TABLE OF CONTENTS
LEADERSHIP
Goals
Values
Promise
Vision
Lead
- Being the Leader of your Business
- Activity 1.7: How I Lead
- Attributes of a Successful Business Leader
- Personal Mastery
- How Limiting Beliefs Hold Us Back
- Activity 1.8: Leading My Team
- Leadership Blind spots
- Appreciative Inquiry
- Solving Problems with Appreciative Inquiry
- Activity 1.9: Practice Appreciative Inquiry
- Appreciative Inquiry in Action
Energy
- Reflect on Your Energy
- Energy Systems
- Productivity Throughout Your Day
- Story: Time and Energy Management
- Activity 1.10: Personal Energy Story
Communicate
- Communication Systems
- Fundamentals of Good Communication
- Effective Communication Practices
- Communication in a Small Business
- Activity 1.11: Practice Listening
Change
- Navigating Change
- Embracing Change
- Becoming a Learning Organization
- Activity 1.12: Change Practice
Trust
- Foundations of Trust
- Trust at Work
- Building Trust
- Activity 1.13: : Strengthening Trust
Health
- Prioritize Health
- Rate Your Health Position
- Activity 1.14: Health Evaluation
- Creating a Healthy Work Environment
- Organizational Health
- Activity 1.15: Describe The Organizational Health of Your Small Business
Family
- Aligning Business and Family
- A Family Operated Business
- Activity 1.16: Impact on Family
- Family and Business Togethe
- Activity 1.17: Describe The Organizational Health of Your Small Business
- Activity 1.18: Prepare a Net Worth Statement
- Purpose
- What Do You Want from Your Business?
- Self-Reflection
- Activity 1.19: Stating Your Purpose
- Leadership Reflection Quiz
OPERATIONS
Strategy
- Working IN or ON your Business?
- Moving From Tactical to Strategical Work
- Activity 2.1: Measuring Time and Activities
- Strategic Planning Tool
- Activity 2.2: Strategic Thinking
- Activity 2.3: Schedule Key Tasks
Structure
- Your Living Business Plan
- Activity 2.4: Write Your Company Story
- Activity 2.5: Design Your Ideal Business
- Activity 2.6: SWOT Analysis Risk and Reward
- Ownership Management Plan
- Operating Plan
- Marketing Plan
- Financial Plan
- Executive Summary
- Activity 2.7: SOAR Analysis
- Exit Plan
Systems
- What Is a System?
- Advantages of Systematization
- A Closer Look at Systems
- Systems have Feedback Loops
- What to Systemize First
- Designing a System
- Systems Worksheet
- Use Al to Document Your Systems
- AI SOP Workflow
- Al Systems Checklist
- Activity 2.8: A System for Your Systems
- Creating Your Policies and Procedures Manual
- Sample Table of Contents
- Example AI Prompts
Service
- Customer Service
- Service Strategies
- Activity 2.9: Service Diagram
- Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
- Design Service Systems
Production
- Operations in Action
- Workflow Process
- Activity 2.10: Workflow
- Activity 2.11: Check for Production Leaks
- Lean Six Sigma FISH Tool
- Deming’s 14 Points for Management
Technology
- Your Technology Systems
- Maintain Your Technology
- Exploring AI in Your Business
- Activity 2.12: Technology Check In
Monitor
- Monitoring Customer Experience
- What Do You Need to Monitor?
- Choosing What to Monitor
- Key Performance Indicator Dashboard
- Budget vs Actuals
Manage
- 4 Functions of Small Business Management
- Activity 2.13: Management Evaluation
- Managing People
- Managing Assumptions
- Managing Diversity
Supply
- What Is a Supplier?
- Factors in Choosing a Supplier
- Insight into Inventory
- Inventory and Your Business
- Counting Inventory
- AI and Inventory
- Inventory Control Checklist
- Activity 2.14: Improving Inventory Systems
- Inventory Systems Evaluation
Facilities
- Activity 2.15: Facilities Cost Review
- Activity 2.16: Facilities Inventory
- Does Location Still Matter?
- Lease Checklist
Time Away
- What do you want?
- Your Work Schedule
- Systems for Time Away
- Your Vacation Schedule
- Saving for Time Away
- Mental Breaks
- Work Life Balance
- Risks and Rewards of Owning a Business
- Making Time
FINANCE
Record
- The Importance of Good Record Keeping
- Money Tracking Systems
- Chart of Accounts
- Work with your Bookkeeper
- Accounts That Need to Be Recorded
- Recording Labour Costs
- Recording Sales
Reports
- Three Basic Financial Statements
- Income Statements
- Understanding the Balance Sheet
- Activity 3.1: Check Your Balance Sheet
- Statement of Cash Flow
- Cash Flow Forecast
- Profit and Loss Review
- Cost of Goods Sold
- Gross and Net Profit
- Balance Sheet Review
- Ratios
- Activity 3.2: Know Your Numbers
Reports
- Earn More Spend Less
- The Five Profit Myths
- Calculating Profit
- Know Your Numbers
Revenue
- Ways to Increase Revenue
- Case Study: Revenue
- Activity 3.3: Increase Your Revenue
- Excess Revenue?
Expenses
- Operating Expenses
- Business Expense Review
- Personal Expenses
- Ways To reduce Expenses
Cash
- Know Your Cash Position
- Activity 3.4: Check Your Cash
- Designing Cash Systems
- Hole in Your Cash Bucket
Tax
- Collecting and Paying Tax
- Activity 3.5: Tax Compliance
Fund
- Funding Your Business
- Traditional Sources of Funding
- Creative Financing Options
- What funding can do for your Business
- Prepare a Business Plan
- Borrowing Best Practices
- Activity 3.6: Exploring Funding Options
Debt
- Good vs Bad Debt
- Evaluate Purchases
- Rules for Borrowing Money
- Paying Down Debt
- Activity 3.7: Debt Overview
- Debt Reduction Calculator
Reward
- Reward Yourself
- Activity 3.8: Finding Your Reward
- The Plan
- Five Steps to Any Reward
- Financial Plan
Giving Back
- Ways you can Give Back
- The Generosity Cycle
- Global and Financial Impact of Giving
TEAM
- Team Introduction
Organize
- The Organization Chart
- Activity 4.1: Creating Your ORG Chart
- Organization Models
Compensate
- Types of Compensation
- Compensation Rules
- Activity 4.2: Compensation Review
- Story: Framework for Failure
- Wage and Burden Calculator
- Employee Weekly Timesheet Tools
Contract
- Creating Position Agreements
- Position Agreement Template
- Contracts with Business Partners
Hire
- Your Hiring System
- Common Hiring Mistakes
- Steps to Hiring Checklist
- Review Hiring Decision
- Activity 4.3: Pre-Interview Questions
- Sample Interview Questions
- Hiring Contractors
- Contractor Project Description
Train
- Develop a Training System
- Onboard new Employees
- Activity 4.4: Build Your Employee Policy Manual
- Follow the Procedures Manual
Delegate
- Struggling with Delegation
- Five Steps to Effective Delegation
- What to Delegate?
- Activity 4.5: Delegation System
Measure
- Measuring Performance
- The Performance Plan System
- Activity 4.6: Create a Performance Plan
- Team Performance Models
- Team Performance Models Checklist
- People Problems
Motivate
- Create a Motivating Environment
- Activity 4.7: Employee Motivation
- Build a Motivated Workforce
- Actions that Drive Motivation
- Motivation Systems
- Activity 4.8: Motivation Evaluation
Culture
- What Culture Means in Your Business
- Leaders Impact on Culture
- Your Company Culture
- Organizational Systems and Culture
Coach
- Why Coaching
- A Coach Approach to Leadership
- How to Coach Cheat Sheet
MARKETING
- Marketing Introduction
Target
- Steps in the Target Market Process
- Activity 5.1: How Well Do You Know Your Customers
- Market Segmentation
- Activity 5.2: Create Your Client Avatar
- Market Positioning
- Understand Your Competitors
- Activity 5.3: Prospect Considerations
Product
- What Are You Selling?
- Product Features vs Benefits
- Activity 5.4: Create Your Value Proposition
- Describe Your Product
Price
- The Role of Price in Your Business
- Price is about Value
- Activity 5.5: Pricing Factors
- Consumer Influence on Price
- How to Price
- Activity 5.6: Review Your Pricing Strategy
- Activity 5.7: Price Assessment
- Product Pricing Calculator
- PESTEL Analysis on Pricing Factors
Promote
- What is Promotion?
- How Promotion Works
- The Hierarchy Of Effects Model
- Activity 5.10: Promotion Health Check
- Where Promotion Fits In Your Business
- Marketing and sales channels
- Choosing Your Promotional Channel
- Digital Marketing Systems
- Website Basics
- Website Blueprint Checklist
- Search Engine Optimization
- SEO Checklist For Business Owners
- Content Marketing
- Social Media
- EMail Marketing
- Promotional System in Action
- Promotion System Tool
Sales
- What Is Selling?
- Marketing vs Sales
- Activity 5.11: What’s Marketing and What’s Sales?
- Activity 5.12: Learn From Your Best Sales
- Your Sales Journey
- The Five Stages of A Buying Decision
- Sales Reluctance
- Digital Sales System
- Activity 5.13: Streamline Your Digital Sales System
- Writing Sales Copy
- Monthly Sales Goal & Breakdown
Brand
- Building a recognized Brand
- Importance of Branding
- Creating Your Brand Strategy
- Activity 5.14: Brand Inventory Worksheet
Retain
- Keeping your Customers
- Activity 5.15: Describe Your Best Customers
- Life Cycle of a Customer
- Activity 5.16: Choose Your Retention System
- Customer Retention Strategies
Network
- Use Your Influence to Grow your Business
- Networking For Business
- Activity 5.17: Community Challenge
- Develop a Powerful 30-Second Commercial
- Activity 5.18: Elevator Pitch
Data
- Marketing Data
- Four Types of Marketing Data to Track
- Activity 5.19: Mapping your Data Sources
- Make Sense of your Marketing Data
- Activity 5.20: Update Your Avatar Using Client Data
- Activity 5.21: Compare Three CRM Systems
- Build the Systems that builds your Business
- Activity 5.22: Build Your CRM and Marketing Data System
Exit Strategy
- Start Planning Your Exit Today
- Getting Your Business Ready to Sell
- Dodging Selling Traps
- Using a Business Broker
- When to Say Goodbye
- References
TABLES
- Table 2.1: Types of Suppliers
- Table 2.2: Choosing Suppliers
- Table 2.3: Product Costing
- Table 3.1:Sample Income Statement Data
- Table 3.2:Sample Cash Flow Forecast
FIGURES
- Figure 1.1: : Goal Planning Tool
- Figure 1.2: Benefits of a Company Promise
- Figure 1.3: Sample Company Promises
- Figure 1.4: Vision Statement Examples
- Figure 1.5: The Phases of Appreciative Inquiry
- Figure 1.6: Solving Problems with Appreciative Inquiry
- Figure 1.7: Human Needs for Effective Communication
- Figure 1.8: Net Worth Calculator
- Figure 2.1: Strategy Cycle
- Figure 2.2: Working in Your Business
- Figure 2.3: Strategic Planning Tool
- Figure 2.4 : Advantages of Systematization
- Figure 2.5: Three Parts of a System
- Figure 2.6: Feedback Loops System Map
- Figure 2.7: The PDSA Cycle
- Figure 2.8: Five Steps to Designing a System
- Figure 2.9: Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
- Figure 2.10: Work Flow Process
- Figure 2.11: Software ROI Evaluation
- Figure 2.12: Key Performance Dashboard
- Figure 2.13: Forecast Budget Report
- Figure 2.14: Four Functions of Management
- Figure 3.1: Sample Balance sheet
- Figure 3.2: KPI Ratios
- Figure 3.3: Profit Calculator
- Figure 3.4: Breakeven Analysis
- Figure 3.5: Sample Household Budget
- Figure 3.6: Debt Reduction Calculator
- Figure 4.1: Too Many Hats
- Figure 4.2: Organization Models
- Figure 4.3: Wage and Burden Calculator
- Figure 4.4: Employee Time Sheets
- Figure 4.5: Sample Interview Questions
- Figure 4.6: Team Performance Model
- Figure 5.1: Target Market Process Steps
- Figure 5.2: Customer Thinking
- Figure 5.3: Competition Comparison
- Figure 5.4: Value Proposition
- Figure 5.5: Pricing Elements
- Figure 5.6: Product Price Calculator Tool
- Figure 5.7: Pestel Analysis Tool
- Figure 5.8: Distribution Channels
- Figure 5.9: Marketing Calendar Tool
- Figure 5.10: Monthly Sales Goal Breakdown
- Figure 5.11:Customer Life Cycle