There was a question on Twitter this week about why there are no medium sized businesses.  Lots and lots of small businesses...plenty of big businesses...but very few medium.  Why is that?  Makes you think doesn't it.

It depends to a certain extent what you class as small, medium and large...we all know how wildly definition of size can vary...and what our classification is based on - number of employees, revenue, profit...global or local?  It will usually be based on a combination of these.

But what if it was based on something quantifiable only by the business owner?  What if we are defined by our levels of 'stuckness' and freedom?

Small business owners get stuck.  They are all in such a rush.  All so busy 'doing stuff'...getting up earlier, going to bed later...regularly working 70 hour weeks. There's so much to get done to keep the business going.  No time for family...and certainly not friends...they are for brief holidays and when the business is a success.

Small business owners are told to fear paralysis analysis...told to 'get shit out there' and not to worry that it is.  Planning? That's for people who will never go far.  Systems? They are for people with no imagination, who like things safe.  Action!  That's where it's at. Get more new products out there, change your service model, update your brand, flood your customer's inbox with communication. It's an endless hamster wheel of things to do.

As small business owners we are all running so fast that we are actually slowing our own progress.

Don't get me wrong, I am all for taking action and implementing what I learn, but when you act without planning, when you're always busy 'doing the doing', when your days are all random and chaotic...you're not free to grow your business and will forever be stuck.

Those who make it to medium have slowed down, in order to go faster.

They've taken the time to appreciate the value of the product they have, and understand fully how it helps their customers.

They've built a simple, uncomplicated business around that product.

They've developed simple, logical and repeatable systems to run the business.

They've employed people who share their values, trained them and empowered them to run the systems.

The medium business is limited only by the owner's imagination, because they are no longer stuck.  They are free to grow the business further...hire more people, go global, become a big business...or go lie on a beach somewhere.  They have the freedom to choose.

Small, medium or large...stuck or free...which are you?

…if you're ready to slow down to go faster...if you want to know how to 'unstick' your business…then pick up a copy of my book Process to Profit which gives you my take on the McDonald's model for small business growth…or, if you don't have time to read a book, please drop me a line, and I’d be happy to talk through what you can do right now to free up your time.
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For more information on how MPL can help you visit www.mariannepage.co.uk or contact me on hello@mariannepage.co.uk

When you're in a relationship, any relationship...whether it's with a friend, a partner, a customer...what's one of the things that you treasure most?

For most of us I'm guessing it's trust.

You want to know that you can rely on the other person; that when they say that they're going to do something, they do it; that they aren't moody-you always know where you stand with them. In other words, that they're consistent.

Consistency is a powerful relationship builder for a business. You only have to look as far as McDonald's to see that.

Your customers love it because they know what to expect from you...that any surprises are only going to be the nice kind. They know that they're going to get the same service no matter who they deal with or what time of day it is.  They know where they stand with you and that they can rely on you.

Your team love it because they know what's expected of them. They feel ownership because they understand what they're doing, and are left to get on with it.  They feel a responsibility to deliver for you and your customers.

And you love it, because it makes your life easier.  It frees up your time.  It allows you to grow your business...or develop it as a franchise...maybe run it from the beach.

A consistent business built around simple, logical systems, gives you freedom to do whatever rocks your boat.

Being a constant, dependable presence builds relationships in all areas of your life.

How consistent are you?
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…If you want more consistency in your business...if you get the What and want to know more about the How…then do pick up a copy of my book Process to Profit which shares a lot of info about setting up the systems you'll need…or, if you don't have time to read a book, please drop me a line, and I’d be happy to talk through some options with you.

For more information on how MPL can help you visit www.mariannepage.co.uk or contact me on hello@mariannepage.co.uk

Hands up if you've been an employee at some point in your life.

Chances are you have...whether you had a paper round, worked in the local supermarket or did jobs around the house for your mum for a bit of pocket money.

What was the experience like?

Do you remember it fondly, or was it a painful episode that you just put up with cos you needed the money?

What were you like as an employee?

A joy to work with...always on time and always cheerful? Or a pain in the backside...tardy, careless and moody?

What did you learn from it?

That there are good bosses and bad bosses, that you can like a boss without respecting them, and respect them without liking them, that it's all about relationships?

Way too often recently I've heard business owners talking about their employees as if they are adversaries in some gladiatorial contest.  Too much talk of HR, contracts, tribunals, and not enough about growth, fun and team spirit.  Too much focus on marketing the business brand, and none on developing a great brand as an employer.

For a lot of years I worked with McDonald's, a business renowned for giving young people their first job and then developing them to the point where they had real options in their life.  Were there people who didn't fit, didn't want to make the effort, didn't want to be part of a team...yes, of course.

But stay or go, there was never a drama, because there was always a system.

 - A system for hiring, for making a first day special, for structuring and measuring the success of a probationary period.

 - A system for training them how to follow the procedures and processes, and for developing the individual as an individual.

 - A system for measuring and managing performance, for keeping them on track.

 - A system for recognising and rewarding a job well done.

Systems make life easier for your employees and therefore for your customers.  Everyone knows where they stand. Everything is consistent and reliable.

Best of all, you are in control without always having to be there.  You're in control without having the drama that is too often associated with employing people. You are in control of a team of people who know what their role is, what standards are expected, and who get on and perform that role to the best of their ability.

If you want your business to run like clockwork, to grow without more effort on your part...sort out your people systems, and develop a great employer brand.

…And if this is still a dark art for you…if you get the What and want to know more about the How…either pick up a copy of my book ‘Process to Profit’ which shares a lot of info about setting up your people systems…or/and drop me a line, and I’d be happy to talk through some options with you.

For more information on how MPL can help you visit www.mariannepage.co.uk or contact me on hello@mariannepage.co.uk

There are two things that are universally true of entrepreneurs:

1. We are completely in control of our own destiny. Win or lose...succeed or fail...it's in our hands.

and

2. We love to create new things. We love to get a new idea off the ground...and we have LOTS of new ideas.
Of course, as we all know, this love of the new and exciting, can have a big impact on our destiny and that of our business...often not a positive one.

How many projects have you left unfinished?

How many 'changes of direction' has your business had?

How many big opportunities have you failed to capitalise on because you 'moved on' and never reached the tipping point?

My mentor pulled me up on this just last week.  We were talking books, and I commented that I was keen to write a second.

'Oh so you're bored with the one you have are you?' he said, 'You're ready to shelve it and move on to the next, when I (your market) am just discovering it.  You're bored eating cheeseburgers just as I fancy one!'

His message was clear: Finish what you start!

This time of year is notorious for 'moving on'. We're already focused on next year...already planning for it, which is good...essential actually.  But have we achieved everything we set out to this year, everything we planned for?

We have 3 full months to finish what we started.  3 full months to make this our best year yet.  Don't give up on this year and spend the next 3 months planning to move on. Even if it's not been a great year so far, we can finish it with a bang.

Get your plans back out.  Review what you said you'd do against what you've actually done.  Then set about doing some serious finishing work and make every day count!
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That champagne will taste so much sweeter on New Year's Eve if you do.

For more information on how MPL can help you visit www.mariannepage.co.uk or contact me on hello@mariannepage.co.uk