Growth Newsletter

It was a Sunday afternoon and my wife and I headed off to Bunnings. I’m no handyman, and ordinarily, I’d rather have my finger nails removed one by one than visit a hardware store. However, we were popping in to pick up some petunias to plant in the pots we have on our back terrace, and I quite like gardening. So, the trip was reasonably enjoyable.

Why do people go into business? There are many and varied reasons including:

Most people in family businesses tend to think the role of the salesperson belongs to a dedicated person. The business card for most of these people tends to read “Business Development Manager”, “Territory Manager” or something of the like. Today, I’m going to smash that myth and prove to you that everyone in your family business is a salesperson for your business.

This Saturday, my maternal grandmother, would have celebrated her 112th birthday. Nellie was born in Cobar in North Western NSW in 1905. Her father was a miner and she was the first child of this young, happy couple. Immediately, however, life took a tragic twist as Nellie’s mother died three days after giving birth.

When I attended Alan Weiss’ “Million Dollar Consulting College” in Rhode Island, USA in May 2015, I sat next to a lady by the name of Libby Wagner. It was Monday morning, the first day of an intensive week of training and the 13 delegates in the room were doing the rounds, introducing themselves as proceedings got underway.

One of the biggest factors contributing to the success of family businesses can be attributed to the role of the spouse. It is also one of the most underrated and under rewarded roles for both its impact and effectiveness.

Over more than a quarter of a century, I’ve worked with hundreds of family businesses. I’ve seen a lot of what works and lots of what doesn’t. I’ve seen good businesses turn bad and I’ve seen bad businesses turn around and storm ahead.

I work with a wide variety of family businesses and over recent months, I’ve identified a pattern when it comes to the staff in those family businesses.

If yours is a family business that works in any trades based area, you’ll need to listen up.

In 2007, just prior to turning 40, I decided I’d treat myself. Up until that point in time, the biggest reward I’d given myself was an iPod Shuffle. Nope, I’m not kidding.