Coachfirm July August 2019

Coachfirm July August 2019

You see problems. We see possibilities.

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July/August 2019

LEADER WORKER VS. MANAGER

Common Hiring Mistakes in Small Businesses

Running a small business may be more complicated than it seems at first. Here at

Coachfirm, we’ve helped countless small-business owners get their companies off the ground and into a place where they can grow comfortably. As such, we’ve seen plenty of common mistakes along the way, and one of those is misunderstanding what management actually looks like from a practical standpoint in your organization. When you’re first getting started, the small-business entrepreneur likely has their hands in just about every part of their brand. Even if you have a partner to fall back on, you’re likely to run into some unintended setbacks once you see some success. Growth can open up some doors and close others. The last thing you need when your business is getting off the ground is to have the wrong people in management. That’s why we wanted to take a closer look at why this sort of thing is so common. When you think of smaller companies, you’re likely envisioning the owner being in charge of every facet of the organization. You wouldn’t be wrong, but that soon takes a turn when it comes to expanding your staff. It’s not just enough to have people in the lower levels of your company; you need a select group of experienced professionals to ease some of your burden with the more intricate operations. It’s at the point of serious growth that you understand what management actually is. A true manager should be overseeing myriad specialized areas that help the company stay on track, function smoothly, and move forward. A common pitfall takes place when the operators of a company make the mistake of hiring a “leader worker.” This person is normally an exceptional or trusted employee who has worked their way up in the eyes of the owner. Then, when they aren’t capable of adequately holding the position, you end up losing both a manager and a great employee. A manager needs to be in a position where they can readily and easily manage and analyze important numbers, projections, and projects, not just someone who shifts employee schedules around. The position of manager entails a lot more than you’d realize. Nowhere in the description of their current job do these employees know how to do any of the work it takes to be a manager. A salesman doesn’t have the skill set to oversee a floor of salesmen because they aren’t trained to

The last thing you need when your business is getting off the ground is to have the wrong people in management.

do so. When they go from worker to some sort of pseudo-manager, everybody involved quickly realizes just how incapable they are. That’s the danger of moving up internally instead of turning to an outside source to bring in a capable party.

If you truly want to know the best way to tackle these problems, turn to your friends at Coachfirm. We’ve encountered just about every problem that business owners face, no matter if it’s a new startup or a Fortune 500 company. We have the specialized knowledge and years of experience to give you the advice you need to succeed. Don’t let your growth undermine your success. To find out more about what we can do for you, give us a call at 888-777-0303 or visit our website anytime at Coachfirm.com. We’ll be standing by.

-Bob Scott

www.coachfirm.com

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You see problems. We see possibilities.

COMMON BRANDING MISTAKES That Can Torpedo Your Company’s Image

The value of a strong brand cannot be overstated when it comes to growing your business. We call adhesive bandages Band-Aids and cotton swabs Q-Tips because those companies excel at creating memorable, trusted brands that consumers can rely on. There’s no recipe for creating a brand so strong that the name of your product becomes common vernacular, but developing a strong, consistent brand is within the reach of every business owner.

somebody else’s. The best brands stand out. Think about the iconic Nike swoosh, one of the greatest logos in business history. There was nothing like it at the time, and there’s little like it today. Sloppy Copy Branding is far more than just a cool logo and a flashy website. The words you use to convey your values — and the value you offer customers — are crucial. Bad grammar, weird word choice, and other linguistic faux pas can make you look silly. Make sure you have professional editors look over your copy to ensure it relays the message you want it to. Platform Inconsistency Have you ever logged onto a mobile version of a website and wondered if you were in the wrong place? When that happens, it’s because a company hasn’t made the effort to mirror their branding across all platforms. It’s one thing to have an irreverent online presence — look to MoonPie’s Twitter feed for an example — it’s another to have such disparate branding that you leave customers confused. A great brand synergizes all aspects to create one indelible image for consumers. Share your values, convey clear messages, and provide a professional image. Once you’ve done that, you’re on the road to building a brand that people want to support.

This is why it’s frustrating to see companies hurt their branding through easily avoidable mistakes.

Business owners often deprioritize branding in the early stages of their company, but that’s a dangerous mistake. If a potential customer interacts with your brand and it doesn’t resonate with them, it’s going to be hard to win them back. By avoiding these common errors, you can create a brand that people will support and interact with. Bland Branding “Branding is deliberate differentiation,” says author and consultant Debbie Millman. In other words, don’t create your brand by copying

Smarter Systems, Easier Solutions How Artificial Intelligence Will Soon Change the WayWe Do Business

As it stands, we’re living in the most advanced society that has ever existed. Even so, there are so many more exciting prospects on the horizon for the modern business owner. Assuming we don’t throw our business’ growth to the wind to do things “the old-fashioned way,” there are many ways technology will completely revolutionize our outlooks. One of the major changes we’re already seeing is the advent of artificial intelligence (AI). Although sci-fi movies tend to give sentient computer programs a bad reputation, the truth is that these programs will lend a helping hand to us in more ways than we can count. Here are some ways AI can help our businesses grow right now. Image and Facial Recognition Those of us with the latest smartphones may already be familiar with how facial recognition works. By analyzing and recognizing images, these programs will be able to offer their users massive security improvements. Although they’re still working out the kinks, this could mean a revolution in fraud prevention. A few decades ago, any hacker with enough time on their hands could navigate to your most important information by simply bypassing a few outdated documents. With facial

recognition software, it will be harder to gain access to documents you don’t have explicit permission to view. This will also allow for easier entry for those who do have permission as well, so tasks like entering secure areas of your business or opening important financial documents will be made that much safer. Say Goodbye to Static Intelligence Faceless market trends can only get you so far. For decades, companies have looked to business intelligence for gathering key information on their competitors. By analyzing past >Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4

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