a law practice. A little way into the life of the business, the founder of the business, along with the spouse of the founder, starts to appreciate that it takes more than being a great lawyer to build a great lawyer business and the business flounders.

Often, it is at this point that the spouse decides to enter the business as well, to sort out the chaos, in no small measure, to protect the interests of the family, and the family business is born. 70% of all businesses in Australia are family businesses and a large percentage of those can be classed as husband and wife family businesses.

In my experience there is wonderful opportunity in being in business with your spouse. It holds the possibility of providing for your family very well and there is a great opportunity to grow as a couple. But waking up beside your business partner in bed every morning also comes with a bunch of unique challenges. Read More Here…

Click here to download my Free Guide to finding the perfect coach or mentor for you.