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Better Business, Better Life Newsletter – Issue 5
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Here’s this week’s business tip, life hack & find of the week… And don’t forget the inspirational quote, which you can download as a wallpaper or lock screen for your phone.
If you find great things that you’d like to share then feel free to email me for inclusion in one of my weekly newsletters.
BETTER BUSINESS
Family Business – What’s holding you back?
I’ve been fortunate in my 10 years of business coaching to work with some pretty amazing family businesses. Established family businesses are so great to work with – you get taken in as part of the family.
However, they also have their own unique challenges. I agree with some of the points in the latest EOS blog – we often end up being as much family counsellors as we are coaches or facilitators. And there is often a long history of holding grudges & hidden agendas which means that the family might find it hard to disassociate from those old wounds.
So, with that in mind, one of the biggest challenges is getting on the same page. And the reality is that if you don’t do this, you’ll hamper the growth of the company but more importantly the family will never be able to fully engage & enjoy the family business.
That’s why the V/TO (Vision Traction Organiser) is perfect for family businesses.
Answering 8 questions in the family can really help to get you all 100% on the same page.
- What are your core values? (Not aspirational ones but how you really work in your family business)
- What’s your core focus or why?
- What’s your 10 year Target or BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal)
- What’s your marketing strategy? (Not a bit marketing & advertising plan but who do you target & why would they use you?
- What does the 3-year picture look like? (This is an emotional description of the business that really engages the team towards success)
- What’s your 1-year plan? (What goals do you have & what does success look like?
- What are your rocks for the next 90 days? (The big things that have to get done to keep the boat moving forward?)
- What are your Issues? (What’s going to stop you from getting there?)
These 8 simple questions when answered open & honestly by the whole family and shared with everyone in the business, will really set up a family business for Traction & Success.
This tool works just as well in non-family businesses too!
Read more about it in the EOS blog.
Sometimes if there is a long history of grudges & wounds, you might find it difficult to do this alone This is where a facilitator can help. If you’d like some help with this, then feel free to book in a call with me.
BETTER LIFE
For Better or Worse?
Most of you know that I recently got married (for the 3rd time) to Steve. We’re both in our 50’s & it’s the 3rd time for both of us so we’re pretty certain it’s 3rd time lucky!
But just in case, we’ve had an agreement form the beginning to have a truly open book relationship where we are never afraid to share anything with each other, but also we committed to making time to work on the relationship.
However we are both scientists so we’re not good at buying into soft, fluffy stuff.
And so when my sister-in-law introduced me to The Gottman Institute, I was thrilled to see that we could use a tool based on Science! The Gottman Institute is the culmination of Drs. John and Julie Gottman’s life work as researchers and clinical psychologists. Their approach to relationship health has been developed from over 40 years of research with more than 3,000 couples—the most extensive study ever done on marital stability.
They offer information for couples, parents & professionals & cover a whole raft of topics. I highly recommend signing up to their newsletter & you’ll get all the latest articles.
They also have a weekly podcast called “Small Things, Often.”. It’s got research based tips that take no longer than 3-5 minutes. Both Steve & I love listening to these & then talking about them each week:
FIND OF THE WEEK
Life is too short for shitty coffee!
Well, my full saying is actually that life is too short for shitty coffee, shitty water or shitty wine, but coffee is definitely high on my list… Especially when I am travelling.
At home & in the office, I have Jura coffee machines, so a decent ristretto is always on hand but when you travel it can get tricky. Even some of the best hotels & accommodation still don’t have a decent coffee machine in your room.
And so I take my Wacaco Minipresso.
This little machine enables you to make a proper coffee with just the aid of a kettle.
Boil up the water, pop it into the machine with your freshly ground espresso grind coffee, pump the machine until it gets up to pressure & out oozes stunning coffee with a beautiful crema.
And because all it requires is hot water, it’s also perfect for camping or hiking. Just take a thermos with your boiling water, add it to the Minipresso & you have perfect coffee on the run!
It’s probably not ideal if you like a milky coffee, but if you’re an espresso or ristretto lover like me then it’s perfect! You can even buy a bigger water tank to make that perfect café, caffè lungo.
They do also do a Nespresso pod version however I am not a fan of these due to the wastefulness of the pods. What I have instead is an addition to the Minipresso, called the Minipresso Kit that gives me the larger water tank for Steve’s caffè lungo & enables me to fill & carry 3 reusable pods, filled with freshly ground coffee.
Minipresso is made by Wacaco who do a full range of coffee products – You can grab one locally from here:
I have seen cheaper versions available but I haven’t tested them so I stick to this one which is tried & tested, however if anyone has tried one of the cheaper versions I’d love to hear if they produce a great coffee too.
INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE
You can’t have everything you want, but you can have the things that really matter to you.
Marissa Mayer, former President and CEO of Yahoo
Remember, you can download this quote as wallpaper or a screen lock image for your phone.
NEED HELP?
If you’d like to learn more about any of these tools or would like to find out how I can help you achieve a better life through creating a better business, then book a free Discovery Call with me.
We’ll talk about what you want to get from your business & your life & come up with a plan to do that!
Debra Chantry-Taylor
Certified EOS Implementer | Accredited Family Business Advisor | Entrepreneurial Leadership & Business Coach | Speaker & Workshop Facilitator