Author: Lisé Kuecker

A few weeks ago I hit my limit. Several last minute meetings had made it onto my calendar, I was booked full with clients, and nothing on my priority list had gotten done.

I sat there seething with frustration. Where had all the hours in my day gone? How did everyone wind up on my calendar with 20 minute bursts in between that weren’t long enough for me to do anything productive on my business? And, how was I going to fix it?

And, I was reminded of a very important truth.

If you don’t control your schedule, someone else will.

Continue reading “These Four Tools Are The Whole Reason I Get Things Done”

Let me set the stage.

 

Philadelphia. The US of A. June 6, 1776. The Second Continental Congress.

 

Richard Henry Lee introduces a motion for independence. A committee is formed and less than four weeks later a document is accepted that changes not just the United States, but colonialist powers throughout the world from Haiti to France to India.

 

The Declaration of Independence.

 

This is a remarkably simple document. It leaves our far more than it shares.

Continue reading “A History Lesson + The Less Is Better Mindset”

{hint} It’s not a job description, a comp plan or your onboarding manual.

No, in my mind you need to start with your principles. Good news is that some people have done a very good job of building you a template of ideas.

Enter Amazon.

Continue reading “What do you need to decide before you hire?”

When it comes to size, there are three phases of business in my estimation:

1. Lone Wolf. This is you when you start on your own. For some of my clients they don’t want to ever move past this stage. And, if you build the right business with vacation time and boundaries, this can be a wonderful place. But, know that you will always be bound to the number of hours in the day that you work.

2. Bistro Table Sized. Generally when my employees want to grow, they hire on one, maybe two employees, just enough to have room to enjoy lunch around a bistro table. For some, this is the bookkeeper or housekeeper that they’ve needed—not a true employee, but someone who has freed up your time so you can focus on the revenue and client side. For others it’s a technician, someone who is there to service additional clients.

3. Full-time staffing manager needed. I’ve found once you move beyond five employees, you either need to take on the role of a manager or to hire one. This is a new position one focused entirely on revenue growth and potential. It’s also focused on keeping your employees motivated, happy, and serving your customers at peak levels.

Continue reading “What skills does your newest hire really need to have?”