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Articles & Book Reviews About The Business Owner’s Inner Game

Think Smarter by Michael Kallett – 5 Stars

The full title of this book by MIchael Kallett is

Think Smarter: Critical Thinking to Improve Problem-Solving and Decision-Making Skills“.

In my review at Amazon.co.uk, I rated the book at the Five Stars level. I believe it is excellent.

A clear process for making better decisions

I was never really taught how to think at school. By that I mean that I’ve no memory of any teacher explaining a process of how to look at an issue or problem to find the best solution.

As soon as I started managing other people, it became very clear that other people had the same gap in their eduction or were too lazy to put it into action. So much happens without any questioning or things stop because people don’t know how to use their initiative. [continue reading…]

in 2 – Your Inner Game, Best Business Books

Creating Your Stop Start More Less Grid

The Stop Start More Less Grid or process is a very effective way to keep track of the changes you will make to create the improvements you want.

It begs a question – what form should the grid or matrix take?

The Background To The Stop Start More Less Grid or Matrix

To my knowledge, I was the first person to start to write about the Stop Start More Less grid in my blog posting from July 2009 on my Business Coaching Blog although I’d used it for some time.

It was based on my thoughts on how to improve results using the 80/20 principle and recognising the constraints that every business owner works with – time, money and other resources. [continue reading…]

in 2 – Your Inner Game

The Profit Rules By George Cloutier

Hard hitting business advice from the author of Profits Aren’t Everything delivered by his COO George Mosca

Rule 1 – Profits Aren’t Everything, They Are The Only Thing

[continue reading…]

in 2 – Your Inner Game

Are You Enjoying The Journey To Your Vision?

If you’ve been reading my articles on my blog, you’ll have seen that I make a big issue about knowing where you are going.

I want you to have a clear vision of where you are going for your business and your personal life.

I buy into the ideas explained by Michael Gerber in his book The E Myth Revisited called the Primary Aim and Strategic Objective. They were the two big things I took from the book about living your life purposefully as a business owner:

Your Primary Aim Answers The Big Questions In Your Life

Your Strategic Objective – Design Your Business To Be Right For You

However I have been thinking and I believe there can be a problem.

A disconnect.

Your Holiday And The Different Attitudes To The Journeys [continue reading…]

in 2 – Your Inner Game

Profits Aren’t Everything, They’re the Only Thing: No-Nonsense Rules from the Ultimate Contrarian and Small Business Guru by George Cloutier

Business Book Review Rating – 5 Stars

There is nothing in this book that makes me think that author George Cloutier is a nice, warm, cuddly sort of man who I’d want to have a few drinks with one night for light-hearted, amusing company.

To be blunt, he’ comes across as a hard-nosed, business b*stard with ideas from 100 years ago.

He also might just be one of the few people who could rescue and restore your business to profitability if your life depended on it.

I loved the book, even if I didn’t agree with everything. It grabs you by the shoulders and gives you a good hard shake.

His views are so strident that they force you to think about why you are right and he is wrong. In doing so, you might discover that he is right and you are wrong.

I consider it as essential reading for all small business owners and entrepreneurs who are finding business success a struggle to achieve.

The Basic Message Of Profits Aren’t Everything [continue reading…]

in 2 – Your Inner Game, Best Business Books

How To Get Your Business Mojo Back

Your business mojo governs how excited you are about your business and how motivated you are to drive it forward to better results.

I have identified 21 reasons why your business isn’t the success you want in my article

>>> How To Improve Your Business By Solving Problems At The Source

I’ve split the causes into three general areas:

  1. Those problems coming from you, the business owner – sorry but I have to tell it how it is.
    .
  2. Those problems coming from within the business.
    .
  3. Those problems that come from your market and industry

The #1 problem on the list is…

Have You Lost Your Mojo For Your Business? [continue reading…]

in 2 – Your Inner Game

Kolbe A Index And The Strengths Mastery Advantage

Today I want to talk to you about the Kolbe A Index assessment and the version I did, the white labelled Strengths Mastery Advantage through Rich Schefren’s Strategic Profits company.

This is all about working to your strengths and not wasting time, energy and money trying to make up for your weaknesses.

Let me walk you through a little analogy.

Imagine You Want To Compete At The Olympics In An Athletics Event

It’s nearly a year since the London 2012 Olympics but if you watched it, you’ll remember the pride of the gold medal winning competitors that came from proving themselves to be the “best of the best”.

The next Olympics is in Rio in 2016. [continue reading…]

in 2 – Your Inner Game

The Stop Start More Less Matrix For Time Management

Today I want to introduce you to one of the most important business improvement ideas I know about – the Stop, Start, More Less matrix, grid or process.

I will be writing about how this process can be used to improve your marketing…

>>> The Stop Start More Less Process For Lead Generation

and for strategic differentiation and creating cost effective customer value..

>>> The Stop Start More Less Process For Strategic Differentiation And Customer Value

but today I want to focus on its use in helping you with time management.

Why Don’t Business Owners Make The Improvements They Want?

[continue reading…]

in 2 – Your Inner Game

The Ultimate Sales Machine by Chet Holmes

Book Review Rating – 5 Stars

This is the long-awaited book from Chet Holmes. The full title is “The Ultimate Sales Machine: Turbocharge Your Business With Relentless Focus on 12 Key Strategies.”

The Big Idea in The Ultimate Sales Machine

People over-complicate what is needed for business success.

Chet Holmes believes you just have to:

Focus on 12 key strategies rather than trying to master hundreds of different ideas and techniques.

You implement these 12 strategies with pigheaded discipline and determination.

I fully commend the last point. Too often people try something that looks a great idea in a half-hearted way. They are then disappointed with the results, decide that the idea wasn’t so good after all and move on to the next big thing. [continue reading…]

in 2 – Your Inner Game, 5 – Lead Conversion, Best Business Books

One of my favourite ideas from “The E Myth Revisited” book by Michael Gerber is how you can live your life intentionally by designing your business to play its full role in your life with your primary aim and strategic objective.

You’ll find this idea of being intentional cropping up regularly in my writing and the ideas I like.

You decide what you want to happen and then creatively think about how you can make it happen.

How To Be An Intentional Business Owner

First you have to start by taking a good look at what you personally want to achieve in your life and you do that in a process which Michael Gerber calls your Primary Aim.

Only when you know what you want to achieve in your personal life, can you start to consider the role your business has in your life.

Many small business entrepreneurs get this the wrong way around. [continue reading…]

in 2 – Your Inner Game, 3 – Your Strategic Positioning