Why Globalize Your Business

If your overarching goal is to build a successful legacy business that will be around long after you are gone. And your horizon plans extend beyond the next 90 days. Then please read on …

In this article I want to share some thoughts on why you should consider globalizing your business, if you are in it for the long haul. So stay with me.

“Globalization is becoming a strategic imperative for survival and growth.”

Whether we choose to acknowledge this fact, or not, it is true for small businesses as well as large, multi-national corporations. I have been writing and speaking off and on about this topic for the past 10+ years. My first book, GLOBALIZATION: America’s Leadership Challenge Ahead, provides an in-depth look at the major challenges we must overcome in the complex, rapidly evolving global society we are all members of.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. Many of you reading this introduction are thinking this does not apply to me. “I’m just a local small business owner and have no current plans to expand globally.” I have spoken to numerous business groups, and heard this comment more times than I can count.

What I’m here to tell you is “there is no such thing as a local small business in today’s global economy”. You’ll understand why I say this as you read further.

Continue reading…

How to Overcome an 8-8 Mindset

No, this is not another fan rant about the Dallas Cowboys lackluster performance on the football field this year. Although there are some similarities we’ll draw upon here. Rather, the article is about you. If you’re a business leader who seems to be stuck in neutral and unable to find the ‘winning formula’ to move to the next level.

None of us grew up with the notion of being average, just being good enough.

Whether it’s in sports, music, grades, business, etc. We have all been ingrained with the notion of being the best in our chosen pursuits. Does this seem realistic? There is nothing wrong with the quest for excellence. However, not everyone can ascend to the top of the pyramid and stay there. Real life just doesn’t work that way. And that’s OK!

Are your expectations aligned with reality?

Let’s talk for a moment about the ‘BIG LIE’. The big lie is what we tell ourselves when we have a bad day, or when things are not going our way. “Things will get better”. They won’t. Things are not going to get better until what? Until we do. In order to consistently achieve success at any level we must take risks, make changes and sacrifice to get there.

Continue reading…

Growth Through Subtraction

The old adage that “you don’t get bigger by getting smaller” does not always apply in the modern world. In order to thrive in today’s fast-paced global marketplace you must think differently about what is essential to growth, and where and how to invest your time and limited resources.

Big corporations have gotten it wrong for decades. To artificially “pump up” stock prices and appease shareholders and the board of directors, they have historically downsized and reorganized during the fourth quarter to improve short-term financials. However, if you do not make fundamental changes to improve operational performance, this is a slowly bleed to death strategy that more often leads to failure.

“When you remove just the right things in just the right way, something very good happens.”—Matthew E. May Continue reading…

Just One Month Until Lift-Off!!!

M3 POWER NETWORK BREAKFAST

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 20th at 8:15 am.

Don’t Miss It! Register TODAY and Invite a Friend!!

Do you want to grow your business and make great new personal connections? If you want to GROW you have to GO. Please join us at the next M3 Power Network event on Saturday, October 20th.

M3 Power Network is DFW’s Premier faith-based Networking Group, engaging business professionals like YOU to focus on Missions, Marketplace, and Motivation.

Take a moment to learn what past attendees are saying about the M3 Power Network: https://www.youtube.com/user/buildinternational/videos

This is a networking event like no others, where you will meet 100+ business owners and high quality professionals who are going to enrich your life. You’ll also hear inspirational speakers who will lift you up and help you to be the BEST YOU. And the relationships you develop will help you to continue to grow both personally and professionally.

Our Purpose is to Encourage, Educate, and Empower You! Our Goal is to Get YOU Connected.

Our Brand: Building People. Spreading Hope!

Breakfast and Networking starts at 8:15 AM. Come early and bring lots of business cards!!

M3 Power Network is sponsored by Build International Ministries. Our goal is to reach 1.5 million lives in 2018! http://www.buildinternational.org/

Building People. Spreading Hope.

Please join us, invite a friend or two, and come prepared to be inspired!!

October 20th is just one short month away, so don’t delay! REGISTER NOW and reserve your seat!!!

Meetup Link

Facebook Link

We look forward to seeing you on Saturday, October 20th!!

John

John’s Story

“We help clients get the results to move beyond their vision.”

This statement represents so much more than just another quote or tagline on my brochure. It is the vision statement for my coaching practice, and a reflection of my life’s journey. A journey that has moved me from humble beginnings to success in areas that I never dreamed were possible.

Moreover, my journey has enabled me to work with hundreds of entrepreneurs, small business owners and business leaders to help them achieve their goals in creative and expansive ways. But the journey has not been easy. In fact, as a child I was told by the people I looked to for guidance, encouragement and support that I was lazy and would never amount to anything.

We didn’t have a lot of material things when I was growing up, but my parents did their best to provide for our extended family. Both my parents were from broken homes and suffered through life during the Great Depression, World War II, and endured numerous hardships and disappointments. Their lives were oppressive, extremely harsh and as a consequence, they had their dreams managed out of them long before I came along. Continue reading…

Please Join Us on January 13th!

Put your Big PHAT Goals into action and make 2018 your best year so far!

Do you want to grow your business and personal connections? If you want to GROW you have to GO. Come and meet new people at M3 Power Network!

M3 Power Network is DFW’s Premier faith-based Networking Group, engaging business professionals like YOU to focus on Missions, Marketplace, and Motivation.

Breakfast and Networking starts at 8:15 AM.

Our Purpose: Encourage, Educate, and Empower You!

Our Brand: Building People. Spreading Hope!

Our Goal is to Get YOU Connected.

Our Values: Business Networking | Building Relationships | Fun | Inspiration | Love | Respect | Honor | Excellence | Encountering God and more.

Our great friend and ‘Sales and Networking Guru’, Dean Lindsay, will be the Keynote Speaker for our January 13th event. So you don’t want to miss it! Dean is the author of the highly acclaimed book, How to Achieve Big PHAT Goals, in addition to being a Thought Leader on Building Priceless Business Relationships, sought-after Speaker and award-winning Christian songwriter.

Please join us, invite a friend, bring lots of business cards and prepare to be inspired!!

JANUARY 13TH will be here before you know it, so REGISTER NOW on EVENT BRITE  to reserve your seat!!!

EVENT BRITE

FACEBOOK

We look forward to seeing you (and your guest) on Saturday, January 13th to help kick-off the New Year!!!

John
 

Disruption Doesn’t Mean Dysfunction

Disruption as a noun means “disturbance or problems that interrupt an event, activity, or process.” To cause (something) to be unable to continue in the normal way. For business, however, disruption is viewed in broader terms as ‘disruptive innovation’, a term first introduced in 1995 by Clayton Christensen, the author of “The Innovator’s Dilemma”.

“A disruptive innovation is an innovation that creates a new market and value network and eventually disrupts an existing market and value network, displacing established market leading firms, products and alliances.”

Fast forward to today, what does disruption look like in 2017? Businesses generally still have two options when faced with disruptive innovation. Try and hold on to existing market space by doing the same thing(s) better, or attempt to capture new markets by embracing new business models and technologies, and adapting to rapid change.

“Change is good if it leads to improved performance, highly engaged employees and more satisfied customers.” Continue reading…

Sales Funnel vs. Sales Process

“Sales Process” most often refers to the repeatable set of steps your sales team takes with a prospect to move them from an early stage to a closed sale. Many of the articles I have read on this topic refer to the Sales Funnel and the Sales Process as the same thing. However, my view of the two is somewhat different.

From my vantage point, you should have a clearly defined Sales Process for prospects and existing clients. Why? Because the sequence of events, hand-offs, deliverables and timeframes may be different for prospects vs. clients. These key differences should be understood by you and your sales team in moving prospects to clients, staying in-touch and building those long-term business relationships.

The “Sales Funnel” on the other hand, reflects all of the active sales projects that result from the various interactions with both prospects and clients.

Our BLF ELITE Mastermind group has been working on the areas of Sales Process and Funnel Management for the past two months. And I want to share some thoughts with you from our work in the hope that it will help you build more effective sales processes for your business.

Sales Funnel … Is opportunity driven. The Sales Funnel provides a visual snap shot of all of the active sales opportunities that you are working on, and their various stages of completion from warm lead to Customer Acceptance. It is also the virtual “lifeline” for your business to both new and existing customers in driving sales revenues. Continue reading…

Get to Know Your Customers

Get to Know Your Customers Day is observed annually on the third Thursday of each quarter (January, I'm Your CustomerApril, July, October).

This is a day to reach out to your customers and get to know them better. However, should it really be necessary to designate a day each quarter to get to know our customers?

Getting to know customers (at a deeper level) is a requirement for building a successful and thriving business or practice!

We have heard it recanted over-and-over again, “People do business with people they know, like and trust”. A large measure of building that level of trust is staying in touch. Likewise, the primary goals of any business are what? Get more profitable customers to buy, buy more and buy more often. Continue reading…

Networking: Stop ‘Bobbing for Apples’

If you sign-on to Meetup.com, you’ll find there are approximately 130,000 Meetups (884 within 25 miles of my office) happening at any given time that represent opportunities to network and build great new relationships.

With this over-abundance of networking opportunities at our disposal, why do many small business owners struggle to make networking work for them?

The short answer is that most are not prepared for success when they walk through the door. Yes, networking can be time-consuming, frustrating and expensive if you don’t take the time to adequately prepare in advance.

Bobbing for Apples

As my good friend Jeff Klein, the author of ’30 Seconds to Success’ and the founder of Speaker Coop says, “There are only two reasons to network – to get referrals and give referrals”. Continue reading…