Ask The Right Question
Why too many small business owners are spending valuable time and energy solving the wrong problems
Billy Beane
No matter how successful you are, change is always good.
There can never be a status quo.
When you have no money, you can't afford long term solutions, only short term ones.
You have to always be upgrading. Otherwise you're #@!
This week's blog takes inspiration from one of my favourite movies: Moneyball
Based on the book by Michael Lewis, this true story stars Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill.
Billy Beane (Brad Pitt), General Manager of the Oakland A's baseball team, has an epiphany.
Baseball's conventional wisdom is all wrong.
Faced with a tight budget (just like many small businesses), Beane must reinvent his team (both on and off the field) by outsmarting the richer baseball clubs.
Joining forces with Ivy League graduate Peter Brand (Jonah Hill), Beane prepares to challenge old-school traditions. He recruits bargain-bin players whom the scouts have labelled as flawed but have game-winning potential.
So please enjoy this week's blog as I weave The Business Of Sport insights which can be implemented into any small business from the abundance of inspiring and relevant quotes from this wonderful movie.
FOCUS: THE BUSINESS OF SPORT
Billy Beane
You're talking like this is business as usual. It's not.
You're not even looking at the problem.
Nope, that's not the right question.
What's the problem?
We've got to think differently.
This movie has so many parallels with running a small business:
• Limited funds
• Changing rules
• Players not wanting to follow the team plays and expectations
• Whingeing about the results but applying the same old negative thinking to every problem
Now I know that may seem a bit harsh, but for many small businesses, they are using old ways thinking to solve their problem of long term financial viability and relevance to the buyer.
So are you looking at the problems facing you and your business simply by solving (aka band-aiding) what's on the surface?
OR
Are you digging deep to uncover what's really happening and solving the real problem?
And you can only do this by asking the right questions because as I always say to my clients, questions give you information which in turn, gives you context.
Too many small business owners are focused on always getting new clients and forgetting to nurture the relationship to the loyal people in your database – the people who know you, trust you and have bought from you.
So what new thinking can you apply to your small business so it gets out of the 'business as usual' mode?
What new or different income streams can you bring into your small business by eg providing a refresher product or the next product in a line to your existing client base?
What problems are facing your clients which you could solve in eg a 1 hour webinar or a free downloadable guide?
Remember: If nothing changes, nothing changes
And here's my final thought:
The moral of this story is 'making the best of what you've got when you don't have much'.
So are you making the best of what you have – money, resources, people – and producing an amazing small business, despite all the odds stacked against you?
OR
Are you living in either fantasy land or denial, and just hoping things will get better, with no effort, investment or change on your part?
It's up to you!
And for those who haven't seen the movie, here's the
YouTube video which shows this scene but please note there is some language.
Cheers
Tamara
P.S And don't forget to book your
FREE 'Ask Me Anything' 30 Minute Zoom Session with me
here to help you solve the problems in your growing small business.
And if you're saying you don't have 30 minutes to spare, you really need to book in a session with me because I can easily create at least 1 simple strategy to save you 30 minutes a day so you've got nothing to lose!
