Small Business Operating System SB/OS
Are you tired of your business running you?
Are you putting off life, until your business is ‘working better’?
Are you struggling with trying to be a marketing whizz, an operations pro, a finance expert and a human relations virtuoso? (NO ONE CAN DO ALL THAT)
Unless you do something different, you will continue to get the same results – burnout, feeling inadequate and never getting ahead.
It’s not your fault. We’re told that in order to succeed, we need to master marketing, operations, finance and human resources. If you could manage to do that superhuman feat, all you would have is better marketing, more efficient operations, accurate financials and employees who toe the line. You wouldn’t have plenty of the best customers, laser-like focus on doing exactly the best work, numbers that matter and amazing employees who make your life easier.
Instead we struggle under the MBA model. It was designed in the early part of the last century as a way to divide the management of large business into functional areas. It does not make sense for small business when management is one person or a small team. And yet, it’s the model we are told to use.
There is a better way!
I’m Frances Schagen and I owned Crystal Clear Bookkeeping Ltd. for 15 years. I got the privilege of diving deep into 100’s of businesses. I saw what worked, and what didn’t. I watched some small business owners struggle for years and some make steady progress.
Watching this I could see there was a fundamental flaw with the way small business was done. I knew there had to be a better way.
I dove in deeper. I read, went to conferences, studied everything and asked questions of every business owner I met. It was clear that ‘the way it should be done’ was not working. If it were, small business owners wouldn’t be struggling the way they were. Instead they would be thriving.
You know how they say a fish can’t see water? I realized, we were immersed in the answer. It’s the default operating system we all use to run our businesses. Have you ever thought about your business operating system? Who does?
I do. Finally.
Once I recognized that was the problem, I was able to step waaay back and think about what the perfect small business operating system would be. And that’s when I came up with this. The small business operating system (SB/OS). What I lack in naming, I more than make up for in content.
The SB/OS is about the 3 most important people in your business: you, the owner; your customers and your staff (or contractors/suppliers/partnering businesses). Each takes a journey through your business, from attraction, through engagement and it all begins and ends with serving & delighting. Nail that – and we can all get our heads around that, can’t we? – and you have a business that works for you and is a joy to run.
After almost 20 years I can confidently say I have the answer. Now it’s time to test it with a group of small business owners. Are you in? Would you like to try a new way of operating your business? One that makes sense? One that you can understand? One that gives you maximum results like profit, with the minimum of energy? One that steers you to working on only the parts of your business that give you results.
Even though this makes all the sense in the world, this is a new concept and will take as much time to unlearn the old ways as it does to learn this new way. I will use brain and behavioral science to help you. It takes more than knowledge. You need to know how the knowledge applies to your business and what a successful outcome will be, so you know what you are headed towards. We will be using a flipped classroom model. That means you learn the work at home and spend class time, discussing it and figuring out how to apply it to your business.
We’re going to take it one journey at a time starting with the Owner’s Journey – your journey: building a business that works for you.
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You will get a workbook. Please complete it before the class.
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We will meet online for our class where you will take the work you did at home and through discussion, decide the best way to implement it in your business.
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You get regular prompts to help you make the changes necessary. Making change is more about changing habits than about learning a new way.
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We will check in virtually on a weekly schedule to make sure you are continuing to progress and to brainstorm inevitable snafus.
By the end of each journey, your business will be easier to run and more profitable.
First Journey: Craft your business to support your life (not the other way around)
Starts July 12, online 1-3 ADT, then 4 weeks of followup
Second Journey: Getting more and better customers
Starts August 16online 1-3 ADT, then 4 weeks of followup
Third Journey: Staff that make your business better and easier
Starts September 20 online 1-3 ADT, then 4 weeks of followup
Each Journey is $200 or 2 for $350 or take all 3 for $500