Cents sense.

I get annoyed pretty quickly when it comes to other people's business, mainly because it's my job.

I get to see quite a few business people in their work environments with my job, ranging from the struggling to the highly successful. They all undoubtedly work hard at their business, and many of them have piles - if not shelves - of business and management literature.

And I always seem to see the same mistakes.

I don't know what these books and DVDs are saying to my clients, but there must be something fundamentally missing in the self-help sections that we consistently see similar mistakes over and over and over. Unnecessary mistakes that cause stress on the business owners and the business itself. They may not be fatal to the business, but all the unnecessary stress sure isn't making their job* any easier.

Here's my four-point guide to business that you don't have to pay $29.95 at Borders for. It isn't going to solve all your problems, but they're healthy fundamentals that aren't missing from good businesses.


Business is people. Your employees, clients, customers, suppliers and land-lords are all people. The sooner you remember to put a face to a name, the sooner you're going to get better deals, better loyalty and better service. Learn to communicate creatively and consistently. Courtesy, grammar and punctuation speak volumes louder than your track record when dealing with someone new. Everyone has their bad days, so don't make theirs worse.

Know your cashflow. Cashflow is the lifeblood of your business. You should know every facet of your income and expenditure, even if you don't handle it directly. The minutiae isn't important, as long as you have a clear understanding of your ins and outs. Massive warning bells go off as soon as I hear the words "You know more about my business than I do" - that spells hands-off and responsibility shirking. Trust that your money people can handle your business, but know exactly where you dollars come from and go to. Anything less is willingly handing your business over to someone without your vested interest or sovereignty.

Contractors are more than workers, employees are more than errand-runners. Surround yourself with professionals that listen, work proactively and respect your business. These people will bring specialty knowledge and abilities beyond their initial job description - use them! Use effective delegation**, and give your people room to move, learn, teach and make mistakes.

Payroll is sacred. One day late wages will add more stress to your business than the worst customer relation. Your employees rely on their money being in their accounts when promised - failing to meet this promise will create a chain reaction of anxiety and grief that will extend well beyond your reach of influence. There is no quicker way to undermine the respect and goodwill for your business than failing to meet payroll obligations.

There you go. I'm certainly not qualified enough to be writing books about this, but I'm confident that any business owner taking these four points to practice will be much less anxious than those that don't.

-Anthony

* Or mine, for that matter.
** Hint: Delegation does not equal hands-off.


for you, no charge