How To Deal With Business Problems & Challenges The Smart Way

This guest article was originally published on ClaireRaikes.com on 14 August 2011.

SME owners and sole traders often struggle with finding lasting solutions to the problems, issues and challenges (both routine and exceptional) that inevitably come up in business. There are all kinds of reasons for this which fall broadly into 2 areas:

1. Mindset. Typically, they are leaders and entrepreneurs – neither of which find it easy to

a) admit they need help – and that’s as much to themselves as, God forbid, anyone else
& b) actually ask or look for it!

We are used to being independent, making things happen… so even when we know things are not working, that things need to change, the idea that this time, we alone might not have the answer/can’t fix whatever’s broken is just a thought too far! Add to that the discomfort of feeling vulnerable, exposed, ‘stupid’ even, that admitting and sharing our problems can bring up and it’s little wonder we delay getting help – often perilously.

2.  Financial. When big businesses have problems, they call in expensive consultants. That works for them because they can afford big fees and they take the (correct) view that it’s an essential investment ie. they focus on the value the ‘spend’ will deliver, rather than seeing a ‘cost’. The sole trader, or small business (even if they share this ‘success’ mentality of ‘value/investment’) would be hard pushed to afford big business consulting fees. Even a few hundred pounds for half a day (say) with an independent consultant, can, in times of hardship – and when there are no guarantees – bring on the jitters. There’s a worry* about putting all your eggs in one basket… What if your investment doesn’t deliver, or fails to give you the desired return? (*Oh look, we’re back to mindset again!)

So what to do? Well, besides stepping away from our egos and accepting that we alone can’t possibly have ALL the answers, we can also accept that not only is it ‘okay’ to admit that we want help, it’s actually the smartest position to take. And from there, we can start looking for the best help available.

About a month ago, my dear friend, client and colleague Chris Ogle came up to Wales on one of his 4Networking (4N) Road Trips. Besides visiting and 4Sighting at several Welsh 4N meetings, he also arranged and chaired a Link4Growth ‘taster’ session after the  4N Chepstow event. Chris had been banging on about Link4Growth for months, and had hired me to build them a very basic website, so I already knew a fair bit about this new venture; but in truth, I didn’t really ‘get it’. He described it as a ‘Board Room’. Honestly? It sounded really dull and stuffy to me and I’d kind of decided that it wasn’t anything that I’d benefit from. However, I’d heard some really positive feedback from people who’d attended the first Link4Growth events, down ‘that London’ way, so whilst my decision to attend this ‘taster’ was mostly out of loyalty and a desire to support him, it was also to see what all the fuss was about.

Boy am glad I decided to show up! In fact, so powerful was the experience, that immediately afterwards, I put myself forward to get Link4growth off the ground here in Wales – and booked and PAID for my place on the first one.

Why so powerful? You know, I keep trying to explain ‘why’ to friends and associates in business , but it’s incredibly hard to do. I’ve yet to work out why that is, but I suspect it’s to do with the multiple levels it works on; it is a ‘board room’, and it’s also a mastermind group, and I’ve since discovered that the process is essentially an ‘action learning set’, but none of those phrases really explains how it flexes your business, relationship and personal development muscles simultaneously. And that goes as deep as it does broad. Plus it makes you feel great because you get to give as much as you receive…  so you feel supported and supportive, valued and valuable etc. in equal measure.

But most importantly perhaps – you get tangible, practical, workable  solutions and ideas to apply to your business from 12 REAL business people… not theorists, or people who are out of touch with today’s marketplace, but those – who like you are actually out there doing it – day in, day out.  So you benefit from freah thinking, MASSES of experience and new and varied skills and perspectives…

AND because dropping your ‘Yeah, business is fantastic!‘ mask, in favour of the ‘Actually, things are a bit crappy and I’m struggling‘ truth, takes a bit of courage – and you do it along with another 11 people in a supportive, respectful and confidential space – a quality of relationship is created which is usually only achieved after months, maybe even years, of small talk over coffee/wine.

Anyway, I’m loathe to go on now, because my gushiness is in danger of over-egging the whole thing, so instead, I’m going to point you towards the Link4Growth website where you can find out more about how it all works and where your nearest ‘board’ is.

I’m also going to leave you with an audio of an unplanned conversation I had with my friend Beryl Whiting about her Link4Growth experience.

If you’re in the South Wales area, please do come and try it for yourself. Our first session is on 18th August 2011 at the Coldra Holiday Inn in Newport (11 – 1.30pm) or the next one after that is on 7th September at the Maldron Hotel in Cardiff (10.30 – 12).
ADVANCE BOOKING is ESSENTIAL (£30*) and is easily done via the website or by following those links above.

*Someone suggested to me that people wouldn’t be prepared to spend £30 on something they’d never experienced before and that we should run a freebie session!! Well, I’m sorry if this upsets anyone, but if you’re not prepared to ‘risk’ a £30 investment in yourself and your business, then perhaps you should go find a job, because I’m pretty sure you shouldn’t be in business.