When you think about it, renovating a house is much like what I do in helping you improve your trades business. And when you look at it this way, using an outside advisor makes sense. How so?
Scoping. When you look at a reno project you visit the site (I hope) and check it out. What needs doing, where the main issues are, what problems might you encounter and what the client’s goals are. I do this too. I call it my diagnostic phase. I look at the business; where the strengths and weaknesses are, what are the key issues, where I might encounter problems and what goals the owner has.
Plan. No reno project (unless it is tiny) can start without a plan. This might include documented plans, some technical specifications, plus a schedule of what will happen in what order. I do this too. I call it a plan also and it sets out the key objectives to be accomplished and what needs to happen to achieve those objectives.
Sub Trades. If you are a builder it is unlikely you will do all the work yourself. You employ specialist sub-trades to do part of the work because they have specialist skills and are more efficient than trying to do it yourself. The same reasoning is behind why you would use a business coach like me in helping you to improve your business. I have specialist business skills that might be lacking in your business and this may be holding you back. Sure, you can spend time to learn those skills, but it makes more sense to hire them.
Budget. No reno would proceed without a budget. You need to know how much you need to spend to get the desired result. This probably includes prices from the specialist sub-trades for their bit and so you have a figure to hold them to. When you look to start a business improvement process off you should also look to put a budget on it and also have your specialist advisor(s) give you a fixed price for their bit.
Bottom line. Treat the process of improving the performance of your business the same as you would a reno project. Have a clear idea of the scope of the project and set some objectives in place. Don’t try to do it on your own. It will take longer and the result will probably disappoint. Hire professional advisors where it makes sense to do so. They are your expert sub-trades team members. Treat them as such.
For help with improving your business contact The Trades Coach at andy@tradescoach.co.nz or visit my website: www.tradescoach.co.nz