Saturday, April 25, 2009

Are You Comfortable?

BTW, like Seth, I'm not here to tell you what to do. I'm here to provoke you to re-think your business> I want to make you uncomfortable, because only when you are uncomfortable does change happen.

  • Change doesn't happen when you are afraid with your head buried in the sand.
  • It doesn't happen when you are wishing things were different.
  • It doesn't happen when you are complaining about it being unfair.

One thing I have noticed in ten years in this space: there are 1-0 types of people: those that plan ahead and take action and the rest. Which are you?

Penny wise and pound foolish. I have watched for years people get legal and tax advice from listservs, often for that to bite them in the ass because they wouldn't pay a lawyer or CPA. Foolhardy.

Many of you started in the days of BBS and dial-up, where it was so easy to make money. It was just you and your modem lines. No big competitors. You still had a day job. One ad in the Yellow Pages and you were cashing checks. Eventually, your dial-up business became your job. Not your business, because for many of you it is just your job, the way you pay the mortgage. Then things started changing, fast. V.32, V.34, 56K, DSL. What? The ILEC's are in the game? And from there we have seen how things have gone.

When I say its your job and not your business, I say that because I have seen no planning ahead, no paying attention to the market, no business strategy. Here's a litmus test:

  • Are you incorporated?
  • Do you have a CPA?
  • Do you have a bookkeeper?
  • Do you have a Board of Advisors?
  • Do you have an attorney - tax, corporate or telecom?
  • Do you have a business plan written somewhere?
  • Do you have systems in place for sales, ticketing, and orders?
  • Do you have written procedures?
  • What would you do if your top 2 clients left?
  • Are you actively marketing your business?
  • Is your website up-to-date?

If you scoffed at this list or answered NO often, it's time to ask yourself Why? I'm thinking this will be my talk at the FISPA meeting in Nashville at the end of June. What do you think? Don't be an Ant.

Are you Uncomfortable yet?

3 comments:

Unknown said...

As always, good advice. I answered the questions and need to work on two of them. Perhaps we can get togther and you can help me with thos "NO" answers

TIA

gabriel

Unknown said...

As always, good advice. I answered the questions and need to work on two of them. Perhaps we can get togther and you can help me with thos "NO" answers

TIA

gabriel

Unknown said...

I like it Peter. Way to many of us get way to comfortable.

Step away form the box!!!