Four words that strike fear and make an otherwise capable professional unable to make sense.

What do you want?

When I ask this in a coaching session, there usually a release of breath and a nervous laugh. Then the avoidant answers come out. Formerly articulate people stop putting two sentences together. I have noticed that it isn’t so much that we don’t know what we want (yes, I’ve been struck dumb with this question too). We know all too well. We are dreamers who see ourselves making that dream salary, gaining recognition as a “go-to” person, serving our customers with excellence and living that satisfying life we crave.

Negative messages and negative experiences Click here to read more »

Like a lot of small business owners, *Sharon has been scraping by over the past year or so. Sales are slow so there is less revenue. On the positive side, Sharon has been able to cut costs without harming how she serves her customers. Plus, there are some opportunities that look good over the next few months. The downside is that she has to be more involved in the tasks she used to delegate. It’s going to be rough until she can spark a resurrection of her small business.

Test of leadership and your CEO Mindset

When things are going well, it’s much easier to do those things that leadership experts tell you to do. You can listen, keep  your emotions on an even keel and take time to plan and consider tactics and strategy. That’s not to say you can’t do it now but it takes far less energy in good times. One story I hear from small business owners here in the US and Ireland is that it’s the day-in, day-out of finding ways to maintain the business with dwindling resources. They are questioning if their businesses will last until their pipelines produce revenue and if the revenue will be large enough. These are resilient people but the length of these challenges is affecting their optimism and motivation. It’s hard to balance the long-term view with short term needs.

Growing your business is more nuanced than at first glance

Many times we think of growing your business as coming from a place of strength and plenty. This is true but not necessarily the whole picture. When your business performs feebly and you set up a business development plan, this sets the stage for a growth phase. After all, you only have two options — resurrection or close the doors.

5 Ways to a resurrection

1. Check your mindset. It has to start with you. One of the hallmark parts of using your CEO Mindset is acknowledging your emotions. Sure, you might feel angry, scared, worried, frustrated, de-motivated or uncertain. These are normal responses and avoiding them doesn’t make them go away. They exist, recognize them and know you choose your next action.

2. Controlled expression of emotions. In 2008, I wrote a post about using freak out moments. One of my clients was so aggravated with how her business was performing, she wished she could have a temper tantrum. She was half-kidding and we were in a private place so I encouraged her to do it. She didn’t even last 5 minutes. Write, draw or act like a two year old so you don’t inadvertently take it out on your staff or other people. Note – Since you are the leader of your organization, do this with no staff present and you cannot be observed.

3. Decide how much urgency you want to place on growing your small business. There is a difference between emergency and urgency. Emergency is panic and interferes with your decision-making. Urgency is just enough pressure to communicate importance and desire. Does your small business matter enough to you to make it work again?

4. Make a plan. Once you assign urgency to creating growth, it’s time to decide on strategies, tactics and goals. Start with what is currently in place (do a quick SWOT analysis if you’re not sure) to know what is possible. Identify your target customers, why they should buy from you and how your business is specially suited for them. Tactics are how you want to reach these particular customers and the goals are the specific actions that execute the tactics. Focus the time frame to no more than 90 days with scheduled reviews and include accountability partners with every goal so things stay on track.

5. Begin immediately. When you’ve recharged your motivation (and, if applicable, the motivation of your staff), take action. Make a phone call, write an email or whatever you are acccountable for. Focus on your behavior and choosing action.

Resurrection your small business takes commitment and time

Small things like a five minute deep breathing exercise at the beginning of your work day,  making one phone call at at time to trusted people in your network and keeping a to-do list from the plan will add up. Use your CEO Mindset to lead the resurrection of your business. You can hold your head high when you give it your best shot.

What tips or ways would you add to resurrecting your small business?

How can small business owners manage expectations as they lead this type of growth phase?

 *Name and other details have been changed to maintain confidentiality

About the author:  I’m Elli St.George Godfrey, a small business coach and trainer who guides established small business owners to be comfortable in their own skin. I have a deep appreciation for learning and understanding my client’s business style and culture. Whether you are re-focusing your small business or expanding in your own backyard or into another country, my 3 keys coaching process helps clients move from being excited about growing to having the tools to make it actually happen. Curious? Schedule your complimentary coaching session here.

iStockphoto by mycola

A coaching session with a client and a post on Forbes.com about span of control set a theme for me last week. How much do small business owners have real control and how to manage the limitations?

The traditional definition of span of control is “the number of people who report to one manager in a hierarchy. The more people under the control of one manager – the wider the span of control. Less means a narrower span of control.”

Important distinction for small business owners

In my work with small business owners who are growing their business, the question of hiring and managing employees comes up over and over. There is some anxiety about increasing one’s span of control too fast but more questions arise around trusting employees to move the business forward. It’s great to see one’s hard work come to fruition when you add new hires or create an executive team out of current employees.

CEO mindset, control and influence Click here to read more »

You know you don’t grow your small business alone but so many of us get caught up in questioning how to ask for help. Truth be told, I’m just as guilty as anyone else. In a conversation with a friend and colleague, he asked me why professional women have a hard time asking for help. After thinking about it, I came away wondering if it is less about gender and more about our perception of our own competence and ability to solve problems.

It seems like you’re walking on a tightrope. How much do you say? How do you say it? There is a perception that if you show a weakness, people will perceive you as incompetent or that your business is fly-by-night. So that presents a dilemma. How do you ask for help without appearing weak?

We don’t know everything and we are not good at everything. There, it’s been said. We’re not superhuman.

It’s time to take advantage of our network. Is it a treasure trove when you need help with something? Sometimes our network inspires us because we spend time with people we aspire to emulate. Sometimes our network provides us with support when we share common experiences. Our networks also provide us with resources we aren’t aware of or have forgotten.

We create communities rich in connection. When we connect with others, we want to know what they think about, feel about, struggle with and celebrate. Typically, this is a reciprocal relationship. Think about the last time you were meeting people at a networking event. Who smiled at you? With whom did you laugh? Who did you really want to schedule coffee with right away? Within your existing network, who makes you feel good? My friend, Kate is one of those people for me. I don’t have to say a word about my business and I walk away feeling like a million bucks.

What would happen if you asked that person for help? It could be you need a referral for a virtual assistant, a lead on new clients, to hire additional staff or ask for business. Sometimes you need a simple sounding board or a good laugh.

So, what would happen?

What do you think gets in the way of asking for help?

*For more information like this live, check out my no cost webinar, “Achieving the CEO Mindset For Small Business Success” Thursday, March 31st, 7 pm BST/2pm ET. For more information and to register, go to Programs

When you think about yourself as a small business owner, do you think of yourself as the chief executive officer of your organization? Surprisingly for many, the thought just doesn’t even enter their minds. The strangest part of this is that the responsibilities are very similar.  Sure the scale of the business is different but take a moment to think. What do you really do as leader of your company?

 Take a look at this comparison and see if it sounds familiar:

 Still think you’re not a CEO?

For some people, it feels too grandiose. Maybe you’re a sole proprietor or it just sounds like it ought to be in a boardroom of a Fortune 500 company. That would be a mistake! Businesses succeed when there is someone dedicated to planning and executing the business goals. Sure, there aren’t always other managers that will implement your strategy. And sometimes the business owner has to act as technical expert.

It’s not about the size of your organization.

Nope, it’s not about size or even your business structure. It’s not even about putting those three letters under your name. It’s about having the CEO Mindset. Small business owners who realize that they are more than simply the worker bee are better positioned for challenges and opportunities.

There three things that they do well:

1.  They understand and accept that their business is a separate entity.
2. They make time to imagine and plan for the next quarter, the next six months, 1 year or beyond.
3. They take care of themselves with solid advisors, healthy diet and rest.

How many of these things are you already doing?

You sure you’re not a CEO?

Could you give yourself permission to think like a CEO for your small business? Even if you are a sole proprietor, could you? This may be the single most important action you could do for your small business.

Take a moment to think about what a CEO does for an organization:

1. Sets the vision and tone of what “X Company” is all about

2. Designs and explains the strategy of how the business will develop and grow over time

3. Seeks out the talent to make the above happen

4. Keeps everyone accountable to the stated business goals

5. Makes sure that revenues (and even profits) are healthy

So, why is it so hard to think of oneself as CEO? This comes up a lot in my coaching with small business owners. Perhaps it’s got something to do with our images of CEO’s in large corporations. What comes to mind for you? What if I told you that’s a red herring? Size doesn’t matter. It’s about the mindset. It boils down to giving yourself permission to treat your business seriously. But I am serious, you say? Take a look at your vision for your business. Does it involve you becoming an industry leader, serving a national or even global market, or allowing you to move to your dream home? This can be scary stuff. It scares me sometimes too when I look at what I want to do with my business. We talk ourselves out of even attempting to realize our potential. It brings up stuff we learned as kids about thinking grander thoughts and upsetting the status quo. So, it’s safer to spend our time on the small, everyday tasks serving our current clients and the administrative to-do list. But safer is an illusion.

But really…is it okay to go for what we desire most? You can’t get there from here without giving yourself permission to be the leader.  I asked one of my clients to write down her vision for her small business as coaching homework. As I encouraged her to write down the details of what she wants, even to be ridiculously, over the top in her description, I could hear her laughing nervously. Another client gets fidgety when we talk about how important it is to be more consistent and clear with changing policies to support the new direction of his business. Sure, if you aren’t taking care of the big picture, your small business will lack focus and be less effective.  But there is more at stake here. If you aren’t giving yourself permission to think like a CEO, how will you make your dreams an everyday reality? What would you feel like if nothing changes and you never achieve your goals?

Would it be acceptable to deny yourself permission to have a CEO mindset? Can you live with that?