What? A Crisis? How Can That Be?

It was interesting that when I walked in, that was the first thing my Client hit me with… But, hey, that’s the type of challenges we’ve always thrived on, so I thought – let’s just go with it.

My preferred approach? Understand that, as Author Dan Heath stated in his book Reset, “There are no crises, only options.” What did he mean by that? You’re trying to balance revenues and expenses, put out “fires” with two vendors, and you’re short on help with one employee currently on vacation and your office manager out on maternity leave…

A couple of suggestions:

1. Relax – Yes, you have some challenges, but let’s keep them in perspective.
2. Communicate – Discuss your late invoices with the vendors and then work out a plan that works for them and is achievable for you.
3. Consider – Perhaps a LT plan might work… Take a close look at the Cash Flows of your business. Remember, if you measure it, you can understand it. If you understand your cash flows, you can develop better controls over it, and if you gain more control, you undoubtedly can improve it.
4. Review – What options do we have? Tune out the “noise” and think it through.

Recently, I read a newsletter by Peter Diamandis, author of Abundance and numerous other best-selling books, about how he remains optimistic. Someone asked, “Peter, isn’t optimism kind of naive right now?”

He replied, “I want to answer it honestly, without the stage-lights version of myself. The short answer is that optimism was never about believing everything will be fine. It’s a stance on where agency lives. The future is not something happening to you. It’s something happening for you, if you decide to grab the wheel.”

He adds, “Optimism isn’t something I feel. It’s something I do, every morning, usually before I’ve earned the right to.”

So, the next time you feel “overloaded,” just stop and breathe deeply. As bad as it might seem, whatever hurdle you are approaching, it has likely been overcome before. Think it through, and if it seems insurmountable, please don’t wait too long to seek help. After 28 years of guiding Clients through their business problems, that is probably the #1 mistake I see people make – waiting too long to ask for assistance.

“The future belongs to those who see possibilities before they become obvious.”

John Sculley, Former Apple & Pepsi CEO

Let’s take your business to the Next Level!