"Most people run their businesses like they run their lives, only more so. In other words, they run them somewhat haphazardly. They have a general idea of what they want to do (clean clothes, sell computers, do graphic design), and then they head in that general direction, dealing more or less effectively with whatever comes their way. If they are smart and lucky, they have a good time, and they are successful - up to a point. If they make poor decisions or are unlucky, they have a bad time, and their businesses fail.

"The level to which your business has grown reflects YOU - your vision, your way of doing things, and your limits." - W. Hunter Roberts

Break On Through To The Other Side:
How to Get There from Here!
W. Hunter Roberts, M.S.W., M. Div.

Everyone says they want to grow their businesses, but . . .

What would it be like if your business broke through that whole other level you sometimes dream about?

Take a moment and imagine. Pouf! Your business is the size and shape you've always wished for. What would it look like? Where would you be? Would you have that beautiful office, that great assistant? Or would you be buried in piles of paper, beset by angry employees, and overwhelmed with trying to figure out how to handle everything?

Ask yourself: Could your present methods of planning, budgeting, record keeping, communications, and decision making handle the needs of this larger, more successful business?

Probably not. You would probably need clearer systems to manage a bigger, more successful business. Your business might even collapse under such an increase. Most of us do not plan for success. We think that, should it ever happen, we can deal with putting in systems (usually computer systems) to accommodate growth after it "happens."

Most people run their businesses sort of like they run their lives, only more so. In other words, they run them somewhat haphazardly. They have a general idea of what they want to do (clean clothes, sell computers, do graphic design), and then they head in that general direction, dealing more or less effectively with whatever comes their way. If they are smart and lucky, they have a good time, and they are "successful"----up to a point. If they make poor decisions or are unlucky, they have a bad time, and their businesses "fail."

Maybe you fall into the "successful" camp. Up to a point. But you still may be asking yourself:

• Why isn't my business continuing to grow?
• How do I break this invisible barrier I keep running into?
• Why do I feel like I'm on a treadmill that keeps going faster, but doesn't produce any more in the end?
• Why does this same thing keep happening to me (losing employees, losing accounts, losing money) keep happening to me?
• Why do I feel stuck instead of free?

We are going to suggest an answer to these questions that may seem crazy, or backwards at first. We are going to suggest that your business is equal to the level of the systems you have developed for running it.

Or, to say it a little differently, the level to which your business has grown reflects you----your vision, your way of doing things, and the limits of both. The ways of doing things that made you successful may be the very reason you are stuck.

You may have maxed out on your usual, normal way of doing things. To grow your business you may have to do things differently. I have a sign in my office that says, "If you keep doing what you are doing you will keep getting what you are getting." Simple.

Here's the thing. You may not be able to see what you are doing, so that you can't figure out why you are getting what you are getting. That’s when you need the services of a consultant or coach.

When Transformative Arts looks at your business we look at all aspects of your practices. We look at:

• Communications
• Quality Control
• Service
• Organization
• Financial planning and budgeting
• Employee involvement and commitment
• Long term planning
• Decision making

We know that, in truth, you can't get there from here. There is no other side. There is only this side and now - putting in the systems and practices that your business would have if it broke through to being really successful. Then watch it grow!