Even though I called this the second driver, these are really in no particular order and not necessarily in the order in which we would focus on for your business. If you missed the first driver of company value that I spoke about, you can check it out here.

To grow your business and to build a valuable asset, this is likely the most common area we think about for a business: Financial Performance.

Financial Performance is simple to understand but not necessarily easy to achieve…

There are 8 drivers of company value that contribute to the valuation of whether your company will be easy to pass on or to sell in the future. Through my work supporting business owners to grow their businesses in a way that maximizes their future exit options, I have found that these 8 drivers aren’t always obvious.

And, through focusing on these 8 drivers, this is the process to grow your company, so if you’re not looking to sell anytime soon, these drivers will offer you a roadmap to enjoy growth in the meantime.

The first driver I would love to talk about first is Hub and Spoke. I wanted to start here because typically, almost every owner I’ve worked with has an opportunity in this area…

Here is something to consider:

Does your business currently align with YOU and your goals? Does it provide you with what you need to live your life in the way you wish?

Here are two important considerations:

1. Does it align with your desired lifestyle while working?

2. Is it structured in a way to set you up for your lifestyle after you want to move on from your business? (whether that’s passing it down to children or management, selling it, or moving into an oversight position, etc.)

Do you think of your business in these ways?

If thinking of your business in these ways is new for you or you simply haven’t given it much thought then I invite you to spend a few minutes to entertain them.

The unconventional strategy: Create space to think.

This may seem odd to highlight, but stick with me here…

Often, we go and go and go in a business we’re trying to create and build. We feel like there’s never enough time, there are more clients or customers to attract, or new products or services to release in this quest of creating, building, and growing a business. There’s a lot of doing. And a lot of striving.

And that action-taking can be worthwhile.

However, there is another side of the equation to consider….and that side is the opposite of doing.

It’s about taking frequent pauses. Creating space for something else…..

How often are you creating space for thinking, reflecting, planning, and considering?

People start a business for all types of reasons. Some start looking for more freedom and flexibility or financial freedom. Some start because they have a great idea that they haven’t seen in the marketplace. Some want to create a legacy or make a positive change in their industry. Your reasons could be all, some, or other reasons for starting your business.

But whatever your reason is, this question is relevant to consider:

Do you want to create a valuable business?

What does valuable mean?

Happy New Year!

I hope you were able to enjoy your Holidays and they provided you with what you needed.

As we look to 2021 I feel optimistic and excited for what’s to come.

As I look around to the world I still see turbulence, uncertainty, and many challenges. And I also see beauty, kindness, and innovation - solving and addressing some of those challenges we face.

As I turn inward and think about the impact I want to have and the role I want to play, I think about things like:

You don’t need to get through your to-do list, focus on managing your priorities.

With changes happening regularly, sometimes hitting us daily, challenging our focus and shifting our plans, you can pretty much toss that to-do list out the window.

These days our weeks are anything but predictable, yet our work must continue.

So, how do we continue to adapt to our still-changing environment?

Beyond why you started your business, WHY did you start your business?

Let me explain…

Maybe your WHY was to build a business around a dream or passion, to achieve freedom and financial security, or to change lives through your product or service.

That’s great!

Now, that your business is a living breathing entity…what role will it play in your future?

Will it close when you’re ready to move on or will you try to sell it or pass it down?

Building a legacy or a company that will last beyond you is different than running a business for the purpose of providing an income now. Both are great goals, but the way you build and the focus for growth will be different.

If you’ve often wondered how you can get your team working towards goals with the same sense of urgency that you have — you are not alone.

As a leader, meeting deadlines and goals are important, and yet you can’t accomplish this unless you have the whole team on board.

So what do you do when everyone isn’t on board? Or, have the same sense of urgency that you do?

In spite of the strategies you may try in growing your business or stepping into a broader leadership role, having ideas to pursue is only half the equation for success.

Often we know what we need to do, but why is it so difficult to do it sometimes? To internalize it.

There can be so many reasons why we humans don’t do the things that are good for us all the time or don’t always make choices that support us, but one of those areas that we could bring focus to is our mindset.

Your mindset WILL support you to navigate challenges and is an important determinant of your success.

Carol Dweck, author of Mindset: , says that…..”Mindsets frame the running account that’s taking place in people’s heads. They guide the whole interpretation process.”

I had a conversation today where someone asked me if I provide ‘Life Coaching’.

It’s an interesting question, because in a way all coaching is life coaching because even though I work with Leaders and Business Owners, we’re not always talking about business and work.

We talk about all the things that might come up that impacts WHO we are and how we show up professionally.

“Where ever you go, there you are” — Jon Kabat-Zinn

We bring our whole selves to work. We typically aren’t one way at work and one way at home…and if we are and it’s a dramatic difference, that can cause a LOT of stress for you in the long-run. If this is you, we need to speak.

I digress.

The question I received today make me think again about how we show up and what we bring with us wherever we go.

If you look back on this year, how do you feel about your business?

Do you feel proud of your efforts weathering the uncertainty of this year? Do you feel frustrated or disappointed? Do you feel gratitude? Or perhaps a combination of all those things….

If you were to look ahead at how you would like to feel about your business in the coming year, what would come to mind? Accomplished, proud, successful, fulfilled……

Of all the things you could do in your business, often overlooked is how we want to be in relationship with the work we do and how the business can serve us and the people it depends on.

Particularly, if you’ve identified that HOW you show up in your business has a big impact on what gets accomplished and how the business does.

We all have them….things we want to accomplish in our work and in our personal lives.

Whether you’ve got many goals or just one or two, the steps you’ll take to get to each goal may look different but there’s ONE thing that is the same for every goal you work towards.

How you start.

It takes a commitment.

A commitment towards a future where that goal has been attained….We won’t move forward unless we commit to that decision.

And, after you commit and start working towards your goal….You’ll need the follow-up strategy of…

Let’s talk about WHY you started your business:

Was it to:

• Have flexibility and freedom

• Secure a financial future for your family

• Make a difference in the lives of others through your products & services

• Make a greater impact more broadly on the world

• Do what you love to do

Do any or all of these reasons ring true for you?

There’s a power and practice we all have access to that I would say is one of the most underutilized tools in our everyday toolbox….and I would venture to say, also in life.

First, here are some questions to consider:

Do you ever feel like your business or work is happening to you - a force unto itself and you’re not really in the driver’s seat?

Have you often wondered about the next step to take or how to navigate tough decisions?

Do you feel regular swirling thoughts of uncertainty and lack of direction or lack of focus when you think about your work or business?

Do you find yourself off course often - realizing that what you were doing all day or all week isn’t getting you closer to your goals or aligned with your vision?

Here’s the thing: I know how it feels to be uncertain about the next steps, to feel like it’s ‘hard’ to figure out what’s next or to wade through the noise and chaos of what comes at us daily.

I have found a simple tool and practice helpful and I wanted to share it with you today.

There’s so much to say on this topic and how it relates to being successful.

The perspective I’d like to take on this today, with you, is to illuminate how powerful it is when you create focus and simplicity in your work.

There’s a caveat here: Simplicity does NOT equal easy :).

If you’re scrambling in your role or business and not seeming to get the traction you want, an injection of clarity can help.

I help Business Owners and Leaders create a positive social impact through their business by helping them to grow and be sustainable.

Our current reality is the sum of our actions and decisions.

If some of those actions and decisions are not aligned to a single focus or destination then it’s a little like…

What kind of impact on the world are you aspiring to make through your business?

Companies who are moving towards their vision and accomplishing big things through their businesses are very thoughtful about WHO they need to communicate to (and with!) in order to get their message to the right people so they can fulfill their mission and purpose.

Having a big vision and achieving that is largely about getting your message to the people who need to hear it.

The question here is: HOW do you get your message to those that need to hear it?

Do you have a vision for where your business will be in the future?

Do you have a sense of what you’re creating through your work and how it contributes?

Do you feel inspired when you think of what’s ahead for your work?

If you don’t have a Vision Statement, I invite you to consider what yours could look like.

If you haven’t yet landed on a Vision - or a written out statement - chances are, it’s somewhere inside you, un-articulated and yet defined.

Let’s look at the benefits of creating a vision statement for your business…

With the current light being shone on systemic racism, I see many of you checking in on your own understanding of what this means.

As am I.

If I were to ask you this question, “What is the mark of a good Leader?”

What attributes would come up for you?

What often comes up would be attributes such as:

• They are Visionary

• They develop others

• They set the goals for the organization

• They are good communicators

• They navigate change

Another that I’d like to add to the mix here, is: They recognize when they may not have all the answers.

I write this as I sit here in the sun - taking my work outside to write to you today - because…..why not?

We, in the northern part of our hemisphere, are starting to experience the lovely warmth of spring and anticipating the coming summer days.

Some of us may even be starting to experience a relaxing of some of the restrictions that we’ve been living with for the past 2 months.

As the weather warms and I think ahead to the summer months - approaching summer this year is unlike any other spring ever. Usually, I have things very planned out. I know which weeks will be vacation, I’ll have everything booked, kids’ camps/activities booked and it will usually be mostly all set by now.

This year, in a year where we’re unsure from one week to the next what will be open or what we will be able to do, the coming months may look very different AND my level of planning around it has shifted.