20 Motivational Business Quotes to ponder

Like most coaches, my desk is cluttered with motivational books, approaches and quotes. Some of these quotes are taped to my desk, while others are hanging on the wall to review every hour or so.

Not a day goes by that I don’t read motivational phrases & quotes. It inspires me to focus on what’s most important to accomplish during that particular day, and to not get sidetracked by email, tasks or clutter that don’t grow the business.

Here are 20 of my favorite quotes this month. I hope they inspire you as much as they inspire me.

“Out there in some garage is an entrepreneur who’s forging a bullet
with your company’s name on it.”
Gary Hamel, Business Writer

“If you don’t make mistakes, you aren’t really trying.”
Coleman Hawkins, Jazz Musician

“Patience, persistence and perspiration make an unbeatable
combination for success.”
Napoleon Hill, Author

“There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that
which should not be done at all.”
Peter Drucker

“I cannot give you the formula for success, but I can give you the formula for
failure, which is: Try to please everybody.”
Herbert B. Swope, American Journalist

“If you have always done it that way, it is probably wrong.”
Charles Kettering, Engineer

“I am a man of fixed and unbending principles, the first of which is to be
flexible at all times.”
Everett Dirksen

“Without customers, you don’t have a business. You have a hobby.”
Don Peppers & Martha Rogers, Return on Customer

“Judge a man by his questions, not by his answers.”
Voltaire

“The minute you’re satisfied with where you are, you aren’t there anymore.”
Tony Gwynn, Hall of Fame Baseball player

“Speed is useful only if you are running in the right direction.”
Joel Barker, Future Edge

“They always say time changes things,
but you actually have to change them yourself.”
Andy Warhol

“An organization becomes bewildered rather than energized
when it’s asked to do too much at once.”
Michael Hammer & James Champy, Reengineering The Corporation

“If you try to do something and fail, you are vastly better off
than if you had tried nothing and succeeded.”
The Back of a Sugar Packet (Anonymous)

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
Phil 4:13

4 Things That Keep Employees Loyal (Hint: It’s Not Money or Perks)

In a recent survey of companies with the highest amount of employee turnover, guess which trailblazing exemplars of world-class employee-centricity came in second and fourth, respectively? None other than Google and Amazon.

All of which just goes to show, as the Beatles once said, money can’t buy you love.

If resource-rich employers like Wynn Resorts and Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (#6 and #18 on the list of companies with the least loyal employees) can’t build loyalty in their workforce, what chance does the average, resource-constrained, small- and medium-sized business have?

Well, the truth is, quite a lot.

Despite the fact that most small business founder/owners feel that they are in a David and Goliath-like battle for talent with mega-employers, the reality is that great employees are all looking for an environment that any business, large or small can provide.

Here are the four key ways to ensure that, so long as you’re paying at or near market compensation, your employees will remain engaged and loyal, irrespective of the size of your business:

1. Good communication. Would you stay in a relationship with someone who rarely if ever communicated with you, and who, when they did, seemed to believe you were a somewhat dim, untrustworthy delinquent? Probably not. Nor will your employees.

Employee communications has been over-complicated and over-engineered during the past 25 years or so. The principles are simple and self-evident: Communicate often– more than you think you need to. Communicate about things that matter, not trivia. Be open and as honest as you can, within the bounds of prudence and legality. Communicate simply, and if at possible, with some humility and elegance. But above all communicate–you’re in a relationship with these people, after all.

2. Consistency. Sometimes good employees leave for clearly defined, explicable reasons, but often they leave for reasons that even they find hard to articulate. When pressed, they’ll say that there was no one specific incident or event that they can put a finger on, just a ‘death by a thousand cuts’ that eventually pushed them out the door.

Almost always at the heart of such a separation is something mundane: an undermining sense of disrespect caused by simple, but persistent, inconsistency in how they’ve been treated.

Be consistent in your dealings with people. Employees notice inconsistencies precisely the same way anyone else does in any other walk of life. Many a great employee has left solely because of an eventual collapse of trust caused by the cumulative, drip, drip, drip effect of an unending litany of inconsistencies.

When you say you’ll do a thing, do it.When you need to be somewhere, with someone, be there. When you start a new initiative involving others, finish it, or at least wrap it up with some finality. When you make a commitment, however granular or seemingly unimportant, write it down, make it happen, follow through. Show simple respect by being consistent. Enforce the same consistency in others.

3. The opportunity to do great work. No-one worth their salt is going to hang around while you do everything important or exciting yourself, or play favorites with who gets to do the good stuff. Give people the opportunity to do great work. (Heads-up: If how to make that happen is a mystery to you, you have other, much more deep-seated problems.)

4. A decent, non-toxic manager. The rise of the now-ubiquitous ’employee engagement survey’ (pardon my gag reflex) has mostly happened because of the cowardice of most HR departments in dealing with a single, glaring issue: toxic managers (it’s easier and less politically dangerous, to conduct a survey and pretend to do something, than face down a cadre of entrenched bullies or incompetents).

Yet in every exit poll, one reason consistently tops the list as to why good employees leave, and that is…drum roll not necessary…bad managers.

This isn’t rocket science: Don’t make someone a manager because they’re not cutting it in their day job. Don’t make your cousin Jimmy a manager because your sister asked for a favor. Don’t make battlefield promotions under pressure that you’ll regret a month or two later. You have the road map already: appoint managers who communicate well; who are consistent; who let their people do great work, and who are reasonably competent at what they do.

10 Things Extraordinary Bosses Give Employees

 

 

Good bosses have strong organizational skills. Good bosses have solid decision-making skills. Good bosses get important things done.

 

Exceptional bosses do all of the above–and more. Sure, they care about their company and customers, their vendors and suppliers. But most importantly, they care to an exceptional degree about the people who work for them.

 

That’s why extraordinary bosses give every employee:

 

1. Autonomy and independence.

 

Great organizations are built on optimizing processes and procedures. Still, every task doesn’t deserve a best practice or a micro-managed approach. (I’m looking at you, manufacturing.)

 

Engagement and satisfaction are largely based on autonomy and independence. I care when it’s “mine.” I care when I’m in charge and feel empowered to do what’s right.

 

Plus, freedom breeds innovation: Even heavily process-oriented positions have room for different approaches. (Still looking at you, manufacturing.)

 

Whenever possible, give your employees the autonomy and independence to work the way they work best. When you do, they almost always find ways to do their jobs better than you imagined possible.

 

2. Clear expectations.

 

While every job should include some degree of independence, every job does also need basic expectations for how specific situations should be handled.

 

Criticize an employee for offering a discount to an irate customer today even though yesterday that was standard practice and you make that employee’s job impossible.  Few things are more stressful than not knowing what is expected from one day to the next.

 

When an exceptional boss changes a standard or guideline, she communicates those changes first–and when that is not possible, she takes the time to explain why she made the decision she made, and what she expects in the future.

 

3. Meaningful objectives.

 

Almost everyone is competitive; often the best employees are extremely competitive–especially with themselves. Meaningful targets can create a sense of purpose and add a little meaning to even the most repetitive tasks.

 

Plus, goals are fun. Without a meaningful goal to shoot for, work is just work.

 

No one likes work.

 

4. A true sense of purpose.

 

Everyone likes to feel a part of something bigger. Everyone loves to feel that sense of teamwork and esprit de corps that turns a group of individuals into a real team.

 

The best missions involve making a real impact on the lives of the customers you serve. Let employees know what you want to achieve for your business, for your customers, and even your community. And if you can, let them create a few missions of their own.

 

Feeling a true purpose starts with knowing what to care about and, more importantly, why to care.

 

5. Opportunities to provide significant input.

 

Engaged employees have ideas; take away opportunities for them to make suggestions, or instantly disregard their ideas without consideration, and they immediately disengage.

 

That’s why exceptional bosses make it incredibly easy for employees to offer suggestions. They ask leading questions. They probe gently. They help employees feel comfortable proposing new ways to get things done. When an idea isn’t feasible, they always take the time to explain why.

 

Great bosses know that employees who make suggestions care about the company, so they ensure those employees know their input is valued–and appreciated.

 

6. A real sense of connection.

 

Every employee works for a paycheck (otherwise they would do volunteer work), but every employee wants to work for more than a paycheck: They want to work with and for people they respect and admire–and with and for people who respect and admire them.

 

That’s why a kind word, a quick discussion about family, an informal conversation to ask if an employee needs any help–those moments are much more important than group meetings or formal evaluations.

 

A true sense of connection is personal. That’s why exceptional bosses show they see and appreciate the person, not just the worker.

 

7. Reliable consistency.

 

Most people don’t mind a boss who is strict, demanding, and quick to offer (not always positive) feedback, as long as he or she treats every employee fairly.

 

(Great bosses treat each employee differently but they also treat every employee fairly. There’s a big difference.)

 

Exceptional bosses know the key to showing employees they are consistent and fair is communication: The more employees understand why a decision was made, the less likely they are to assume unfair treatment or favoritism.

 

8. Private criticism.

 

No employee is perfect. Every employee needs constructive feedback. Every employee deserves constructive feedback. Good bosses give that feedback.

 

Great bosses always do it in private.

 

9. Public praise.

 

Every employee–even a relatively poor performer–does something well. Every employee deserves praise and appreciation. It’s easy to recognize some of your best employees because they’re consistently doing awesome things.  (Maybe consistent recognition is a reason they’re your best employees? Something to think about.)

 

You might have to work hard to find reasons to recognize an employee who simply meets standards, but that’s okay: A few words of recognition–especially public recognition–may be the nudge an average performer needs to start becoming a great performer.

 

10. A chance for a meaningful future.

 

Every job should have the potential to lead to greater things. Exceptional bosses take the time to develop employees for the job they someday hope to land, even if that job is with another company.

 

How can you know what an employee hopes to do someday? Ask.

 

Employees will only care about your business after you first show you care about them. One of the best ways is to show that while you certainly have hopes for your company’s future, you also have hopes for your employees’ futures.

 

Jurus Naik Kelas

Banyak pemilik bisnis yang ingin menaikkan kelas usahanya dari skala UKM menjadi korporasi besar. Namun, tak semua bisa melakukannya. Apa jalan yang harus ditempuh?

Merupakan suatu kewajaran bila pemilik bisnis menginginkan usahanya menjadi berskala besar. Dan, bisa dimengerti bila pertanyaan “bagaimana cara menaikkan skala bisnis atau kelas bisnis (upscaling)” menjadi sebuah teka-teki yang ingin mereka dapatkan jawabannya. Maklum, kenyataannya, proses itu tidak mudah. Banyak perusahaan yang tidak berhasil menjalankannya.

Tidak berhasil? Memang demikian. Banyak perusahaan yang ingin naik kelas ternyata tak beringsut dari posisinya. Dari dulu hingga sekarang menjadi perusahaan keluarga yang “segitu-segitu” saja. Nyaris tak mengalami transformasi apa pun kecuali bertambahnya usia.

Namun, tak semua bernasib serupa. Ada juga sejumlah perusahaan yang dimulai dari nol (tidak ditopang permodalan kuat sekelas konglomerasi), tetapi bisa bertransformasi secara meyakinkan hingga menjadi perusahaan yang terus membesar dan sehat. Kita bisa melihatnya pada perusahaan seperti Apotek K24, PT Mega Andalan Kalasan, PT  Ikafood Putramas, Grup Kino, Susi Air, dan Solaria.

“Saya pikir semuanya harus dimulai dari adanya mimpi. Yaitu, mimpi menjadi besar. Tentunya, setiap pemilik perusahaan punya mimpi masing-masing yang berbeda. Apotek K24 ingin melayani masyarakat melalui bidang penyediaan obat untuk cakupan seluruh Indonesia. Mimpi kami menjadi market leader di bisnis apotek dengan jangkauan seluruh Indonesia,” tutur Gideon Hartono, pengusaha asal Yogyakarta, pendiri jaringan Apotek K24.

Mimpi merupakan bagian dari visi. Mimpi pula yang menjadi tonggak, hingga mengantarkan apotek yang didirikan pada Oktober 2002 ini terus berkembang seperti sekarang, tersebar secara nasional hingga ke Merauke dan Pulau Rote. “Mimpi akan menjadi roadmap dari perjalanan bisnis ke depan, menjadi garis yang akan dilalui. Walaupun mungkin dalam praktik garis itu tidak selalu lurus, atau berliku-liku, roadmap tetap sangat membantu,“ kata Gideon yang tetap akan memusatkan bisnisnya di Yogya walaupun K24 sudah menjadi perusahaan nasional.

Pendapat Gideon tentang pentingnya mimpi, visi, dan roadmap bisnis tentu saja benar. Setidaknya hal itu telah dibuktikan dibisnisnya, jaringan K24, yang kini sudah menjadi jaringan apotek terbesar kedua di Indonesia (setelah Kimia Farma), mengembangkan 319 gerai – pada akhir 2013 diperkirakan sudah menyentuh angka 400. Bila diamati, banyak perusahaan kelas UKM yang tak kunjung meningkat skala bisnisnya karena memang bisnisnya bergulir tanpa rencana dan roadmap pengembangan. Tak ubahnya perjalanan panjang, mereka memang berjalan, tetapi tak tahu kemana tujuan perjalanannya.

Sementara itu, Buntoro, pengusaha alat kesehatan yang juga pendiri dan Chairman PT Mega Andalan Kalasan (MAK), melihat pentingnya memperkuat sistem dan proses dalam bisnis ketika perusahaan dalam proses menjadi korporasi. Termasuk, sistem dan proses produksi. Dia mencontohkan bisnisnya yang bergerak di manufacturing  dan pemasaran perlatan rumah sakit dengan merek MAK. Dia menjelaskan, pihaknya dari tahun ke tahun terus menyempurnakan proses dan sistem produksi sehingga menghasilkan produk yang benar-benar tanpa cacat sedikit pun. “Kami terus perbaiki proses, sistem dan hasil produksi sampai sesempurna mungkin sehingga tidak ada alasan apa pun bagi pelanggan untuk menolak produk kami. Proses dan hasil yang berkelas dunia seperti saat kita beli Toyota atau Hewled-Packard, Sony,” kata Buntoro.

Dalam keyakinan Buntoro, proses dan sistem produksi yang unggul merupakan satu-satunya jalan agar bisa menghasilkan produk andal yang pada gilirannya akan mendapatkan loyalitas pelanggan, “Perusahaan kita menjadi besar kalau jumlah pelanggan loyal tumbuh makin banyak dari tahun ke tahun. Meski mendapatkan pelanggan baru, kalau pelanggan lama hilang karena loyalitas rendah, perusahaan tidak akan pernah bergerak menjadi besar. Saya pikir ini fondasinya,” kata Buntoro seraya menambahkan, MAK selalu tumbuh per tahun rata-rata 30% dalam 10 tahun terakhir.

Tak hanya itu, menurut pengalaman Buntoro, untuk bisa meningkatkan skala bisnis, perusahaan juga perlu menyiapkan kapasitas dalam rangka melayani kenaikan permintaan pelanggan, “Kalau permintaan makin banyak, penjualan terus naik, apakah kita mampu meningkatkan kapasitas sehingga bisa menghasilkan produk dan layanan yang tetap excellent dalam skala yang lebih besar?” ujar Buntoro retorik.

Terkait pengelolaan kapasitas itu, ketika kapasitas makin membesar, perlu juga diikuti dengan perbaikan dan modernisasi sistem untuk mempermudah pengelolaan bisnis. Buntoro menceritakan pengalamannya, saat memulai usaha, pembagian kerja antara dirinya dan karyawan tidak terlalu jelas, semua dikerjakan, siapa yang waktunya luang, dan seseorang bisa mengerjakan banyak hal. Namun ketika skala bisnis per tahun sudah ratusan milliar seperti sekarang, tuntutan kerja sudah berubah, “Kami tak bisa serabutan dan hanya mengandalkan ingatan,” kata Buntoro. Tak mengherankan, untuk mengelola usaha yang makin besar, MAK sudah menerapkan manajemen informasi dengan teknologi SAP. Proses bisnis telah diotomasi, baik untuk aktivitas supply chain management, sistem produksi, keuangan dan akuntansi, maupun pengelolaan payroll. “Kalau dulu, belum perlu, apalagi biayanya Rp. 5 Milliar. Ini tuntutan skala bisnis,” ujarnya.

Pengalaman Maudy Ratna Winata dalam membesarkan PT Ikafood Putramas (Kokita) juga layak disimak. Bersama suaminya, Titanus Winata, Maudy sukses mengembangkan Brataco Group, grup korporasi yang membidangi penyediaan bahan baku makanan, obat-obatan dan industry farmasi. Salah satu bisnis yang sukses dibangun ialah Ikafood Putramas yang dikenal sebagai produsen bumbu masak Kokita. Dari tahun ke tahun Kokita terus tumbuh menjadi pemain penting di industrinya, bersaing dengan pemain besar seperti Grup Ajinomoto dan Indofood.

Maudy menceritakan, perusahaannya bisa tumbuh karena terus mengembangkan produk sehingga portofolio produknya makin banyak. Awalnya, Ikafood dimulai dengan mengakuisisi perusahaan industri rumahan yang berhenti beroperasi. “Kebetulan pemilik lamanya adalah pelanggan perusahaan kami yang bergerak dalam usaha perdagangan bahan makanan, bahan kosmetik dan bahan obat-obatan. Pada suatu hari pengusaha itu datang menawarkan untuk menjual usahanya kepada kami. Suami saya sebagai pengusaha menyanggupi untuk membeli perusahaan tersebut, juga karena ingin membantu mereka lepas dari beban mereka,” cerita Maudy.

Perusahaan kecil yang dibeli itu sudah berhenti operasi dalam beberapa tahun. Suatu saat ada staf Maudy yang mengajaknya menghidupkan kembali perusahaan itu dan menciptakan brand baru  sendiri dengan nama Kokita (singkatan dari Koki Kita). Dari situlah pihaknya mulai aktif menciptakan produk baru sekaligus mengenalkannya ke pasar.

“Pertama kali kami ciptakan Bumbu Inti Kokita yang merupakan bumbu dasar serba guna dan merupakan inti-inti bumbu Indonesia yang umum diperlukan,” kata Maudy. Jangan heran, waktu itu ada Bumbu Inti Kokita A (cabai), B (kunyit), C (kemiri), dan D(tumis/cah cahan). Dan setelah itu, menciptakan bumbu nasi goreng. Bumbu nasi goreng ini menjadi titik balik pengembangan perusahaan yang sejak itu tumbuh pesat, disambut pasar, dan terus melahirkan produk bumbu baru untuk portofolio  bisnis.

Belajar dari kasus Kokita, tampaknya mencari dan membuat momentum yang tepat untuk menggenjot skala usaha juga sangat penting. Maudy menceritakan, Kokita menanjak sejak 2002, saat pihaknya meluncurkan produk bumbu nasi goreng. Waktu itu Ikafood menciptakan kejutan dipasar dengan membuat 5.000 porsi nasi goreng dalam sekali masak yang dibagi ke beberapa rumah yatim piatu di Bandung. Acaranya dilakukan saat Hari Proklamasi Kemerdekaan 17 Agustus, bekerjasama dengan Bandung Cheff Association.

Program memasak nasi goreng sebanyak 5.000 porsi itu ternyata bisa diselesaikan dalam 30 menit saja, dimasak oleh 45 chef dari Bandung  Cheff Association menggunakan 17 wajan raksasa. Jangan heran, acara ini pun memecahkan rekor MURI hingga kemudian menjadi momentum bergaungnya merek Kokita, bak sebuah bom di pasar. “Sejak itu nama bumbu nasi goreng Kokita mencuat menjadi salah satu produk bumbu terkemuka di Indonesia,” ujar Maudy mengenang.

Gideon juga menekankan pentingnya kemampuan mengendalikan organisasi ketika organisasi sudah menjadi besar. Dalasm skala perusahaan yang terus membesar, pengelola harus tetap bisa mengontrol seluruh operasi bisnis yang ada. Karena itu, harus mengembangkan infrastruktur dan sistem yang bisa membantu pemantauan dan pengendalian segala cabang usaha, “Kami kembangkan sistem TI data warehousing juga untuk tujuan tersebut. Dan, ada tahapan kami akan memakai sistem cloud supaya bisnis lebih controllable,” kata Gideon.

Tak hanya itu, sangat kritikal pula memperhatikan kapasitas sumber daya manusia ketika perusahaan hendak dibawa menjadi korporasi. “SDM mesti di up-grade karena tuntutan tugas makin besar, skalanya makin besar dan menasional sehingga saya perlu melakukan mix antara SDM yang sudah kami miliki dengan SDM dari luar,“ ujar Gideon. Dia menimbang, pada fase-fase awal, SDM lokal yang kebanyakan dari sekitar Yogya sudah mencukupi, tetapi dalam perkembangannya pihaknya melakukan blending dengan SDM dari luar untuk menambah darah segar. Hal itu sekaligus juga dalam rangka mendapatkan arah baru. “Makanya kami merekrut sejumlah SDM yang sudah berkarier nasional dan internasional, tepatnya dimulai 2,5 tahun lalu.”

SDM dari luar itu menang dicari yang berpengalaman. Beberapa diantara mereka diajak masuk ke Apotek K24 sebagai CEO, direktur merchandise, manajer operasional, manajer TI atau posisi lainnya. Contohnya, waktu itu mengangkat mantan Direktur Pemasaran Carrefour Indonesia sebagai CEO Apotek K24. Walau hanya dengan kontrak kerja setahun, hal itu sudah cukup membantu memberi arah modernisasi pengelolaan usaha. Bagi Gideon, mantan CEO-nya sangat membantu menjadikan K24 sebagai perusahaan nasional.

“Kalau mereka mau bekerja dalam waktu lama di sini, tentu kami akan senang/ Namun bila hanya mau kontrak untuk waktu tertentu, itu sudah menjadi angin segar bagi kami, memberikan pembelajaran,” kata Gideon. Menurutnya, untuk menjadi korporasi, perlu meningkatkan standar manajemen menjadi lebih profesional, “Para professional itu kami jadikan semacam pemimpin menuju perubahan yang lebih baik. Tentu, kami sendiri juga harus mau berubah.”

Masih terkait dengan urgensi SDM, Gideon juga ingin memastikan bahwa di tengah pesatnya  pertumbuhan bisnis Apotek K24, pasokan SDM kelas menengah mesti tetap terjaga. Karena itu, di Apotek K24 telah dikembangkan rekrutmen pola Management Development Program (MDP) atau yang di kebanyakan perusahaan disebut management trainee. “Sekarang sudah punya tiga angkatan, sudah 36 area manager yang dihasilkan dari program ini,” kata Gideon seraya menjelaskan, mereka merupakan lulusan S-1 yang di-training sembilan bulan dengan tiga tahapan tes. Lulusan program MDP biasanya  langsung diterjunkan ke lapangan sebagai manajer area.

“Itu cara fast track yang kami pilih. Dulu semua saya angkat melalui pola bottom-up, dengan mengangkat karyawan lama untuk naik menjadi area manager , sekaligus untuk memberikan penghargaan ke karyawan lama dan loyal. Namun, ternyata jumlahnya tak cukup untuk memenuhi kebutuhan SDM di organisasi, dan prosesnya akan lama kalau hanya mengandalkan pola bottom-up. Maka, kemudian saya blending dengan pola fast track ini, “kata Gideon seraya menyebutkan, perusahaannya dilirik sekitar 12 investor yang ingin menanamkan sahamnya di Apotek K24. Yang jelas, dalam rangka ini pula, Gideon mendirikan SMK Pelita Bangsa (Jurusan Farmasi dan Analisis Kesehatan) dan STMB Pelita Indonesia (Jurusan Manajemen Farmasi dan Manajemen Rumah Sakit).

Tantangan lain di bidang organisasi di antaranya: dengan skala perusahaan yang membesar, jenjang hierarki organisasi menjadi lebih tinggi/panjang. Maklum, pada gilirannya memang berkembang jabatan baru seperti direktur, manajer, kepala departmen dan manajer area. “Dulu jenjang organisasi bisa dengan short, namun seiring membesarnya perusahaan, harus lebih tall. Walaupun demikian, saya tetap menjaga agar keputusan tidak terlalu bertingkat-tingkat hingga sulit dieksekusi,“ Gideon menceritakan pengalamannya.

Pengalaman Gideon juga dirasakan Maudy dalam membesarkan Ikafood. Maudy mengakui, dalam pengembangan usaha, salah satu aset terpenting adalah SDM. Sehingga, pihaknya terus mengembangkan orang yang kapabel, professional dan loyal, dengan pola penempatan yang mengacu pada prinsip “the right person for the right job”. Yang menarik, meskipun organisasi terus tumbuh, dia tetap sengaja membangun suasana kekeluargaan yang erat di perusahaan. “Kami yakin, kekeluargaan yang erat otomatis akan menimbulkan sense of belonging yang kuat,“ dia menekankan. Namun, pihaknya tetap memberlakukan sistem rewarding yang jelas.

Buntoro mencoba melihat manajemen SDM dari sisi lain. Karena gaji karyawan merupakan bagian dari komponen biaya, perusahaan yang selalu ingin menjadi besar harus terus memperhatikan produktivitas per kapita/karyawan. Berdassarkan pengalamannya, sangat tidak tepat bila perusahaan berusaha meningkatkan skala bisnis dengan menambah jumlah karyawan. “Kalau SDM tambah terus tetapi produktivitas tidak tinggi, organisasinya cenderung menjadi tambun sementara kesejahteraan per karyawan tidak naik,” ujarnya. Peningkatan produktivitas per karyawan ini, menurutnya, bisa dilakukan bila perusahaan mau melakukan improvisasi proses kerja dan investasi teknologi yang bisa membantu karyawan meningkatkan produktivitas.

Dari sisi keuangan, lanjut Buntoro, setiap perusahaan harus mendalami karakteristik bisnisnya. Sebut contoh, tentang level Incremental Capital Output Ratio (ICOR) dari bisnis karena semakin kecil ICOR, akan semakin baik. Misalnya, perusahaan mencanangkan tiap tahun tumbuh 30%, maka harus tahu berapa modal yang dibutuhkan untuk mencapai pertumbuhan 30% itu, dan dari level ICOR akan diketahui apakah keuntungan internal sanggup membiayai pertumbuhan yang ditargetkan pada tahun berikutnya, “Karakteristik bisnis harus terus diperbaiki untuk bisa mengelola pertumbuhan kapasitas perusahaan, “kata Buntoro. Pasalnya, dia menambahkan, kalaupun pinjam modal dari bank, output-nya bagi pertumbuhan bisnis tak akan maksimal bila karakteristik bisnis tak diperbaiki.

Masih dari sisi keuangan, bagi Buntoro, kedisiplinan juga sangat kritikal dalam mengelola usaha yang sudah membesar. Ketika perusahaan masih berskala kecil, kesalahan dari ketidaksiplinan mungkin hanya berdampak negatif kerugian belasan atau puluhan juta, tetapi ketika perusahaan sudah membesar, dampaknya bisa lebih kompleks.

Ia juga memberikan penekanan pada pentingnya pemilik perusahaan berkomitmen dan disiplin dalam mengelola keuangan, khususnya dalam memanfaatkan keuntungan perusahaan, agar akhirnya perusahaan benar-benar bisa tumbuh membesar. “Kita harus disiplin menginvestasikan kembali keuntungan untuk meningkatkan kapasitas dan memperbaiki karakteristik bisnis. Kalau keuntungan lebih banyak kita pakai untuk beli apartemen atau beli ini-itu yang merupakan kepentingan pribadi si pemilik, kita tidak akan pernah memperbaiki karakteristik dan kapasitas perusahaan. Ini butuh kedisiplinan,” paparnya.

Patricia Susanto, konsultan manajemen dari Jakarta Consulting Group, melihat, berdasarkan pengalamannya membantu perusahaan-perusahaan di Indonesia, tantangan yang paling banyak dijumpai pada UKM yang bercita-cita mentransformasi diri menjadi korporat adalah soal pengelolaan berbagai risiko yang dihadapi pada masa pertumbuhan. Mulai dari teknologi yang tak lagi memadai, serangan pesaing, kebutuhan dana yang meningkat, kekurangan karyawan kompeten, hingga fasilitas produksi dan layanan yang tidak memadai. “Bertumbuhnya bisnis mengharuskan praktik-praktik manajemen yang lebih professional. Struktur organisasi, sistem, dan prosedur harus ditata rapi,” kata Patricia. Tanpa pengelolaan yang baik, perusahaan justru akan kewalahan melayani pelanggan yang meningkat.

Dalam hal ini, saran Patricia, tugas CEO di perusahaan yang tumbuh menjadi korporasi adalah menerjemahkan visi dan misi ke dalam struktur, sistem dan prosedur sehingga perusahaan dapat tumbuh dalam keteraturan. Saat bertransformasi menjadi korporasi, perusahaan mengalami perubahan internal yang pesat guna mengimbangi pertumbuhannya. Namun, pada saat yang sama juga perlu memiliki fokus eksternal demi mengejar target pangsa pasar. Menghadapi kondisi ini, owner atau CEO harus menetapkan fokus dan arah yang jelas, serta pandai melakukan komunikasi, baik dengan pihak eksternal maupun internal. Dia juga harus pandai menyeimbangkan kebutuhan internal perusahaan akan sistem yang kuat dengan kebutuhan eksternal untuk memahami pasar sasaran,” Patricia menggarisbawahi. Seorang pemilik atau CEO harus berusaha membawa korporasinya memasuki pertumbuhan yang lebih stabil, dengan struktur, sistem, serta prosedur yang kuat dan mapan.

Gideon merasa dalam mentransformasi perusahaan ke kelas yang lebih besar selalu ada tantangan dan sering pula harus diiringi dengan kegagalan yang menjadi pil pahit untuk pembelajaran. “Kami melihatnya sebagai growing pains. Pengalaman pahit yang diperlukan menuju pertumbuhan dan perkembangan,” ungkapnya. Tentu saja, Gideon sudah merasakan pil pahit itu sehingga bisa menginspirasinya dalam membangun jaringan apotek swasta terbesar di Indonesia. Ya, untuk bisa tumbuh, memang butuh pengorbanan dan harus tahan menghadapi risiko. Kecuali kalau memang sudah puas dengan skala perusahaan yang puluhan tahun segitu-segitu saja. Bagaiman dengan perusahaan Anda?.

(diambil dari SWA edisi 13 XXIX Sudarmadi; Riset Dian Solihati)

Building a motivated team

Managers everywhere want teams that are effective, focused, and committed to organizational goals. With a team like this, just think of the performance and results you could deliver!

Teams only perform like this if their managers are motivating them effectively.

This is why you need to be able to motivate your team if you want to create a productive work environment. By combining good motivational practices with meaningful work, the setting of performance goals, and use of an effective reward system, you can establish the kind of atmosphere and culture that you need to excel.

The better you are able to link these factors together, the higher the motivation levels of your team are likely to be. That’s a win-win for you, them, and the organization.

Making a point of motivating people is a challenge in and of itself. Once you decide you are up to it, however, you too will reap the rewards and benefits. This creates a momentum that will help you and your team achieve great success.

To explore how you can apply some of these teachniques in your work situation, join us in Business Gathering on July 19, 2013 at Hilton Hotel, Bandung. For more detail please call +6222-8606-0586.

Finding Deeper Meaning in a Job

Natalie works in janitorial services at a major hospital, and she takes great pride in her work.

One day, she pairs up with a new team member to show him the correct way to clean rooms. However, he seems ambivalent about his new job, and about the importance of following strict cleaning procedures.

So, Natalie explains why their team’s job is one of the most important in the hospital. When they do thorough work, there are fewer germs in the operating and patient rooms.

Their diligence reduces the number of secondary infections, which, in turn, helps keep patients healthier. Potentially, their work could save lives.

Natalie’s story is an inspiring example of how people can find purpose in their work; that is, they can see the full impact of the work that they do. In this article, we’ll look at how you can help your people find purpose in their jobs, and why this matters.

Why is Purpose Important?

No matter what you do, your job exists for a reason. When you know that reason – and when you fully understand how your efforts make the world a better place for someone else – you have found your job’s purpose.

On an individual level, people who understand their job’s wider purpose are happier, more engaged, and more creative.

And, from an organizational perspective, when employees see how their roles fit with the company’s goals, staff turnover goes down and productivity rises. People work harder, use their initiative, and make sensible decisions about their work. In turn, the company can operate more efficiently. Everyone, from the CEO to customers, feels the positive effects.

Helping Your Team Find Purpose

If you work for a nonprofit or service organization, it may be easy to help people find the deeper meaning in their work. But what if you work in a bank, a call center, or a software company?

It’s essential to realize that every job provides a service to someone else – if it didn’t, it wouldn’t exist. Keep this in mind as you work with your team members to help them find meaning in their work.

Step 1: Write a Meaningful Mission Statement

Your organization’s mission statement is a good place to start. It should help you identify customers’ needs, the ways in which the organization will meet them, and how success will be measured.

You may not be in a position to change your organization’s mission statement, but you can write a mission & vision statement for your team or department. This statement should define the deeper purpose behind your work.

Use the 5 whys Technique to kick-start this process. Ask the simple question “Why does this team or department exist?” and keep following up with “why” questions until you’ve uncovered your team’s deeper purpose. Think about organizational objectives as you move through the process: what needs are being met?

Next, use this insight to write your team’s mission and vision statement. Display this where everyone can see.

Step 2: Link Personal Drivers With Team or Organizational Goals

Your next step is to connect your team members’ personal goals to organizational ones.

Encourage each team member to reflect on how they can connect their motivations with the goals of the organization. Remember that your role in this process should be that of a facilitator; try not to influence others too much with your own values or beliefs.

Finally, link your team members’ personal goals to those of your organization.

Step 3: Build a Positive Work Environment

A healthy, positive working environment brings out the best in everyone. So, make sure that you’re giving your team the chance to be the best that they can be.

For instance, to help people build good work relationships, encourage them to socialize before meetings, or outside work. Give people more autonomy over their work, and provide learning and career development opportunities. Promote values such as integrity, honesty, and humility by praising employees who demonstrate them.

When you create a work environment that is uplifting and supportive, it will be easier for your team members to stay connected to the deeper meaning in their work.

Positive feedback is a highly effective motivator. It reminds us that our work is noticed, and that it’s making a difference.

Provide regular feedback, and share stories from customers or clients that show how your team is making a positive difference. This can be a powerful way to inspire your team members, and to keep them connected with the people that they’re helping.

Creating what you want in LIfe…

Why do businesses fail…

Next to owning your own home, owning your own business has got to be the one thing most people aspire to. Both are underpinned by that sense of freedom, of not being controlled by others, that is at the heart of our very own identity.

Being in control of your time, your effort, and, hopefully, your income are very powerful driving forces. There is something about being self-employed that appeals to the vast majority of us, even though to most, it will sadly remain a dream.

Let’s explore the notion of being self-employed. What does it actually mean and what, if any are the characteristics of the self-employed?

This is usually the first jump on the entrepreneurial ladder and for most, it’s the only jump. In fact, most entrepreneurs never seem to get past this level of growth in their business.

The truth is you really can’t call it a business; you’ve really got to call it a job.

What’s more, this job is most probably one of the worst jobs in the world. I think its put best by his quote, taken from one of my live seminars: “Most people thought they worked for an idiot before they started their own business.”

I really don’t think most people who start their own businesses know what they’re getting themselves into. In fact, most look at it as something glamorous, exciting, and with such a sense of newfound freedom they’re fooled into believing wealth is just a few days, weeks, or months away.

To become self-employed, what usually happens is one of two things.

Either you’re unemployed and looking for a new job when one morning you have what I call a Blinding Flash of the Obvious.

“I know,” you say, “I’ll start my own business. Then no one will ever be able to fire me.”

And with all of the planning of the team that built and sailed the Titanic, you get started.

Or you’re working for someone else and you keep thinking these three things to yourself:

“I can do a better job myself.”

“How come they get all the money, when I do all the work?” and,

“If I owned this company, I’d be the boss; I’d make everyone else do the work; I’d play golf, relax, and I’d work a lot less.”

Either way, there is one thing running through the minds of everyone as they jump into the role of the self-employed entrepreneur:

“I m going to be the boss”

And with that the race starts.

It’s one of the biggest steps you’ll ever take, and believe me, the most rewarding you’ll ever choose, so if you’re about to take it, that’ great. Get ready to learn how to make it work for you.

Almost an extension of the mind–set challenges we’ve just looked at, most self–employed people’s relationships with money need to be examined.

As you may or may not know, the way you relate to money will determine your financial future. And, given you’ve only got one shot at this thing called life; let’s make sure you give it the best shot you can.

A self-employed person has a very similar relationship to money as that of an employee. And we all know that as an employee you earn money. What kind of word is earn? It’s a verb or doing word.

With the self-employed, the word changes but the doing-ness remains the same. They’re still trading time for money. And their word in relation to bringing in money is now, make.

They have to make money in their business.

The dictionary definition of “make” is: “To bring into existence, especially by effort.”

So by definition, with this relationship to money you’re still going to be working hard for every rupiah or dollar you get. You’re still trading time for money. Yes, you may be getting more money for each hour you work, but the see-saw effect of self- employment never lets you create financial freedom. More on that in a moment.

While we’re on definitions, here’s the definition for “self:” “Person’s nature, special qualities, one’s own personality.”

And the definition for “employed:” “Give work to, usually for payment.”

Once again by definition you’ve positioned yourself in a place that from a true entrepreneur’s viewpoint is not only guaranteed to mean physical involvement in your money-making activities, but also that there’s very little difference to being employed by someone else.

The only real difference is now you have the headaches of being both an employee and an employer.

Yet, I want you to remember this: becoming self-employed is the first step on the ladder of financial freedom, and those who have taken it are usually far closer to becoming financially free than those who never do.

So, congratulations if you have, and congratulations in advance if you’re about to.

Now it’s time to think through some of the reasons people have for becoming self-employed. And they must be powerful ones, considering all the uncertainty and hard work most will be putting themselves through.

So what are they?

To my mind there are at least eight very powerful reasons for being self–employed. Reasons that, simply put, are a must if you’re at all serious about getting yourself into the ranks of the rich.

Employees have absolutely no true leverage: they’re simply trading time for money. Keep this in mind.

When you’re selling for yourself, there’s no set hourly rate. You, through your skills, your level of work, and your passion or determination, are able to determine your level of income. No one else can make that decision for a self–employed person. And, while that scares some, it feels great to many who take this step.

In fact, that level of self-control promised by the “I did it my way” feeling is central to the decision most people make when becoming self-employed. While being your own boss, and the ability to determine your own hours and income, are seen as the main reasons why anyone would choose to become self- employed, they are not the reasons I would give you to make this step.

So, what are my reasons for becoming self–employed?

Reason 1 You’ll have to learn about company structure and setup. You’ll probably also need to understand the difference between a holding company and a trading company. Why you should always have two companies rather than one; one to own the assets, the other to trade and make the ongoing profits.

Reason 2 You’ll also need to learn accounting, bookkeeping, and how to interact with your accountant. You may, for the first time in your life, get yourself an accountant.

Knowing where to look for the answers to your questions about the balance sheet, the profit and loss statement, the cashflow, or any budgets you do is a must if you’re ever to aspire to bigger and better things.

Things of accounting as a background part of day-to-day business; it’s like the engine room. Without it you may as well be playing sport and not keeping score.

Reason 3 Probably the most important two things you’ll ever learn as a self-employed person (if you didn’t already as an employee) is sales and marketing.

Becoming a great salesperson is a must if you’re going to sell a lot.  Sales means everything from face–to face, over the phone, cold calling, and even getting over any fear you may have of talking to people. Sales also means doing presentations to groups and selling to more than one person at a time.

It’s easy to say, but becoming great at sales requires a lot of reading, learning, and application. It may even take you a few years, if you’ve never done it before as an employee.

And marketing, well what can I say that hasn’t already been said? Together with sales, it’s the lifeblood of any business. A true entrepreneur knows that, while cost reduction is important, bringing in the cashflow is by far the most important area for any company.

You can cut costs to post a profit, but you can only sell your way to prosperity. While “sales” is the ability to turn a lead into a sale, ”marketing” is the ability to generate prospects at a reasonable price.

Reason 4 As a new business owner, you get the privilege of doing everything yourself, and one thing you really get to learn is the meaning of the words ”hard work”. You’ll often complete 16– or 20- hour days, six or seven days a week. Not because there is just so much work to do, but because you are having fun, you are learning, growing and most of all, because you’re working out how to design a business as you go along. Growing a business is like riding a bike: Once you’ve done it a few times, it gets really easy.

Think of all this extra work as your entrepreneurial apprenticeship being done after hours.

Reason 5 One of the most important lessons every new business owner learns is cost reductions. As a self–employed person, you’ll be forced to scrimp and save, to recycle, to borrow, to use old second-hand stuff and to do whatever it takes to get by.

Once again, while its most important for a company to bring in money, lack of control over your costs is a certain death knock for a small business. Learning this ”tight” way of doing business is great:  you’ll need to remember it, especially as you get bigger.

Reason 6 for becoming self–employed is to simply make contacts. The more people network, the easier you’ll find it to do business – any business. Or, to put it another way, join as many networking groups as you can, go to as many seminars as you can, to not only learn, but to get yourself out there meeting other businesspeople.

In business, the old axiom of “who you know” is extremely important, so learn to meet lots of people.

Reason 7 As a self-employed person, you’ll also have to relearn the meaning of responsibility and accountability. Nowhere else is it as important to learn these virtues than as the boss of your own company. The ”buck” really does start and stop with you.

Far too often the world of the employee is littered with “pass the buck” people. When these people start or buy their own businesses, it’s almost certain that they’ll fail. Only those with the passion and desire to lead a life of total ownership will ever succeed in their own businesses.

Reason 8 The most important reason is so you at least start to learn technology. Hopefully, like many others, you learned these lessons at someone else’s expense, as an employee, but if not, prepare for a lot of learning and growth as you get your first company up and running at a profit.

Technology is here to stay and it’s a painful business life for people who decide not to make it an integral part of their knowledge base.

To finish off-while most think the reasons for becoming self-employed are to take control and to be the boss, the exact opposite is true for the serious entrepreneur.

Start your small business now, even if it’s part-time, to gain the knowledge you’ll need in a few years when you’re playing with big bucks and running your big business.

Now, before I forget –

Remember I mentioned a concept called the see-saw of the self-employed?

As a self-employed person, your business life will feel just like a see-saw. While it’s often true self-employed people can make more per hour than they ever could as an employee, the challenge comes down to how many hours are actually used in the background.

You’ll spend half your life chasing the work doing marketing, sales, and administration, and then you’ll have so much work to do you’ll have to flip over and start doing the work.

Doing the work is one side of the see-saw and sales and marketing is the other.

Chase the work, do the work, chase the work, do the work, chase the work, do the work-and so on.

It’s the see-saw that stops a self-employed person from ever really getting ahead, once again, you’re still in a situation where there’s no real leverage. You still need to do the work.

It’s also this see-saw that gets most self–employed people to make one of two decisions: to either give it up and go back and get jobs, or to take the plunge, jump in the deep ends of businesses, make the decision to grow their businesses, and to hire team members.

You see, what you should be aiming at here is to grow your business.

The first step to doing this is to think about your vision. Understand that as long as you can only ever see yourself running a one–person business, you’ll never be anything more.

You’ve got to build a vision of a big business, one that needs to be big to achieve the vision you set. Maybe your vision is to change the world, to change your industry, or to be the best in your industry. Whatever your vision, the bigger it is, the bigger your business needs to become to complete it.

Set a vision of what your business will be like when you’ve finished building it. You see, you have to plan it from the start so at some stage in the near future, your business will run without you. Plan for it from the beginning.

While we’re on change, one of the most important changes you’ll need to make is to your identity. You’ll have to stop thinking of yourself as a worker and start thinking of yourself as a business owner.

For example, you may need to stop thinking of yourself as a plumber and become the owner of a plumbing business – an entrepreneur who’s currently building a plumbing business. Or even think of yourself as a big business.

One other thing here, stop thinking of yourself or your business as being small. Calling yourself a small business is extremely limiting. You can be a growth business, a prototype business, or even think of yourself as a big business. Don’t just change your own identity; change the identity of your business as well.

I know this all seems overly simplistic, and it could even be just a mind game, but it’s by far the most important step you need to take on your way to becoming a successful business owner. Set your vision as soon as you can.

The next step you need to take is to change your goals.

Set larger goals, much larger goals. Ask for more and then be prepared to get it. There’s nothing worse than the limits you place upon yourself by setting small goals. Goals that may at the time seem a stretch in reality might just get you to work a little harder.

You see, when you set goals that are entirely massive compared with your current results, it challenges you to think entirely differently and to do things entirely differently. And that in itself is essentially what this growth process is all about.

So there you have it-a quick overview of what being self-employed is all about. Still convinced this is the route for you to take?

If You’re Treading Water, You’re Drowning

IT’S THE PLIGHT of many a business, sales are steady, things seem good but over time there is a case of the disappearing profits. It’s enough to drive you nuts.

Why does a company that is going well, keeping its best customers happy, and retaining good employees seem to be going slowly under?

It’s pretty simple actually.

Retaining customers without increasing prices, keeping employees who get pay rises, staying with suppliers even though prices may rise 1% or 2%. It all adds up, and your profits magically fade into thin air…

So, what can you do about it? Well, there are solutions and to be blunt, one very important solution… Focus on Growth.

In business as in life, you’re either growing or you’re dying. Take a look at your garden, the trees can’t stop growing, or they wither and die. You have to think of your business in the same light – growth or death. And given that death is probably not a viable option, let’s go for growth.

So, how do you ensure you’re always in growth mode?

Before we get to the top nine ways to keep growing, remember that it doesn’t just have to be sales growth; it can be growth in many areas of your business…

• Top line revenues growth – always a favourite, getting more sales and revenues flowing makes cashflow positive and really gets the team fired up.

• Bottom line profits growth – my personal area of passion, getting more dollars in the top line doesn’t seem as much fun if there isn’t more left over for the owners.

• Product or service lines growth – often seems harder than it really is…

• Team or staff growth – so often new people bring new ideas and new business to handle growth in other areas…

• Geographic growth – opening new territories again leads to other growth…

• Other growth – so many other areas that you can open yourself up to… Whatever the growth focus you have, remember the simple story of the tree, either growth or deterioration.

So, my top nine strategies for immediate growth in companies I start coaching…

1. Raise your prices – Simply put, if you haven’t done it in the past year, you need to. Most business owners are scared stiff of moving prices, but the reality is, very few customers ever complain or even notice a 10% shift. The ones who complain are already complaining about your prices. Just test it on a certain range if you don’t believe me.

2. Add on sell or package – You never get to leave McDonalds without the obligatory ‘would you like fries with that?’ Learn from their systems, what can you add on, or how can you package your services and products together to get people buying more every time they do business with you?

3. Debt collection – I know it’s not really growth, but too many companies have no debt collection system in place. Make the letters, calls and emails happen on a set schedule so people know to pay on time.

4. Newsletter – Just a simple monthly few quality pages is where it can start and eventually turn into a masterpiece. People love to know how to buy from you again and again, teach them what’s happening right now so they stay in touch and see you often, even when they are not in your store.

5. Entire range – You’ll be amazed how many times a business owners hears,“Oh, I didn’t know you did that,” from their customers. Make sure you have a marketing piece or strategy to keep every customer or potential customer on your database (yes you need a database of every customer) aware of everything you do or sell.

6. Sales training – Probably the biggest area of growth potential for any company with a salesperson or two. Doctors, sports stars and almost every other profession needs constant training, so too do salespeople; keep them learning and closing more and more deals.

7. Referrals – Most companies make it so hard to refer people, how can you make it simple?

8. Test and measure – you cannot manage what you do not measure. You’ve got to know your numbers, everything from how many new leads you got today down to your break-even numbers. Learn your numbers and you’ll be far more in control and far more profitable.

9. Follow up your prospects – every time I go shopping, it blows me away how many companies never ask for my details, never call me back, never send me anything. You think that is too pushy, you’re right, but the so called ‘pushy’ companies are the ones getting the clients.

No matter what, put growth on your agenda. Set new goals, sales targets and challenge yourself and your team. Ask big questions and the chances are you’ll get big answers.

Don’t Fear The Cash Gap

Everybody wants their business to grow, but growth can be a challenge if you aren’t prepared for it.

If you’re growing at a rapid rate, then you’re going to have cashflow issues, there’s no two ways about it. You may have more customers than you can handle and need to grow your team or buy new stock to keep your shelves full.

Whatever the challenge, for that sort of growth you have one of two options. If you know what you are doing you can cashflow the growth or you find investment partners. To me the decision is an easy one. You’re going to have to learn to manage your cashflow.

First, look at your cash gap.  Cash gap is that lag in what you have to invest to properly grow and when you get paid for it. This is a prime example of where cash flow problems come from. You buy your stock on this day, you ordered it and thirty days later you have to pay.

You put the stock on the shelf and sell it to someone who has 30 days to pay for it and some of them take 60. You can see how the cash gap could lead to bigger problems.

What most companies need to look at in that scenario is how do they move from letting people buy on terms to getting people to buy with cash upfront? How do you move the terms with people buying over shorter and shorter terms?

There are companies in which the cash gap is actually in reverse where they buy it they won’t pay for 60 days yet they sold it well ahead of those 60 days. That’s a much healthier looking company.

But what about companies that exist in industries that have cash gap problems, for example, building contractors. When did you pay the kitchen cabinet people who worked on your last remodeling? They probably get paid at the end. Why? Well, that’s the way they’ve always done it.

That kind of thinking can hurt your business, and it will definitely lead to a cash gap and cashflow problems.

So review your terms, give your clients the chance to pay in installments that meet your cashflow requirements and set the parameters of what you expect from your clients right from the beginning of the relationship.

If you need to be paid within 30 days, but you have clients that wait until 60 days, fire them and find new clients who will work within your terms.

In other words, don’t let growth hamper your business by letting the cash gap get out of control. Remember true growth isn’t necessarily the size of your business, but the size of your profits. Growing for growth’s sake can be the worst thing you’ve ever done for your business, but if you understand cashflow, the cash gap and managing your growth, you’re building a healthy business.