Dan Kenney, a renowned marketing instructor, tells the story of an entrepreneur who hired him to look over his entire business with fresh eyes and figure out why it wasn't earning its full potential.
Dan observed and analyzed the entire operation. He examined the company from top to bottom, paying close attention to each of the five employees.
Dan then sat down with the client and delivered his verdict: fire the office manager, who had been with the entrepreneur the longest. Dan claimed she was sabotaging new initiatives, ignoring procedures, undermining morale, and driving customers away.
However, the entrepreneur insisted that he required the office manager and that he couldn't run the business without her.
Dan had to persuade the client to fire this person for an entire year. However, once she was gone, sales began to rise.
There had been NO other changes to account for these new sales. There was no increased advertising, new initiatives, or publicity.
Despite this, the company was 30% more profitable a year after this person was fired. The remaining employees were happier and more productive, the customers were pleased, and the owner's net worth increased by $500,000.
In addition, the entrepreneur finally got a business idea he'd had for years up and running, as well as profitable.
What transpired?
In a small way, he fired an employee who believed she knew better. She'd been with him the longest, so she'd figured out what worked and what didn't. She was closed to new ideas and 'knew' that things should always be done the same way they had always been done.
It's easy to see how this would hinder the company's ability to expand.
And, in a larger, possibly metaphysical sense, she was acting as a barrier to wealth for the company and the owner.
Attitudes are important. I know we like to believe that if we get the mechanics of starting a business right, that's all we need to do. But we've all seen what a positive or negative attitude can do for results.
If you don't expect your company to grow, it probably won't. And if you surround yourself with people who do not have a healthy wealth mindset, you will experience stress and anxiety, which will result in lost profits and even failure.
Have you ever wanted to invest in your business but your spouse refused? I'm fortunate to have an extremely supportive spouse, and I attribute much of our business success to her. Many online marketers, however, are not so fortunate.
I've met people whose spouses have bullied, restricted, and nagged them. They've also been told to quit, 'get a real job,' and'stop fantasizing and act rationally.'
If you find yourself in this situation, it is not your fault that you are struggling.
You could, of course, get a divorce, but if this is the only issue in your marriage, it is not something anyone would recommend.
Instead, sit down with your spouse and explain that you are doing this for both of you, with or without their support, but it would be much easier if they would at least play the role of a loving, supportive spouse.
If that doesn't work, you could rent some office space somewhere to get away from the house and, yes, get away from the spouse. Many cities have shared offices where you can get a key to a shared office space for around $100 per month. You could go there before or after work, or whenever you want to work uninterrupted in an environment that isn't suffocating your success.
This may appear extreme, but you are doing it not only for yourself, but also for your family. When you reach your first $100,000 year, they will undoubtedly become more supportive of you and your efforts. If they aren't, you might want to reconsider a few things.
The point is simple: the attitudes of those around you can be just as influential as your own. And associating with the wrong people can be enough to keep you from achieving your goals.
Dan observed and analyzed the entire operation. He examined the company from top to bottom, paying close attention to each of the five employees.
Dan then sat down with the client and delivered his verdict: fire the office manager, who had been with the entrepreneur the longest. Dan claimed she was sabotaging new initiatives, ignoring procedures, undermining morale, and driving customers away.
However, the entrepreneur insisted that he required the office manager and that he couldn't run the business without her.
Dan had to persuade the client to fire this person for an entire year. However, once she was gone, sales began to rise.
There had been NO other changes to account for these new sales. There was no increased advertising, new initiatives, or publicity.
Despite this, the company was 30% more profitable a year after this person was fired. The remaining employees were happier and more productive, the customers were pleased, and the owner's net worth increased by $500,000.
In addition, the entrepreneur finally got a business idea he'd had for years up and running, as well as profitable.
What transpired?
In a small way, he fired an employee who believed she knew better. She'd been with him the longest, so she'd figured out what worked and what didn't. She was closed to new ideas and 'knew' that things should always be done the same way they had always been done.
It's easy to see how this would hinder the company's ability to expand.
And, in a larger, possibly metaphysical sense, she was acting as a barrier to wealth for the company and the owner.
Attitudes are important. I know we like to believe that if we get the mechanics of starting a business right, that's all we need to do. But we've all seen what a positive or negative attitude can do for results.
If you don't expect your company to grow, it probably won't. And if you surround yourself with people who do not have a healthy wealth mindset, you will experience stress and anxiety, which will result in lost profits and even failure.
Have you ever wanted to invest in your business but your spouse refused? I'm fortunate to have an extremely supportive spouse, and I attribute much of our business success to her. Many online marketers, however, are not so fortunate.
I've met people whose spouses have bullied, restricted, and nagged them. They've also been told to quit, 'get a real job,' and'stop fantasizing and act rationally.'
If you find yourself in this situation, it is not your fault that you are struggling.
You could, of course, get a divorce, but if this is the only issue in your marriage, it is not something anyone would recommend.
Instead, sit down with your spouse and explain that you are doing this for both of you, with or without their support, but it would be much easier if they would at least play the role of a loving, supportive spouse.
If that doesn't work, you could rent some office space somewhere to get away from the house and, yes, get away from the spouse. Many cities have shared offices where you can get a key to a shared office space for around $100 per month. You could go there before or after work, or whenever you want to work uninterrupted in an environment that isn't suffocating your success.
This may appear extreme, but you are doing it not only for yourself, but also for your family. When you reach your first $100,000 year, they will undoubtedly become more supportive of you and your efforts. If they aren't, you might want to reconsider a few things.
The point is simple: the attitudes of those around you can be just as influential as your own. And associating with the wrong people can be enough to keep you from achieving your goals.
