Is A Pig Blocking Your Business Pipeline?
April 14, 2008
I’ve encountered way too many chauvinistic pigs in business. And I believe that as business owners it’s our responsibility to crush chauvinism.
Why Chauvinism Is Bad For Your Business
There are heaps of reasons why chauvinism is bad for your business:
You’ll Lose Talent: Regardless of sex, talented workers thrive in organisations where they’re rewarded for what they can do, not which bathroom they use.
It Encourages Laziness: Chauvinistic businesses tend to operate on the premise that you get promoted dependent on the length of time you’ve been there - and your sex, as opposed to talent. So you wind up with a management team who simply turn up.
You’ll Lose Customers: A few years ago, chauvinistic businesses survived because there was less choice available. But, now customers don’t have to put up with chauvinism - they can and will vote with their feet.
So How Can We Wipe Out Chauvinism In Business?
The simple solution is not to tolerate chauvinism at all, from colleagues, employers, customers or suppliers. And let them know you won’t put up with it. Here’s a few examples.
Chauvinistic Suppliers: We refuse to use chauvinistic suppliers - period. When we first started Kwik Fix, we purchased van signage from a business which also provides various other marketing materials. A few days after our initial purchase, they called to see if we’d be interested in buying anything else. But, the guy who called refused to speak to me - he insisted that he had to speak to Stuart (my business partner and also my husband).
We called the manager to complain but we didn’t even receive an apology. So we told them we wouldn’t be dealing with them again.
Chauvinistic Customers: We’ve sometimes had customers in the past who have insisted on speaking to a man in the past. When this happens, they usually get put through to me. I always explain that if they want to speak to a man, they can later in the day, but if he can’t help them, they’ll still get put back to me. This always does the trick.
Women can often be as chauvenistic as men, the key is to give them what they want, but make sure it’s done by a woman. If that’s not good enough, you don’t really want them as a customer.
Chauvinistic Staff: It’s best to avoid employing chauvinistic staff in your business. Apart from being a pain in the ass, you could lose good members of staff because of their behaviour.
It’s usually fairly easy to spot a chauvinist at an interview. If you can, have a man and woman conduct the interview. If you’re interviewing a chauvinist, they’ll look at the man virtually all the time when responding to questions (and yes, some women do this too - some women can be just as chauvinistic as men).
Chauvinistic Colleagues: I’ve worked with some terribly chauvinistic people. And I won’t stay working in a company which is highly tolerant of chauvinistic people.
In my early working years, one of the worst chauvinists of the bunch had an office next door to me. He was a complete a..hole and he was always bursting into my office, because our offices were adjoining.
One day, I’d had enough and whilst he was at lunch, I had shelving fitted across the adjoining door. It was hilarious listening to him struggle to open the door. He tried for ages - even though it was pretty obvious to the average person that he was locked out. But my shelves were too strong for him and I didn’t see him half as much after that.
Obviously, renovating your office without permission is not always a smart idea. But, I knew I could get away with it, because everyone else in the company knew the guy was a chauvinistic prick.
How do you deal with chauvinists at work, or in business? Would you go out of your way to avoid employing chauvinists?
Fab Quotes Of The Week
April 12, 2008
The winner of fab quote of the week is Kelly Rigby of She Power. Check out my favourite quotes of the week below. It really is difficult to choose a winner, as they’re all excellent.
“Decide today to be a better, kinder friend to yourself. You are the one constant in your life, so if you spend it criticizing and tearing yourself down it’s going to be one long and miserable journey.” Kelly Rigby at She Power
“I see in other people what I first see in myself. Community begins inside me.” Liz Strauss at Successful Blog.
“Trying to avoid weakness is like trying to avoid fear. It is an act of futility. Your job as a business owner, a freelancer, or frankly a human being is to spin your weaknesses into strengths.” Naomi Dunford at Itty Biz
“I don’t make the rules… I just know how to recognize them and follow them.” Kathy at Virtual Impax
“Freedom of choice is a privilege. Be thankful that you have it. Do not give it up” Brett Legree of 6 Weeks
If you’d like to win a $500 prize by writing a fab quote, click here to read the rules.
And click here to read great quotes from previous weeks.
The Dangers Of The E-Myth
April 11, 2008
I don’t know if you’ve read the E-Myth Revisited. It’s a book about systemising your business, so that you can work on your business instead of in it. And it’s a pretty good book, but it can also be dangerous, depending on how you interpret it.
Why The Emyth Can Be Dangerous
Until I read the E-Myth, I’d been pretty good at focusing on my passions. But after reading it, I got the impression that it was best to start a business that you didn’t have a lot of interest in - that way, you’d never be tempted to be merely a technician, who found it impossible to delegate to others. So, I figured that so long as what you were doing wasn’t morally or legally wrong, it didn’t matter what type of business you started - they were all pretty much the same.
So Does It Matter What Type of Business You’re In?
Absolutely. And my idea that it didn’t matter was ridiculous. I’m really obsessed with customer service, so I figured that any business that allowed me to provide good customer service would be fine. But, it just isn’t enough. You have to be truly passionate about what you’re doing and 100% interested in learning about new developments in your industry.
I’m not saying you can’t make money in business if you’re not passionate about the industry you’re in. But life would be pretty empty if it was about business alone. And it’s a bit of a waste of your life if you don’t love what you’re doing.
The Wake Up Call
My wake up call came when I realised the things I was truly passionate about were no longer the things I was doing in life. They became things that I hoped to get round to when a huge part of my life was over. This is a foolish way to think, as the rest of your life may never come.
Don’t Cling To What You’ve Lost
Are you passionate what you’re doing right now? If not, it may be time to re-evaluate your life too. And when you’re doing so it may be tempting to think - stuff it, I’ll just carry on. After all, I’ve invested too much time or money to pack this thing in now.
The trouble is, when you think this way, you’re liable to become even more bored with what you’re doing and wind up wasting even more time and money.
The Emyth Is Still A Great Book
I still think the Emyth is a great book. It shows how you can free up your time by systemising your business, so you’re working on your business and not in it. However, further reading/learning is required after you’ve read the book, in order to do all this.
Are you enjoying what you do? Are you living life the way you want? Or are you just making do with what you have in the hope that one day, you’ll be able to aim for your goals?
If so, it may be time to re-evaluate your life.
If You Want F…ing Glamour - Do Something Else
April 9, 2008
I’ve had a couple of negative comments recently, deriding the fact that I own a plumbing business and also questioning my business knowledge because of the type of businesses I’ve operated.
And I had to ask myself these questions: a) Does anyone who is ignorant enough to slate you because of the sector you operate in really know anything about business anyway? b) Do some people believe that in order to be successful in business, you have to do, or be something glamourous?
Can Any Business Really Be Glamorous Anyway?
Some businesses might seem glamorous - especially when you see pics of the owners in glossy magazines, with their multi-million dollar mansions and luxury yachts. But, before you start coveting them - ask yourself if life has always been so easy for those business owners. In the majority of cases, the answer will be no. And they’ll have been faced with just as many “what the f..k do I do now” situations as any other business owner: bankruptcy, can’t meet payroll at the end of the month, can’t pay my tax bill etc.
But Won’t It Be Better If I At Least Look The Part?
“Ridiculous yachts and private planes and big limousines won’t make people enjoy life more, and it sends out terrible messages to the people who work for them. It would be so much better if that money was spent in Africa - and it’s about getting a balance.” Richard Branson
You’ve probably heard people say fake it until you make it. But, in the early years of running a business, how do you think your staff and your customers will really feel about you, if you swan round in a chauffeur driven Bentley, have the flashest office in town and spend money as though it’s going out of fashion? The chances are, your staff may feel as though you’re exploiting them and your customers will probably think you’re ripping them off. And as Richard Branson said - all these luxury trappings won’t make you enjoy life more.
But At Least If The Business Is In A Glamorous Sector It Will Be More Profitable Right?
The strength of businesses that would be perceived as glamorous would depend on the economic climate. And anyone who thinks their business is going to be a success because they pick a glamorous sector to operate in is in for a massive shock.
The pure and simple truth is, that whatever business you go into, you have to satisfy a customer need or want. And it doesn’t take a genius to work out that in times of economic downturn it is far better to be able to satisfy a need, than a want. When the economy is unstable and people can’t afford to, or are afraid to spend money - a lot of wants tend to go out of the window. So, if you haven’t already started a business, that’s certainly something to bear in mind.
But, don’t think being in a sector that serves a customer need is enough to keep you going in when the economy is suffering. For example, we concentrate on the domestic market. A lot of our work concentrates on customer needs - eg - burst pipes etc. But some of our work concentrates on wants - eg. new bathroom suites. And the trouble is, businesses who aren’t normally our competitors, become our competitors in an economic downturn - eg. those who mainly work in the construction industry. When they’re losing work, they diversify, which gives us more competition.
In this article, Ian Denny explains how you can thrive in an economic downturn. And Barbara Swafford shares how to diversify in: How Radar Can Improve Your Business.
Why I’m Definitely Not A Glamorous Business Woman And Wouldn’t Want To Be
I’ll be first to admit that the business I run now, is far from glamorous. Nor was my last one - fire and flood restoration and carpet cleaning. But, the glamour factor isn’t important to me - achieving my goals and running an ethical business is.
And I know I’m always keen to highlight the mistakes I’ve made during the business learning process, but because they’ve helped me achieve me goals. My mistakes have helped me achieve the criteria I need to meet, to allow me to emigrate to Australia and set up in business there.
What About Getting Your Hands Dirty?
I’ll be the first to admit, I don’t really get my hands dirty. I run a plumbing business, but I’m not a plumber. My last business was a fire and flood restoration business and although I did do some technical work when we had a claims surge - I spent the rest of my time running the business.
But, many people do have to do the technical work of the business before employing someone else. In fact, some people would prefer to do the technical work and avoid the hassle of employing anyone altogether. And if you fall into those categories - don’t feel bad. Remember, there is no right way or wrong way to run a business. Do whatever makes you happy and gives you the lifestyle that you want.
-
Inspired Gifts From Unicef
-
Make Money
-
Great Reading
-
Amazing Deals
-
Successful And Outstanding Blogger
