If all you ever do ...

If all you ever do

is all you've ever done,

then all you'll ever get 

is all you've ever got.

I have done some small business consulting over the years. I enjoy the process of identifying why I have been called in to help a business.  The owner always recognizes their business is struggling but are often too closely involved to fully comprehend why their business is struggling.  Sometimes they have ideas and I am asked to help find a solution that will improve a particular aspect of their business. Other times, it's more like they throw their hands into the air in general exasperation and figuratively scream "Help!"  Invariably there is a reluctance to implement changes to the extent needed and they end up doing pretty much what they have been doing all along. Throughout the process I often hear "this is how we became successful" to which I reply "it's also why your business is struggling now."

In two recent situations both were losing customers at an alarming rate.  The customers were going to competitors. The question to be asked and answered was, why?  The answers were similar in both situations.  Failing infrastructure and what could only be labeled as aggressively abusive customer service.  Yes, I just wrote that. Customer service could be difficult to work with and was driving customers away.  If this is beginning to sound like an episode of Bar Rescue, that's because that's basically what it is.

I watched as an owner of a long established business was forced to eventually shut his doors.  He refused to listen to advice from his family, his employees and people like me who he asked for help. In the end, he refused to change and so lost the family business.  I am currently watching the slow death of another long standing business under similar circumstances. They have lost upwards of 50% of their customer base in recent years. They seem to believe they have a product that sells itself even as reality is telling them they do not.  People tired of dealing with poor customer service are finding similar products to be more to their liking.  It's a shame.

Change is not a bad thing.

Most of the people I work for in these situations agree that change is not a bad thing. They are looking to me to help them identify changes to make that will restore their business to a former more prosperous status. Many are even open to personnel changes. At least in terms of reassigning people if not actually firing anyone. But what happens when it is the person in charge who actually needs to go?

Jon Taffer, the bar consultant from Bar Rescue often mentions he must first fix a relationship or a person before he can fix the bar.  This idea is not isolated to failing bars. It can hold true for any type of business ... or sports team. And as can be seen when Mr. Taffer revisits bars from previous shows the personal aspect of failing cannot always be fixed. Sometimes when this has happened I have had the business owner inquire as to my interest in buying him out. I have not done so to date, but that is subject to change going forward. In fact, I am facing a time in my life where rather significant change seems to be on the menu. It's difficult to let go of of what I have loved to do for so many years, but changes are dictating that I may have no other choice.  I am an odd mix of fearful and excited about the prospect. I am drawing from my experiences with small business and conducting soccer camps these past many years to guide me.  Change, it is a coming and I am learning to embrace it early rather than fight it for I wish to save what I have rather than risk losing it all.