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"Is It Time to Refocus Your
Business"
- Don Sadler reports in the
May/June 2003 issue of Self-Employed America: "The
only thing that's constant is change, the old saying
goes. If you've been in business for any length of
time, you know how true this is. Successful
businesses that stand the test of time inevitable are those
that best learn how to deal with and profit from
change. Many tines, this means taking a step back and
refocusing -- making adjustments that benefit your
micro-business. This refocus may encompass every
possible area of your company -- goals (both business and
personal), customers, markets, products, prices, profits,
etc. But refocusing isn't
always about the bottom line. Sometimes you need to
refocus to recharge your enthusiasm or move your business in
a new direction."
"A Tech Rebirth"
- Paul Andrews reports in the
January 2003 issue of US News & World Report:
"If the seers of technology
could whisper a word in Dustin Hoffman's ear for 2003, it
would be "storage." From
Joe consumer to the Fortune 1,000, data consumption is
exploding. Home users smitten with digital music,
photos, and video need bigger hard drives and DVD recorders
to swap and archive content. Global enterprises are
converting their entire operations to Web-based
transactions, nudged by IBM's Websphere and Microsoft's
.NET. spiraling data requirements are driving
investments in new servers capable of absorbing peak Web
loads and delivering round-the-clock reliability. Even
small-to-medium businesses, the tardiest digital adoptees,
are switching to Web-based commerce as consumers and clients
demand it."
Rise in
Alternative Communications
-Roger Herman and Joyce Gioia from The Herman Group
have indicated the following:
Web-based communication, in real-time, will increase. The
growing technology in this area offers an additional benefit
to users, especially corporations. The connection is usually
made through local telephone lines, saving a considerable
amount of long-distance telephone charges.
Technologies and their use will expand. As they work
under new procedures and protocols, people who have been
reluctant to communicate through these modern vehicles will
be "forced" into adopting new methods.
These shifts will stimulate changes in the way companies
do business:
 |
Communication
and collaboration will become more efficient, |
|
People
will learn how to function differently. |
|
Travel
will become less important, and |
|
People
will learn to communicate and accomplish things in new
ways. |
This expanded use of
communications technology will
|
enable
more people to work from remote locations as well
as |
|
facilitate
the growth of telecommuting. |
As operations are dispersed,
|
the
modified need for offices and conference facilities will
contribute to a reduction of corporate headquarters
space. |
|
We'll
do business differently and the corporate need for air
travel will be forever diminished. |
A study of 200 Canadian CEOs and presidents by American
Express Co., conducted for the National Quality Institute,
looked at what bosses consider to be the most important
aspects of leadership and what it takes to create a
top-quality organization:
| Communications and
motivational skills, as well as the
ability to listen, are the most vital qualities of any
leader |
(Source: The Globe and
Mail, May 17, 2000, page B3)
According to a survey by Watson Wyatt Worldwide, 80% of
companies use their intranet as the primary method for
delivering human-resources services, up from 50% just two
years ago.
(Source: USA Today, March
20, 2000)
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According to the U.S.
Department of Labor,
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The average 32-year-old has
held nine full- or part-time jobs since entering the
workforce |
|
Workers are changing jobs
approximately every two and a half years
|
Only one in three has held
the same job for five years, and one in five is on a
fourth or greater job in five years |
|
(Source: The Salt Lake
Tribune, February 20, 2000)
According to
Nielsen/NetRatings:
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The January average for
Internet users was 21 hours at work and 9.5 hours at
home
|
Shopping is popular at both
home and work. Advertisement Online auctioneer eBay,
tops in both venues, has more home users in absolute
numbers--people at work tend to stick with it longer,
averaging 157 minutes
|
The active Internet
audience size within the workplace was 30.6 million,
compared with an active Internet audience size of 77
million within the home
|
The average number of
sessions online was 41 sessions at work, compared with
18 sessions at home |
| | |
(Source: MSNBC, February
22, 2000)
According to a survey conducted by the Salt Lake
City-based web site myjobsearch.com,
two of every three workers in America would walk off their
jobs if a competitor offered a salary increase of as little
as 10%
(Source: The Salt Lake
Tribune, February 20, 2000)
According to the Census Bureau, the average 1998
earnings, based on educational level, for people 18 years or
older are --
|
High School Diploma --
$22,895 |
|
Bachelor's Degree --
$40,478 |
|
Professional/Masters Degree
-- $73,165 |
(Source: USA Today, January
12, 2000)
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There
are many advantages to running a small business:
| independence, satisfaction,
sheltering income, and profits. |
Did you know that 89% of incomes
over $50,000 a year are earned by owners of small
businesses? However, 4 out of 5 businesses don't
last 5 years and few ever earn the profits they
should.
|
33% of new businesses will fail
within 6 months?
|
75% of start-ups will shut down
within five years?
|
90% of businesses operating today
will eventually fail, or just give up trying? |
| |
What makes the difference?
-- Knowledge!
(Source:
Wayne State University website. 1998)
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If something you've read on this page has inspired you to
change something about your business, or how it's currently
run, feel free to phone or send email, and I'll be happy to
schedule time to offer you some suggestions / strategies to
help refocus your business.
To schedule a
FREE confidential consultation to determine how I can
help you get started in your own business, or help you
improve your current business processes, call toll-free 800-464-0203, or send e-mail.
       
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