Do you ever have a week where everything starts happening at once? It is all great and exciting but it can be hard to keep all the balls in the air. Does it energize you or overwhelm you?
Do you have a time of year that is your “rush”? Is there a time when there is a huge increase in demand for your products or services and things get a bit crazy? How have you learned to manage these peaks?
As I write this I’m sitting at my mechanics waiting to get my winter tires on and it’s crazy! Why? Snow or the threat of snow! Tires are piled up everywhere, phone is ring, and the parking lot is overloaded with cars and it’s sunny out; wait until it actually snows and stays.
Winter is an expected event where I live and yet we, the consumers, tend to be surprised when it snows. Like “oh it snowed, we need tires, NOW!” Mechanics/garages need to manage around human nature, Mother Nature and product availability, a huge challenge.
I’m in and out in 30 minutes.
How do they manage it? By staying with 5 guiding principles:
- Maintain an exceptional team
- Scheduling, scheduling, scheduling
- Stay focused on the customer and exceed expectations
- Have a can do attitude
- Love what they do and have fun at it.
What is your challenge time? When are your rushes? How can you plan for it? What attributes are important to you? The 5 principals used by my mechanic can apply to any business. Knowing what to expect and planning for it are key to your success.
Are you ready for your “Snow”?
I love to see entrepreneurs follow their passions, serve more people and create the lifestyle of their dreams.
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Brilliant post Heather! Really enjoyed it and you’ve got me thinking…its time to get planning!
Thanks Rachael – It great how much difference a plan can make. I’ve had a crazy busy week, so things as simple as write my blogs in advance and setting aside time to do some replies has really helped me manage it all.
Attitude is the key in business. The better you behave the better you feel at your work and the better your progress.
Bruno, Definitely. You can really tell someone attitude in their body language and in their voice. I shows and if people see it they will often be less demanding and more patient when things come up.
Silly question. We are NEVER ready in the UK. It’s crazy that we go through winter, get a dusting of snow and the PANIC starts! Absolute MAYHEM! I wonder what we would do if we were Austria or Switzerland? Probably stop altogether!
When you talk about being prepared, it’s a shame we don’t all take on board the scouts motto and Be Prepared for anything. I know I am, but what about the panickers?
Barrie, Lol, I know my niece just moved to the UK and she’s waiting to see what it is like if it snows. Yes the panickers, they are a hard lot to manage, although if you know your business is full of panickers it’s good to figure out what to to do with them.
I chuckle at different times each year, Heather, when people voice surprise over the arrival of annual events! Living in the moment and not looking ahead at the calendar is not an efficient way to run a life or a business!! If you can be prepared for the “snow” that arrives approximately when it should, it is easier to deal with the “tornadoes” that do arrive unexpectedly.
Agnes: “Living in the moment and not looking ahead at the calendar is not an efficient way to run a life or a business!!” – So true!
Great analogy. We already have snow and I do not like it. LOL Love the 5 principles. Thanks for sharing. Anita
Anita: We’ve had dusting of snow so far. I know it is coming but everyone will “panic” when we have the 1st big storm.
Great post Heather and love how you have connected this to how a home based business should be run and you are so right with your points.
Thanks Merle, You can really tell when a home based business person is on top of these things. I recently had a coaching call with a home based business that wasn’t succeeding and they were struggling with the last 2 points. They’d lost their love for what they were doing, particularly the sales part of it and it was showing in their results.