Taking Your
Business to the
Next Level
Connie Sue Centrella
Director of Education – Team Horner
Department Chair- Keiser University
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You are the only person
who has a say in how
your life or your business turns out!
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Your Business Life Cycle
GROWING
AGING
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Four Main Stages
Start-up
Maturity
Adolescence
Adulthood
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Start-up
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Focus on product and vision
Capital requirements
Building corporate infrastructure
Thin management
Thin production capacity
Risk diverse
Start-up
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Adolescence
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Capitalize on unique products
Significant capital expenditures
Revenue focus
Escalating costs
Talent management
Adolescence
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Adulthood
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Operations focus
Multiple products and services
Expanding services
Focus on profitability
More risk tolerant
Threat of competition
Adulthood
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Maturity
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Maturing products and markets
Shedding of noncore businesses
Cost management – legacy costs
Outsourcing
Focus on infrastructure
Owner loses drive and vision
Second and third generation
Maturity
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Where are you now?
• Are you in a rut?
• Doing the same thing you did five years ago.
• Let’s examine ourselves
• What is our motivation?
• What energizes you to go to work each day?
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Mind Plays Tricks
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Your mind wants to protect you
Wants you to stay in the past
Tries to stop you from taking risks
Get over your fear
Clear your mind
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Next Level
• Go back to why you started the business….
• We need to rekindle that passion
• What were our business and personal goals?
• Forget the “nuts and bolts” of our business
• Discover “why” we are in business…….
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The Golden Circle
Outside-in
WHY
Inside-Out
HOW
WHAT
Adapted from TED: Simon Sinek “Golden
Circle”.
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WHY is a belief
HOWs are actions we take to realize that belief
WHATs are the results of those actions
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Conventional Thinking
We sell “what”
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We sell swimming pools
We sell chemicals
We sell energy efficient pumps/motors
We sell heat pumps
We sell filters
We provide a cleaning service
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Understanding “How”
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Systems and processes
How do we build the pool?
How do we test the chemical parameters?
Gives us the ability to hire people
Who share our “why”.
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How do we measure?
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Profits
Pools built
Chemicals sold
Employee involvement
• How do we measure values?
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WHY
• Emotional side
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We desire to make people happy!
We encourage health and well-being
American Dream
Lifestyle
Family
Affluence
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Emotion
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What are our values?
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Culture
Passion
Happiness
Motivation
Integrity
Creativity
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Look at our customer
Emotional buyers
Not interested in wall thickness
Mil of liner
Amps and watts of energy efficient pumps
o This is “what”
• Visualizing happy faces of their children
• Visualizing fun in their backyard
o This is “why”
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Customer Motivators
Attention
Competency
Caring
Customer
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Energize your business
• Cultivate creativity
• Instill in employees your vision
• Only thing that matters is how the consumer
perceives our business
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Bring out the “why” we do what we do
What sets up apart from the competition
What is our vision?
Reach the emotional side of consumer
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Revise Marketing Plan
• Focus on the “why”
• Focus on the emotional side of consumer
• Change the order in website developing’
• Start with why you are in business (emotional)
• Inspires people to act!
• Then go to how and what you do that set you
apart!
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Southwest Airlines
• WHY? Champion a cause of the common man
• HOW? Cheap, fun and simple
• WHAT? ??????
Now you are free to move about the country.
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Balance
• Why, How, What must be in balance
• Achieves Authenticity
• Buyer feels fulfilled.
• Out of balance
o Stress and uncertainty exists
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You must be clear about your purpose, cause or belief.
Make sure that everything you say and do is
consistent with and authentic to that belief.
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What is a company?
• A company is a culture
• Group of people who share common set of values
and beliefs.
• It is not products and services that bind a company
• Your goal:
• Hire people who believe what you believe.
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Energize your employees
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Must understand “why” you are in business
Value of teamwork is important
Strong team involvement
Generates creativity
Generates more efficiency
Generates more productivity
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Employees
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Assess each strength and weakness
What are their values?
Wants to feel their job makes a difference
You provide emotional tools
Mold your team by capturing the best traits to
compensate for weaknesses of others
• Southwest Airlines – ability to find people who share
their cause to provide great service.
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What is Business
Coaching?
MENTOR
LEAD BY
EXAMPLE
MOTIVATE
SUCCESS
VISION
COACH
INSPIRE
TEACH
TEAM
WORK
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It is amazing what you can
accomplish if you do not care
who gets the credit.
Harry S. Truman
Jack Benny
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Prioritize your strategy
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Analyze each faction of your business
Manage by “walking around”
Tackle high priority projects
Watch your ego… be sure you are focused
Be sure you are looking at the “why”.
• This builds trust…………
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Competitive Advantage
• Offering consumers greater value
• Difference between your company’s abilities and
those of your competitors
• Why customers should do business with you?
• It is about consumer trust – shared values
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Rizzo Pool & Spa
When Only The Best Will Do
• We could not begin to achieve this goal without the
dedication of a team of devoted workers and
craftsmen. From initial design concept to site
preparation to actual construction of your pool and
waterscape, the Rizzo team is committed to meet
and exceed your expectations.
• We are proud of the recognition our pools have
received, but the greatest reward associated with a
Rizzo Pool is the lifetime satisfaction, pride, and
pleasure they bring to you. We invite you to join the
select group of Rizzo Pool owners.
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California Builder
• Serving Folsom and all surrounding areas, American
Pools offers quality gunite pools and spas with
custom hand drawn plans that will have you
dipping your toes in the pool of your dreams in no
time. We will provide you with a comprehensive
free estimate at competitive rates so you know
what to expect before the work begins. You will
work one-on-one with a company owner who will
turn your backyard ideas and dreams into a reality
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Manufacturer
• Create comfort with more free time to enjoy it
The comfort of crystal-clear, silky-soft water that
never turns eyes red, should be as easy on you, as it
is on the environment and your wallet. Get the
comfort you desire with automation.
• Stimulate your senses
Ambiance is about transforming outdoor spaces to
suit your every mood, whim and party theme.
Stimulate all of your senses with light, sound, motion
and scents that please and thrill, creating
ambiance that is uniquely you.
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Trust
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Trust is a feeling, not a rational experience
Trust allows us to rely on others
We trust those in our community
Do your employees fit into our business community?
More important that skills…. We can teach skills
We can’t teach trust….
• Organizations become great because the people
inside feel protected.
• Strong culture creates a sense of belonging.
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To the Next Level
• Reorganize your company based on WHY not What
you are doing.
• Market your business to the emotional side
• Motivate employees on WHY we are in business
• Hire employees with the same values
• Communicate your vision for the company
• Lead by example
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You are the Leader
Leaders never start with WHAT needs to be done
Leaders start with WHY we need to do things
Leaders inspire action!!
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Books to Read
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True Alignment – Edgar Papke
Start with Why – Simon Sinek
Broken Windows Broken Business - Michael Levine
“Applebee’s America” by Douglas B. Sosnik,
Matthew J. Dowd & Ron Fournier
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Contact Information
• Connie Sue Centrella
• 113 Holly Forest
• Nashville, TN 37221
• ccentrella@teamhorner.com
• ccentrella@keiseruniversity.edu
• poolady1@msn.com
• Cell: 615-405-4117
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