Ontario Trucking News, Issue 114, January 2013

The COMPlaCenCy COaCh
There’s Nothing Like the Beginning of the
Year for a Fresh Start
By BruCe OuTriDGe
Whether you had
a good or bad
year in business
it’s important to remember
things can always
be improved. If things have
gone well this year you
may want to build on that
success and look at how
you can increase profits
next year. If you have
struggled with a bad year
then you need to look at
what you can do to improve
the next and gain an
upper hand.
Business is hard and I
don’t think any of us get
into it to face struggle and
failure. In fact, I bet that
every one of us has the
dream of creating something
exciting and making
big money while we live a
great life. Once in business,
however, we will realize
that dream may be just that
- a dream. Without the hard
work, the dedication, the
research and management
skills, it is hard to realize
the business dream.
As a business consultant
I have seen some business
owners who just don’t
get it. They say they’re
investigating getting into
business and spend time
going to events, looking
for free information and
asking questions, but in
the end turn around and do
the exact opposite of what
they learned. I believe this
is because they are taking
in the information, but lack
the knowledge base to
make sensible decisions.
When you act in opposition
to the information given
from people who know the
industry, then you are not
listening very well.
So if you have been in this
situation and realize the
need for improvement then
the beginning of the year
is a great time to start. Just
wipe the slate clean, collect
all your data from this year
and lock yourself in a room
for a couple of days and
evaluate your numbers.
People laugh when I tell
them that our business has
an Annual General Meeting
each December when
they know it is just the
two of us in the company.
The meeting is in depth,
lasts about five hours and
covers every aspect of our
business, from marketing
to finance. We schedule it
every year around the end
of December because that
is a quiet time for us, and
since our year end is in
October it gives me time to
gather numbers and complete
reports. It may sound
foolish to some but our
business has been growing
every year out of the gate
and continues to do so.
We know where we need
to improve and each year
we focus on improving one
part of the business.
This is where many business
owners go wrong.
They try to fix everything
at once as if multiple problems
can be solved like they
are in television shows.
Focus instead on one area
like improving sales in the
coming year, then improving
cash in the following
one, and maybe in the third
reducing interest charges,
and so on. One year our
whole focus was streamlining
our bookkeeping to
make sure we were up to
date at all times. It vastly
improved our business
just by improving that one
item. So if you have been
struggling, or are looking
to improve your business
as a whole, use the beginning
of the year wisely, use
it as a fresh start.
aBOuT The auThOr
Bruce Outridge is a business
and leadership consultant
with over 30 years
experience in the trans-
portation industry. He is
the author of the book
“Running By The Mile” and
“How to Start an Artistic
Business in 12 Easy Steps.”
For more information on
eMPlOyMenT
Bruce’s work please visit
his website at www.outridge.ca.
V
January 2013 41