I don't have time for this!

It has been suggested that time was first measured over 6,000 years ago by viewing the moon, and the importance of time has featured in our lives ever since. It has significant importance, having economic value “time is money” as well as personal value, due to the awareness of the lack of time we all seem to have “where has today gone”.

Since the introduction of our own strategic process ‘the lack of time’ has featured as the biggest common denominator as to why business owners and managers cannot develop their businesses, or support their teams. “I don’t have time to think when I’m this busy” is a usual phrase and another phenomenon has started to emerge as owners are raising the bar on how many hours of time they are putting into the business - almost as a badge of honour.

Call me old fashioned but if two business owners with similar profit returns stood in front of me today and one said “I’m putting 90 hours a week into my business, I don’t have time to think” and the other said “I’m putting 45 hours a week into my business, what do you want me to think about?” - I know which business will be successful with their business development and longer term growth plans.

Another approach to time from some business owners is how many days per week they are choosing to work with and on their business. When your team; systems, process and costs are well managed, it enables your own business more free time to think and plan further ideas and ventures.

Is time for you to look at your time as a valuable investment and not just the measurement of a day?

Success from out of the Blue

Over the past six months we have helped businesses in retail, engineering, hospitality; IT, textiles, FMCG and construction take time out of their businesses. To help them reflect on where they wanted to go with the business and help them to remember the personal goals they were originally setting out for.

With the investment of time away from the day to day running of the business, many owners and managers have been able to find answers and solutions to challenges that they have being faced with for months and years, but never tackled.

Through the sectors we are currently working with our advisory teams have already helped clients identify:

• New customer growth opportunities
• Defined a new hierarchy and leadership strategy
• Helped with an exit plan and succession planning
• Run a brand audit and supported the development of a marketing plan
• Grown a client business through a focused acquisition plan
• Structured a growth plan to sourcing access to appropriate finance
• Identified expansion plans for a client with export and an overseas presence

With our Blue process you and your business will achieve a clear direction with a number of strategic objectives and more importantly how to deliver on them. We will be there to remind you of where you wanted to go with the business and what you wanted to get out of the business personally.

All of the above are areas which the owners and managers of businesses know what to do but through our process we are making them invest the time to do this and it is already bringing rewards.

For more information, visit our Blue page contact Dave Clarkson, Business Development Director