Posts Tagged ‘small business owner’
Is winning everything? was first published on Women in Focus.
Women in Focus is a recently launched website and initiative by the Commonwealth Bank of Australia. It is a place for women to be inspired, informed and connected with other women in business in Australia and around the world. Angela Vithoulkas, CEO of VIVO Cafe Group, will be the Guru on the Business Beat section and will be providing weekly articles on all things small business.
Uh oh, I could be in trouble with this answer. Everything is pretty all encompassing, not a lot of wiggle room here. But I want to be clear and narrow this very broad sentence; I’m referring to awards and what they mean to a business and the owner. For me they have meant a lot, for others nothing. Would I describe it as “everything”? Yes.
Asking the question “is winning everything” will annoy some people, and rightly so. I’m not back peddling but I am saying that it’s not only winners who win. It’s what you do with it that matters and makes the difference.
Business Dreams was first published on Women in Focus
Women in Focus is a recently launched website and initiative by the Commonwealth Bank of Australia. It is a place for women to be inspired, informed and connected with other women in business in Australia and around the world. Angela Vithoulkas, CEO of VIVO Cafe Group, will be the Guru on the Business Beat section and will be providing weekly articles on all things small business.
All business owners and CEO’s are in the business of dreams. We bring our ideas to life, it’s what we do. We implement and execute our “strategic plan” (I believe this is the fancy title). Basically we put our money where our mouth is and risk everything for it. All dreams have a price - right or wrong, good choice or bad, success or failure. But a business or business owner without a dream is empty, even if it and you still functions.
Reluctant Customers was first published on Women in Focus
Women in Focus is a recently launched website and initiative by the Commonwealth Bank of Australia. It is a place for women to be inspired, informed and connected with other women in business in Australia and around the world. Angela Vithoulkas, CEO of VIVO Cafe Group, will be the Guru on the Business Beat section and will be providing weekly articles on all things small business.
How often do we have the opportunity as business owners to observe other businesses’ customers from the inside out? I would be willing to bet not often. I had the opportunity this weekend.
I was MC and facilitator for an expert Wedding Panel at an expo showcase day. Apart from my all consuming day job as a café owner, I also do a lot of speaking and presenting. This time was different because I spent time with the suppliers interviewing them, and observing their customer from their perspective. It was fascinating. Read the rest of this entry »
First published in The Leadership Magazine: The Small Business Wheel
Let’s face it; the feeling of running around like a mouse in a wheel isn’t new to small business. It’s more the norm than anyone cares to admit and the most likely scenario of the life of a small business owner.
I watched my parents live it for many years and I of course also jumped in when I started in business. You do get used to it after a while; that’s the problem.
To talk about me personally in small business over the years feels difficult. It had always been strictly about business, never personal. My blogs and keynotes are about real life business and real life business experiences. These don’t often include details of the emotional toll and the personal sacrifices that naturally occur along the way. I have always believed it to be a bit like airing the dirty laundry. But having previously discussed my parents, my brother and my business and not revealed some of my own puzzle seemed hypocritical. So, in the interests of fairness, here is a little bit of me.
I recently had a conversation with my SBA - Spiritual Business Advisor, Mr Iggy Pintado- www.iggypintado.com.au. Iggy doesn’t know that I call him that yet. We talked about where I have been and where I am going. He asked me what I hoped would be my legacy. Legacy? I’m a small business owner, I focus on building successful profitable businesses, and I focus on making money and moving forward. I don’t focus on what I might leave behind. His question is what elevated him to SBA status because it triggered the stories of where I came from in business and the legacy - there’s that word, which was given to me. And to think that I hadn’t really ever thought of it that way previously because for so long it’s always been about what’s ahead. I have rarely spoken about my parents in business, at least not officially. I include some anecdotes, a couple of funny stories here and there and even make fun of them occasionally as children do. Even old children like me. Iggy made me stop and realise the significance of sharing my stories, their legacy in fact, and maybe I would discover mine. I guess I never understood the relevance of documenting my years growing up with small business parents, the original small business pioneers. So here goes just a small snippet. One blog cannot fully tell the story, not sure even hundred can.
Scary, fearful, cautious, desperate, timid, negative - all words.
How can I? When should I? What if I can’t? How will it end? - still only words.
Most small business owners are apprehensive at best on a day to day basis. This is normal. Contrary to what most coaches, therapists and others may say, it’s not always possible or reasonable to float around on a business high. It’s much more reasonable to acknowledge that running and managing a business regardless of its size is a journey filled with stress and anxiety. Not filled up, not even necessarily half full, but certainly a lot of cubic meters worth. Again, this is normal.
Generally speaking, small business owners are emotionally attached to their business. We build it up, sometimes from less than nothing; we nurture it, develop it and sometimes strangle it. Like any baby or child that inevitably grows up, sometimes we don’t know when to let go or we let go too much.
It’s a confusing situation, complicated by finance and entangled by feelings that are fuelled by fear. Fear of the “what if” - what if you take a step back and the business suffers, what if you run out of ideas, what if you find a challenge that can’t be defeated? What if you actually stop mothering your business and it flourishes, does that mean you were holding it back?