A Lemonade Stand Model...For a Hassle Free and Very Profitable Business.

Years ago before I became a business consultant I had the pleasure of working as an account manager at a two-person valet stand. As simple as the role was (on paper), I learned 95% of everything I needed to know about how to run a successful business from an operational standpoint there. Since there wasn’t very much paperwork or vast numbers of employees to manage besides a few part-time floaters, it was quite easy to see when something was working, when it wasn’t, and why. So how can we take this slim-downed, easy to follow approach to 100,000+ employees and make it work just as well?

95% of everything you need to know about running a highly successful business is already right at your fingertips. How? In order to have your business “up and running” just as it is now – with a few employees or thousands of them, you needed to have the core basics in place and working, so that growth could occur. Everything it takes to run any operation for most businesses are already in their places. So, what's the primary reason we turn away from this very easy to follow and successful model? I’ll give you a little primer here…It’s not growth or the reach for maximum profits, that makes our situations more difficult. It comes from the misunderstanding that there is something we must sacrifice (that’s greatly needed), in order to grow the most, financially. Here is a quick and simple analogy to show exactly you what I mean…

Picture a house of cards that has one very stable level. If we wanted to build it higher, would we take a card from our already standing foundation to build a second tier? Of course we wouldn’t! We would simply grab another card from the deck, and keep on building upwards. The same goes for any other levels we would like add. If we run out of cards, we would take a very small amount of our earnings and we would simply buy another deck. Even if we wanted to build thousands of these, we would just use the same model that’s working and continue on. This is a game that most of us played and mastered when we were very young. Although it took a little time to get all of the cards in their proper places, once we had a solid foundation that stood the weight of a few more levels easily, the sky (and the number of cards we had), were the only limits to what we could achieve. In order to get back to where we were or to grow even further, we need to ask a few questions to see where we are now, and what’s needed to do that – just like building that house of cards a long time ago.

Looking to see where we are right now, and what we might need to do next is an action step that we are always making, no matter who or where we are. We are always using our senses to gather information about our present circumstances, so that we can continue to move ahead successfully. And we already know how to do this. So, what stops us from doing this with our business regularly? Unfortunately, this is also built on another illusion that says something like, “What if we discover that we got off-course, and it will take us more than a few steps to get back to where we were?” In essence, we are worried about handling some of the negative feelings that might come along with our answer.

However, if I asked you to answer this question (for me) in any other situation, you would probably just smile and say, “Why Jeff, all that you need to do is such and such, and then – you’re right back to where you wanted to be!” It’s amazing how the answers are so easy to discover when we are not attached to what we might find; and this seems much easier to do for people outside of us. So, if we take a more objective “look” without blame or judgement or even worry, the simple answer we needed to move ahead, or to get back to where we once were – is right there with us!

The second step follows the same easy to understand line of logic. So, what if we discover that we need to put ______ amounts of profit or energy back into the business, so that it runs the way it used to in the beginning, or when everything was going smooth? What would really happen? Maybe a sigh about the seeming loss of energy, or a drop in the bottom line on a given day? Who knows, you might even discover that you’re much further ahead, than you thought you were! This is also a real possibility, as well. Remember…Whatever you find, all goes right back into the same money making system you have now. So, it’s really not a negative or a loss, at all. If anything, this re-investment in your business is just a re-investment in your own personal health, wealth, and happiness. Since everything that happens in your business comes right back to you – emotionally, logistically, and financially, there's really no loss from asking a few questions. Even if you discover that you might need to make a few more moves to grow into where you really wanted to be, it all goes right back into your business!

See?

Take the emotional judgement out of this equation, and the logistical steps and what’s needed financially is already right there with you.

So, I’ll leave you with just one more very fitting question that most of us are afraid to ask. (Remember how I told you it was easier for someone outside to ask this question, because the judgement isn’t really there?) So, what is the negative if you have to take a little bit out of your profits now, so that your business can continue to run so much easier, and produce even more profits for you long-term, without the hassle?

You guessed it right. There aren’t any downsides to this equation – you just thought that there were. Why?

Simply from not remembering that you already asked these very same questions, when your business was first “up and running.” You’ve already been down this road before! Every once and a while we need to check in with ourselves, our managers and our customers, so that we can get the proper feedback we need to stay on course. We might find a few things that need an adjustment, but remember we are already taking steps all the time to keep things moving along, anyway.

In the end, it doesn’t really matter if the actions are to fix something that needs a little help, or if it’s to keeps operations moving forward. The energy is all going in the same direction – up. Every step we take in life and in business is to achieve a happier moment now and in the future. So, I hope this short and to the point article has helped you realize that you already have what’s needed to maintain and grow what you have, right now. You just needed a positive reminder, and that’s about it. We all need that sometimes – from ourselves and the people around us. It’s what we're all here to do at one time or another, so that we achieve our goals.

…And, if there is any way I can help to put those few successful steps back into place, I’m right here to help without judgement. Why is that again? Every step we take is just to get back to where we once were happily, or to move us forward to an even better place…Remember?

You’ve just shown yourself that things can really be almost as easy as running a simple lemonade or two-person valet stand, when we give ourselves the permission to do what’s needed, when it’s needed. In the end, it comes down to realizing that you already know what you might need to do, and you already have all of the resources available to make your business run, just like it used to in the beginning. Whatever we decide to do will only make it more rewarding and much easier to enjoy where we are, and what we can accomplish. If not, then what’s the point? If that’s the case, there really isn’t anything standing in your way now.

Something tells me with the smile that’s been growing, you’re about to make a great decision...

If that’s true, since this article is finished, now might be the perfect time to act on what you’ve just discovered.

Good for you!