The Up and to the Right | Small Business | Practical, Actionable, Sustainable Improvements

See the full show notes: https://b50p.info/uattr028

I'm on a mission to stop structured ineptitude this week and I have my sights on policies! It makes me crazy when I get on the phone, chat, personal conversation or email exchange that results in the customer support person on the other end is basically hogtied so they can't actually assist me in solving my problem.

"I'm sorry... I don't have access to that information..."

"I'm not allowed..."

"I spoke with my manager and he/she said 'No.'"

"We can't do that..."

Yeah it goes on and on and I know you've heard them and like me you've walked away from the exchange feeling disappointed and powerless (angry would be understandable as well).

As business owners we might like to keep our options open and shy away from policies and justify that with experiences like I've described here. Again, that's completely understandable but is there a place for the structure and streamlining that policies provide that avoids the pitfalls of abysmal customer service?

Let's find out!

For more detailed information listen to the audio version of the podcast or watch the livestream recording.

Are Policies Relevant to Small Business?

The short version: Yes, policies can and should be applied to small business. Maybe even more so than large ones! There's only one you and you have a ton to do running a business!

Think about a policy this way:

Key Points

A decision you make once and apply many times (leverage your value).

A well thought out policy can be used by your team so your values are adhered to even when you're not available or involved (allowing you to scale).

Policies allow you to demonstrate behavior that your customers and employees can count on (making you trustworthy).

Making a decision that you develop into a policy, under controlled circumstances, allows you to connect the policy thoughtfully to your values as a person and business owner rather than being forced to address an issue under time pressure or emotional pressure (knowing this can help keep you from 2nd guessing your 'spur of the moment' decisions).

Good Policy Bad Policy

A good policy is one that meets the criteria above and empowers your employees to grow and support your business in a way that keeps your intentions intact.

A bad policy is one that deflects responsibility, creates inefficacy or puts customers off.

Suggested Action

Find a quiet place where you can work for an hour or so uninterrupted by people, email, text messages or even cat videos.

Pick a few (1-3) decisions you're asked to make on a regular basis.

What goes into making that decision? What criteria do you use?

Document it and share it with the people on your team that could use that policy to help you build your business!

Closing

Do you have any great policies that really help drive your business forward? Share them in the comments!

Click the link above or use your favorite pod catcher to listen to the full episode.

Thanks for watching or listening!

You can subscribe to the Up and to the Right podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, TuneIn and now there’s even a playlist on the Beyond 50 Percent youtube channel!

• Apple Podcasts: https://b50p.info/UattR_Apple_Podcasts
• Google Play: https://b50p.info/UattR_Google_Play
• Youtube: https://b50p.info/UattR_on_Youtube
• Spotify: https://b50p.info/UattR_Spotify
• Stitcher: https://b50p.info/UattR_Stitcher
• TuneIn: https://b50p.info/UattR_TuneIn

Visit the show notes page on our website! https://b50p.info/uattr026

Well the 2nd Livestream went great... except that I streamed it on the wrong Youtube channel! Noob mistake #1. I also forgot to record the audio separately so I had to rip it from the stream. It worked but not quite the quality I shoot for.

In this livestream/episode I wanted to talk about what it takes to move a small business from one location to another and some of the things you need to keep in mind as you go through the process.

Let's talk about the 6 P's of moving!

The 6 P's of Moving represent the main categories that you'll need to consider when moving your business. Each business is different but this should provide you some guideposts to moving with as little pain and business disruption as possible.

The 6 P's

• Perceptions
• People
• Planning
• Processes
• Property
• Productivity

Perceptions

Develop and be ready to share the most positive story you can about your move. Many times moving is inherently a positive thing but if you're moving due to contracting business or some other negative reason you'll need to be careful how you share that. We are not going to lie or create 'fake news' but it is very important to put your best foot forward.

People

Be patient with people! Change makes humans nervous!

You'll need to create the most positive view you can for your employees, customers and coworkers. Remember, each of these groups will see your company differently and may have different needs.

Planning

Plan early, update the plan regularly and be prepared to change the plan when you find some part of it won't work.

Processes

Is the infrastructure in place at the new location to support your business?

Property

How are you planning to move your stuff? Movers? DIY with your team?

Productivity

How will you manage business operations during your move and equally importantly how will communicate that to your customers?

See the show notes: https://b50p.info/uattr025
Welcome to the recording of my first livestream! There were a few hiccups in the beginning but we got through it!
In this livestream/episode I continue the discussion from the last episode (audio only sorry) of Up and to the Right when we talked about the definition of a business model. This time I talk about how to get practical value out of a business model in the context of small business. Can small businesses get value out of business modeling? Using a specific example from one of my own businesses I go through how I modeled the business and how we can get value out of the exercise.
While there is no real 'right' or 'wrong' way to develop a business model that works for you I'll outline below how I went about it for my own business.

See the full show notes: https://b50p.info/uattr024

It’s time to roll up our sleeves and get to work with another episode of the Up and to the Right Podcast.

Have you ever tried to explain how your business makes money? At first it might seem like a silly question.  But let's take a closer look and see if we can get some value out of the business model!

“I buy stuff from a wholesaler and sell it to the public…” 

“I make awesome furniture and sell it…”

We describe the process of creating or adding value and delivering that value to a customer a business model.

Why does it matter to you? 

There are many ways to create and deliver value and the better you understand your best business model or dare I say ‘business models’ (you don’t have to limit yourself to just one) - the better you will be able to make that system work well for you.

You may also find that you want to change or add it to better fit your market and business needs.

In episode 24 I’m going to touch on the concept of business modeling in the first of a two part series.

Click the link above or use your favorite pod catcher to listen to the full episode.

In the interests of actually producing the podcast and getting it out regularly I've dumped the intro videos. Is that a mistake? Let me know at [email protected]!

Thanks for listening!

You can subscribe to the Up and to the Right podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, TuneIn and now there’s even a playlist on the Beyond 50 Percent youtube channel!

Apple Podcasts: https://b50p.info/UattR_Apple_Podcasts
Google Play: https://b50p.info/UattR_Google_Play
Youtube: https://b50p.info/UattR_on_Youtube
Spotify: https://b50p.info/UattR_Spotify
Stitcher: https://b50p.info/UattR_Stitcher
TuneIn: https://b50p.info/UattR_TuneIn

See the show notes: https://b50p.info/uattr023

Let’s see…

A little something from our personal account…

A little from our business account…

Let’s just give it a little mix here...

Hi, I’m Stephen Krausse with Beyond 50 Percent and it’s time to roll up our sleeves and get to work with another episode of the Up and to the Right Podcast.

When you’re running a small business it may seem easier to just use your personal checking account and credit card to operate your business.

It may not seem like a big deal to use your name and social security number.

But mixing your personal & business identity and finances comes with risks that are worth looking into more closely.

In episode 23 I’m going to give you a few reasons why money doesn’t mix.

Click the link above or use your favorite pod catcher to listen to the full episode.

Do you have any tips for keeping your business and personal life separate? Drop a comment below and help other business owners do the same.

Thanks for watching!

You can subscribe to the Up and to the Right podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, TuneIn and now there’s even a playlist on the Beyond 50 Percent youtube channel!

Apple Podcasts: https://b50p.info/UattR_Apple_Podcasts

Google Play: https://b50p.info/UattR_Google_Play

Youtube: https://b50p.info/UattR_on_Youtube

Spotify: https://b50p.info/UattR_Spotify

Stitcher: https://b50p.info/UattR_Stitcher

TuneIn: https://b50p.info/UattR_TuneIn