What do business owners and alcoholics have in common....?

The answer is that we often display some of the same addictive behaviours

The thing about alcoholics - much like an addict of any sort -  is that they can’t actually be helped until they’ve acknowledged that there’s a problem

It’s the same for some of the business owners that we work with.

Put very simply, we help business owners and managing directors to make more money with less work and fewer headaches – it is that simple!

Who doesn’t want that?

Strangely enough, some of the people we see don’t!

Or at least that's what they’ll say - although they might want it deep down. On the surface, they lie to themselves.

Every single day they tell themselves that they don’t actually want any more money because they will get hit with a bigger tax bill. They tell themselves that they don’t actually mind working long hours because it’s just “short term” until things start happening for them. (even though nothing has “happened for them” in the last 5 years and they’re working longer hours now than they ever have done)

They tell themselves that they don’t actually want a bigger business because it’s a “life style” thing - Even though when they first entered the business they had an entirely different objective.

Sure, some people are being honest when they say this, but for most they are lying to themselves (and to the people around them)

It’s just what they tell themselves so they don’t have to deal with the reality of what’s really going on - much like an alcoholic who drinks half a bottle of vodka before lunch and claims “they’ve got it under control”!

If you’re honest enough to admit that you’re listening to me and reading my email because you want to generate more leads and attract more clients

If you want to make the next step and do something about building your business or solving the problems that have been bugging you since the beginning of the year (or even before that) then get in touch with one of our team on 084 3289 3288 (for Blue Box Management Consultants) or 08456 894 894 (for Blue Box Executive Recruitment).  Our email addresses are enquiries@blueboxconsultancy.com  and hello@blueboxrecruitment.com respectively

If you just want to check out what we do and who we do it with, then have a browse through our websites www.blueboxconsultancy.com or www.blueboxrecruitment.com

We look forward to hearing from you soon

Until the next time, take care, be bold and do good business

Tribunal rules that employee who drank 10 pints and told his boss what he thought was unfairly dismissed...!

Sometimes I like to share things with you that make me smile (or grimace, depending upon how I feel).  Last week I saw a headline that made me do both.  The headline in question read: 

 

"Man who downed 10 beers and told his boss to F off at works Christmas party, wins claim for unfair dismissal..."

 

On reading the article further It turns out that some bloke in Australia got drunk at his works Christmas party (let’s face it, we have all been there at some point in our lives?).  The ‘gentleman’ in questions then proceeded to sexually harass one of his colleagues before approaching his boss to tell him to ‘F--- Off’ (I am not going to pretend that we have all done that – just in case you were going to ask!)

 

On returning to work in January he was told he was fired and I think that most people would agree that the decision was quite justified?

 

But THEN, an employment tribunal ruled he had been “unfairly dismissed, in part because unlimited quantities of alcohol were served.”

 

UNBELIEVABLE!

 

The article didn’t give the blokes identity so he couldn’t be named and shamed, but since when did it become the business owners’ responsibility to dictate how much their fully-grown, adult employees do or don’t drink?!

 

Is it just me? Am I being unfair?  Are we all responsible for our own actions?

 

Unless someone physically holds you down, forces your mouth open and pours drink down it. How much you drink is down to you. No one else!

 

This is a bit like going to an all you can eat buffet and then suing the restaurant because you suffered with a stomach-ache due to the amount of food you stuffed down your own throat!

 

But, rant over, back to business – and there is a link here (stick with me)

 

The only person responsible for whatever situation you find yourself in right now is YOU

 

That means that IF you look at your bank statement and you’re not happy with what you see, it’s because of YOU

 

That means that if you don’t get to spend enough time with your partner because you’re working long hours with little reward, it’s because of YOU

 

And if you miss your kids growing up because you were never there to tuck them in at night, it’s because of YOU

 

And trust me – there is not an employment tribunal in the land that will bail you out of this situation  

 

So when are you going to do something about it!? YOUR destiny is in YOUR hands – no one else is responsible for your success, there is no one to blame if you do not achieve your goals

If all of this seems a bit heavy, then the good (no, the great) news is that there is help at hand.

If you want to learn how you can win and retain more clients and become and remain more profitable and ultimately make your business more successful then contact us today on 084 3289 3288 (for Blue Box Management Consultants) or 08456 894 894 (for Blue Box Executive Recruitment).  Alternatively, you could email us at hello@blueboxrecruitment.com or enquiries@blueboxconsultancy.com

If you just want to check out what we do and who we do it with, then go to our websites (www.blueboxconsultancy.com and www.blueboxrecruitment.com)

Until the next time, take care, be bold and do good business

Death by natural causes or suicide?

I read a really frightening statistic the other day about just how many Businesses fail within the first 5 years of trading – according to leading experts 50% of start-ups will go bust before they reach their fifth anniversary – that is a pretty scary statistic.

Although some industries are better at survival than others, the grim fact is that if you are starting a business today, you will only have a 50/50 chance of survival in the next 5 years (I don’t want to be too gloomy, but if your business is construction related, then your chances of survival in THE FIRST 2 YEARS will drop to 20%!)

 

The next surprising statistic is that of 50% that DO survive the first 5 year, only 10% of those will survive the NEXT 5 years – meaning that, on average, 95% of all new start-ups will fail within 10 years

And then five years after that, you're down to just one

 

In other words, there's a 99% chance of you going out of business in the first 15 years of operation

 

... Not the most inspiring sentence you’ll ever read I know...

 

What saddens me most about this statistic is that the vast majority of businesses die because of suicide rather, than murder

 

It’s very rare that you’ll see a business fail solely because of circumstances that occurred outside the business owners control - more often than not, if a business fails it’s because the business owner fails to spot an opportunity, fails to adapt, fails to make the right decisions or fails to spot the warning signs before it’s too late

 

So how do you make sure you’re in that 1%?

 

It’s quite simple really - you avoid what the other 99% are doing like the plague!

 

The conclusion that you must reach is that if you want to thrive in a business environment, copying what your competitors and other professionals in your field are doing is suicidal - 99% of them will not be here in the next few years!

 

 

Think about how you’re running your business at the moment - if you’re like the majority of the business owners that I speak to, your business has the potential to be in the fast lane to suicide!

They are doing the same things that they were doing last year, they are chasing work that is unprofitable or very low margin, they are doing work for clients that will not pay and do not value the work that they do, and worst of all, they are selling purely on price (and as we know, when you enter a competition that is based purely on price, your customer is highly likely to go to one of your competitors who is willing to provide similar services at a reduced rate)

If you want to get your business off the dangerous path, or just want to learn more about how your business could become and remain more profitable, then contact us today on 084 3289 3288 (for Blue Box Consultancy) or 08456 894 894 (for Blue Box Executive Recruitment).  You could also email us – if the written word is your chosen medium – on hello@blueboxrecruitment.com or enquiries@blueboxconsultancy.com

If you just want to know a little bit about who we are and what we do, then check out our website www.blueboxconsultancy.com and www.blueboxrecruitment.com

Until the next time, take care, be bold and do good business