Apply Job Rules to Your Business
Have you ever had a job at McDonald's? 99.999% of their business activity on premises is conducted by way of their manual. This applies to Wendy's, Burger King, and pretty much all franchise businesses. Even the place where you work now has a clear set of guidelines and a method of operation.
The intent of this post applies to pretty much any job you may have taken. If you work somewhere, you have to follow house rules. You have to follow a system. Break the system and you are not a good worker anymore. You are not a model employee as was expected of you. The moment you step in your work place, you are bound by your employers workplace manual. Break away from those rules and break away from them often times enough, then guess what happens? You Get FIRED!
Consequently, as a general rule most people running a home based business do not apply the same standards of discipline to their home business, which they engage with in their workplace. Why? Because, when you are the boss, (the assumption is) you can't punish, demote, chastise, take away your privileges or fire yourself. When you bring yourself to evaluation, the level of personal and business quality control metrics applicable in the business world becomes lax. You get to keep the job. Why?
I will do this later. Tomorrow for sure. Today, I'll take a day off.
When I was a manager at Wendy's (You gotta love their menu), I remember having written up tens of employees for breaking codes of acceptable workplace conduct. I even had to (even though I felt badly about it) fire more than a few employees for violating business and ethical conduct at the job. Years later, when I started my own business, I did the same to myself. I never came to a point where I had to fire myself. But I did write myself up for breaking in house workplace rules. Even if it meant skipping lunch, not having to buy that latest gadget and other not so trivial life's privileges.
When the standards of operating your business falls below the acceptable levels of discipline a business needs to survive and thrive, Do you then have the courage to reprimand, punish or even fire yourself? Yes, that needs to be done or you will forever hallucinate into running a non existent and mediocre operation which you call - your business.
If you break away from a system of operation and consistently so, your business stands little chance to become successful. Just because you are in charge does not then qualify you to be the most capable individual at running the business. Even if the business is your own.
Create a business manual. Make it predictable. And on purpose. Lay down the rules. Not just in your head. Write it down. Then follow them. If you fail to attend to any of the rules, then order reprimand in your direction. Punish yourself. Take away some anticipated goodies you promised yourself. Be ruthless.
Unless you do this, your business will be run by a self absorbed clueless owner (YOU), who has no idea, when the store should open? When it should close? Who manages the proceedings and who profits from its existence?
If you are in business, any kind of a business, then create a business manual. Follow the house rules. If not, your business stands little or no chance to succeed. Please! Don't take my word for it. If this is how you operate your business, then pardon me. I know it is your business, but. . .
You Are Fired!
Bids for Work Falsified, GAO Reports - Washington Post
IBM profit tops targets, forecast up - guardian.co.uk
CNNMoney.com IBM profit tops targets, forecast up guardian.co.uk, UK - IBM posted a 12 percent rise in service contract signings, a business in which it leads the world, and said major Western countries were buying technology ... IBM Income Rose 22%, Beating Forecasts IBM Reports 2008 Second-Quarter Results IBM Strengthed By Global Growth, Services -