What can go wrong? Part 2

Last week we talked about a thief.
He was exposed on a reality TV show.
It’s Mystery Diners on the Food Network.

The thieving employee lost his job.
He could have gone to jail.
He stole hundreds of dollars.
I recommend you watch this show.
You will see how employees can steal from your business.

Here’s an example from a recent show.
A popular bar owner’s nightly take was falling.
She suspected the night bartender was doing it.
But she couldn’t prove anything.
The guy was resourceful and she liked him.
She also liked being able to go home at night.
She trusted him to run the bar after dark.

Revenue kept falling so she made a call.
Mystery Diners came in and set up cameras.
She watched her bartender bring in his own booze.
He wasn’t selling hers and ringing it up.
He was pouring his and pocketing the money.
No wonder her revenues were falling.
The guy was using her place to run his own bar.

To make matters worse, he had a friend helping.
The guy wasn’t an employee but he was working.
They were both drinking booze themselves.
You can see where this was headed.
Her bartender had a part-time limo driving job.
So he left his friend in charge of the bar.
He had to go pick up someone in the limo.

The owner stopped him and brought him back.
She took him to the secret screening room.
He saw himself on the monitors stealing from her.
He was a big guy and gave her a hard time.
She fired him and told him not to come back.
If he did, she would call the police.

This is the kind of thing that could happen to you.
You don’t need to run a restaurant.
Just about any business will do.
Trusted employees may take advantage of you.
What do you do?
More about that next week.

Want my leadership and management book?

Just make a $20 donation to our literacy tutoring.

Call me at 803-331-6695.

What can go wrong?

“Whatever can go wrong undoubtedly will.” 

That’s Murphy’s Law of Business Management.

Sure, it’s time worn but still true.

Some of us think Murphy was an optimist.

Over the next few weeks we’ll discuss this.

There are many ways you can lose your shirt.

One of the best is trust your employees.

The one’s you trust the most may be bad apples.

Let me give you a few examples.

Do you watch Mystery Diners on Food Network?

This is one of the best business shows going.

It will convince you to stay out of the food business.

The Mystery Diners help owners in trouble.

Revenues are falling and customers don’t come back.

Yet the owners can’t figure out why.

So they hire the Mystery Diners.

The Mystery Diners set up cameras in the restaurant.

They can see the kitchen, dining areas, bar.

They can see the supply room and the back door.

In a private room, they watch what’s going on.

They sit with the owners to watch their employees.

This is an eye-opener for trusting owners.

On a series of recent programs:

The head chef was catering from the kitchen.

He used the owners food, utensils, everything.

His catering ads carried his cell number.

Customers called him, not the restaurant.

He took the orders and prepared the food.

He even left the kitchen to make deliveries.

The owners could watch him stealing from him.

Hundreds of dollars walking out the door.

He brought him in and fired him.

He told him not to come back or go to jail.

You don’t have to own a restaurant.

Are you a trusting business owner?

Then something like this could happen to you.

What do you do? The internet may help.

Google “business surveillance systems.”

It will bring up lots of options.

Next week we’ll talk more about protecting yourself.

We help business owners with problems. 

Call us at 359-7633.

 

Do you have what it takes, Part 3

Are you an entrepreneur at heart? Is it your passion and purpose?

If not, quit wasting your time reading this.
It’s for committed, passionate entrepreneurs only.
Less than 10% of the population feels like this.

Here are five questions for you.
Your answers are for self-assessment.
They will tell you if you have what it takes.
Not everyone does.
Find out if you’re one of them.

1. I like to try new approaches and solutions.

You are willing to leave your comfort zone.
Run risks. Take chances. Seek breakthroughs.
Always looking for better ways to do anything.

2. I always seek challenging problems.
You are unafraid to tackle the big frogs.
They’re the ones with the high payoffs.
But they often are harder to solve or achieve.

3. I seek excellence, not perfection.
You realize that "good enough" is good enough.
It does not have to be the perfect solution.
Perfection is impossible. Excellence is possible.

4. I’ll work to exhaustion on projects.
This means you are fully committed.
You’re no 9-to-5er. You stay to finish the job.

5. You’re first in and often last out.

That’s the kind of role model that inspires others.

If not, they’re not the kind of employees you want.
Entrepreneurs need excited people to share the load.

Did you agree you’ve got what it takes?
Next week I’ll put five final questions to you.
You don’t have to share how you score.
It’s strictly your business.

You may read my entrepreneurial book:

"Killer Secrets of Successful Entrepreneurs."
I’ll send you a personally autographed copy.
Just make a $20 donation to literacy tutoring.
To do it, call me at 331-6695.

　

Do you have what it takes, Part 2

Planning to start a business?
This is for you.
Planning to expand one?
This is for you too
Are you just looking for a job?
To create one for yourself?
Will this be a hobby or a real business?

Business guru Jay Abraham has an intriguing observation.
He says people go into business for three reasons:
1. They have gone through a career crisis.
They lost their jobs. Prospects for another are poor.
2. They hate their jobs and detest their bosses.
Owning a business seems much more attractive.
Rarely do these two kinds succeed.

The ones that succeed are far different.
They are entrepreneurs at heart.
Most grew up in entrepreneurial families.
They accept the sacrifices entrepreneurs make.
They are risk takers - but calculated risk takers.
They have great confidence in themselves.

How do you rate as an entrepreneur?
It’s relatively easy to find out.
A warning: You may not like the answers.
In their first class, my students test themselves.
Here are seven of the questions they answer.
To take the test just mark Agree or Disagree.

1. My parents encouraged self-reliance.
The wanted you to figure things out on your own.
They wanted you to make discoveries on your own.

2. My close relatives have been entrepreneurs.
They inspired you with their example.
They even gave you jobs to do so you could learn.

3. Growing up I held many part-time jobs.
It might have been cutting grass and other chores.
You might have worked for your parents.
They may have helped you find other jobs.

4. My parents held unconventional views.
They weren’t afraid to champion different ideas.
They taught me to avoid just following the crowd.

5. I am more inquisitive than most people.
You want to know everything about everything.
You day dream a lot about solving problems.

Did you agree to all or most of this?
This suggests you may have what it takes.
Next week I’ll put a few more questions to you.
You don’t have to share how you score.
It’s strictly your business.

Do you have what it takes?

My business students take a test before the first lesson.
It’s a self-graded test.
Only they know their score.
How they score matters only to them.
It shows if they are suited for business.
Strong entrepreneurial instincts?
What it takes to succeed as an owner?

Lest you think me an academic, I’ll say this.
Our family has owned more than a dozen businesses.
We operate four active businesses right now.
What I write is from real life experience.

Psychologist Kevin Dutton studies entrepreneurs.
He says seven principles help get what we want:
1. Ruthlessness. Some may argue with this.
Ruthlessness sounds cold and merciless. It isn’t.
This means calm, cool, logical leadership.
Being willing to do what others don’t want to do.
That means firing clients and employees as needed.
2. Charm. Think Gary Grant and Ronald Reagan.
Successful people are charismatic.
They attract others to their missions.
3. Focus. They know what they want to achieve.
They have direction, vision and purpose.
4. Mental toughness. Ready to make hard decisions.
Napoleon Hill called this “accurate thinking.”
5. Fearlessness. That doesn’t mean they are unafraid.
They take action despite fears and reservations
They don’t let small things deter them.
6. Mindfulness. They weigh all their options.
They make decisions based on careful analysis.
5. Action. They know they cannot hesitate.
They are willing to run risks to get things done.

In the next few weeks, we’ll talk more about this.
Planning to start a business? This is for you.
Planning to expand a business? This is for you too.
Want a free copy of my entrepreneurial test?
Email me at Jerry Bellune@yahoo.com