Business Education

Here’s the Big Lesson from the Mark Zuckerberg Apology Tour

Mark Zuckerberg is generating a lot of headlines. It’s too early yet to know if the old cliché “there’s no such thing as bad publicity” will eventually apply. But, what we definitely know is this is a company with too much going on at one time. Now, the merits of the scandal are in hot debate. On one hand, it’s a new practice but some marketers have come forward to explain this is just business-as-usual. Regardless, it’s started a conversation about privacy, advertising practices, and personal information security. However, this only touches the surface of the real problem — Facebook is too big.

The Facebook-Google Duopoly Example

Over the past few years, there’s been a lot of talk about the Google-Facebook duopoly. Now, it’s more apparent than ever these two companies are the center of the internet. Even more important is what this teaches us. Both companies are currently under heavy scrutiny — a result of their massive scales. Each company is far more than their core missions. Google is part of Alphabet, a huge conglomerate. As for Facebook, it owns Instagram, WhatsApp, Oculus, and more.

Getting bigger means that you need to get more organized. Working fast and loose may have been fine for your small team of superstars, but it won’t work as well with a bigger group. As your ranks grow and positions that were filled by individuals transform into teams of people, the need to stay organized becomes amplified. —Inc.com

The point here is Google is not just a search engine. Nor is Facebook only a social media network. Both are a lot more. Now, let’s distill this down to the world of small business. It’s only natural to grow and expand into new territory. The question is, when does that compromise the company’s core? In other words, growth isn’t always a good thing.

How to Get Back to Business Basics

One critical lesson here is the fact that when a business grows, does it grow to meet the needs of its customers? Or, does it expand to other areas for the sake of chasing profit. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with adding new revenue streams. But, there is something very wrong about letting it harm core competency. Here’s a few suggestions for how to get back to business basics:

Listen to your customers. More customers are one sign that your business is growing. As your customer base increases, it becomes more and more difficult to stay in-touch. So, start listening in earnest again. There are several ways to do this beyond personal interaction, if necessary. Surveys, email, and more are valuable resources.
Give your team a real voice. Just because your business is larger doesn’t mean that you need to only rely on a few key people. Chances are excellent, there are team members under management who have valuable input. Solicit from them periodically and take their insight to heart.
Purge all the extra stuff. When a company grows beyond its initial offerings, it breaks its old parameters. Which means often journeying out to untested waters. Problems inevitably ensue. So, stop trying to force what’s not working and let it go.
Get an outside perspective. Companies can easily lose sight of their identity. If a random person can’t immediately identify what your company does, or names off a bunch of things confusingly, that’s a bad sign. Bring in an experienced business coach to give you that much-needed outside perspective.

Have you experienced a time when you needed to get back to basics? What other advice would you offer? Please share your thoughts and experiences by joining the conversation!

Interested in learning more about business? Then just visit Waters Business Consulting Group.

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3 Top Business Relocation Considerations

January 12, 2021 No Comments

Thinking about relocating your business? It’s something that many business owners think about, particularly when there’s a radical change in the economy. Or, they’ve had an immense increase in their growth or experienced a substantial decline. Regardless of the circumstances, entrepreneurs may consider relocating their companies for a number of reasons. But, when thinking about the move, get lost and frustrated within the many details. So, let’s focus on three of the biggest things you need to consider if you’re really thinking about relocating your business. The Relocation Conundrum There’s always pros or cons to relocating. For instance, you might be trying to escape a tight regulatory environment. But, your customer base is very broad and strong, and moving elsewhere might invite other obstacles. Or, there’s a huge upside to moving to a state with lower taxes, however, doing so means that you’ll have to take on less work in order to maintain your same level of quality with your current client base. Businesses grow. Products change. Economies flourish or flounder. Any combination of these or other factors can lead you to consider the possibility of relocating a business. As you consider the reasons to relocate your business, your primary concern has to be how the move is going to affect your bottom line. Don’t make any move without first considering all the factors for relocation and determining what the move may do to your customer base. —Houston Chronicle Small Business Obviously, there are upsides and downsides to almost any business decision. And, it is up to you to examine those advantages and disadvantages in order to decide whether or not it’s right to make a change. That’s where the “paralysis by analysis” phenomenon begins, causing you to overthink the situation and abandoning the idea altogether. 3 Top Business Relocation Considerations Because it’s such a big decision, it’s best to focus on just a few of the most basic questions. So, let’s take a look at some of the top business relocation considerations you start with: Overall cost. This not only includes the cost of moving, but expenses you’ll incur thereafter, such as taxes. Moving isn’t cheap, particularly if you have a large operation already in place. Then, there are the long-term costs, such as the aforementioned taxes. Think and project the most realistic scenario in order to gain an understanding of the feasibility of relocating. Work force pool. If you do move your business to another location, whether it’s to a nearby city, a neighboring county, or an entirely different state, the workforce pool will likely change, at least somewhat. Give this some serious thought and do a little research into possible relocation areas in order to make yourself aware of the local workforce pool. Growth potential. Obviously, if you’re reconsidering locating your business because of a downturn, make sure you’re not moving laterally to another destination that will resign you to the same fate. You should pick potential relocation areas based on your ability to grow your company over the long-term. Although we’re focusing on these three factors, what other elements would you consider to be among the most important? Please take a moment to comment to share your thoughts and experiences so others can benefit from your prospective! Interested in learning more about business? Then just visit Waters Business Consulting Group.

Effective Ways to Show Your Employees You Actually Care

November 30, 2018 No Comments

Happy employees are great employees. It’s that simple. When your team members feel good about their work and its environment, your company benefits immensely. It’s certainly no secret that any organization’s survival (and profits) rely almost solely on its employees. Furthermore, unhappy employees will do more to drag down your business than any other factor. So, it’s very important your team members feel appreciated. Why Appreciative Employees are the Most Productive and Loyal Okay, there’s no mystery to the reality that appreciative employees are indeed the most productive and loyal. When people are treated — not only with respect and adulation — they respond in positive ways. And, creating this culture does much to make the entire entity stronger and more cohesive. Employees who feel appreciated feel valued. And when people feel valued, they’re more likely to go above and beyond for the organization. They’re quicker to hold themselves accountable for their part of a project. Most importantly, they’re happier in their roles, which means, they’re less likely to leave. When leaders disregard opportunities to connect with their team and show employees their appreciation, they lose a secret weapon in building a dedicated, long-term team. —Inc.com Everyone wants to be treated fairly and feel valued. When you routinely act in a way that imparts your thankfulness, your team will definitely pick up on it. The result is a better workplace and one that delivers on each and every project. How to Show Your Employees You Care about Them Other than competitive pay and good benefits, how do you show your employees you really appreciate them and what they do? Well, there are some subtle and overt ways to show employees you really care about them: Give them extras. We’ll start with the most obvious. Reward them with little extras. An additional paid day off. Tickets to a show or game. A gift card. There are dozens of little things you can do to overtly show your appreciation. And do this when they least expect it, and where possible, reward them in front of their peers. Get to know them. A subtle way to show employees you care is just to get to know them. Talk with them about things other than work. Check in on their sick mother, or pets or kids school projects or sports. Sure, it sounds all-too-obvious but you’d be surprised just how many bosses only talk about work. Let them be the boss. Here’s an interesting idea — be a coach and not a “boss.” This approach allows employees to feel empowered. In other words, let them be their own boss. Employees who are given the reins are happier and more productive team members. Show you have their back. The customer is always right, right? No. Reality is quite different. There are times when the customer is wrong and when an employee is in their crosshairs, let him or her know you have their back. What other ways do have you shown appreciation and how do they work? Please share your thoughts and experiences by commenting! Interested in learning more about business? Then just visit Waters Business Consulting Group.

Microsoft will Ditch its Own Tech in Favor of Rival Google — Here’s What it Means to Your Business

January 14, 2019 No Comments

If you haven’t heard this news, that’s okay. It’s really a niche story but it does make a very important point. Here’s the short version. Microsoft tried to create its own web browser to replace Internet Explorer. It’s known as “Edge.” And, the code behind it has proven too troublesome. So, the software giant will build a new web browser-based on the technology Google uses to power Chrome. What it Really Means to Reinvent the Wheel Let’s get to the real meat of this cliché. Like many other adages, it’s a truism. The reason people say it is precisely because it is an unavoidable fact. It makes a very blunt point. That is, the wheel already serves a purpose and there’s no need to try to come up with something better because it works so well. The general public typically has a distorted view of entrepreneurship. They think of visionary leaders who created something no one had ever seen before and became household names in the process. While it’s true that some figures have achieved this level of notoriety, the reality for 99 percent of entrepreneurs is very different. Their success is based not on creating an earth-shattering new product from scratch, but on learning what their customers want, making user-centric adjustments to existing products or services and providing it for them. —Inc.com We’ve all heard the saying more than one time. But, it still alludes business leaders who believe they can do “it” better, whatever “it” might well be. Call it hubris or stubbornness, it can get the best of the best. How Entrepreneurs can Avoid the Reinventing the Wheel Trap So, how does one avoid the temptation to reinvent the wheel in business? It’s not simple because the urge is so very strong to come up with the next big thing. Here are three ways to avoid the reinventing the wheel trap: Take a step back. If you feel the compunction to try to reinvent the wheel, take a step back look at the big picture. Take a deep breath and think about how to incorporate what you need that already exists instead of trying to come up with something new. Ask for team member input. Okay, here’s another cliché, “two heads are better than one.” And, it’s also a truism. Getting different perspectives and points of view can really work wonders. Apply your existing resources. You might already have the tools on-hand to accomplish what’s needed. Put those to good use rather than putting a lot of extra time and effort into something which might not pay off. How do you avoid the urge to reinvent the wheel? What practices work best? Which steps can other entrepreneurs take to avoid this mistake? Please, comment and give us your experiences! Interested in learning more about business? Then just visit Waters Business Consulting Group.