Take Flight – Business Growth Strategies with Business Coach Dan Holstein

Do you know what it's like to buy from your business?  Do you understand your customer’s buying journey? Do you know what hoops you make your customer jump through in order to do business with you?  Is it possible that your buying process is annoying your customer? Regardless of whether you run a large enterprise or a small business, your customer's experience of you will attract them to...

With everything you have on your plate, starting a new initiative might seem like an overwhelming task. Thinking something is going to be harder than it is, might lead you to procrastinate, leading to time constraints and making that task seem ever more difficult. Sound familiar? I think we've all been there at one point or another - I know I have.  In this week's video, I share a simple...

Are you Driven or Ambitious? And why does it matter?   The first female NFL coach, Dr. Jen Welter, was the keynote speaker at a conference I attended a few years ago where she put this question to us all in the audience.   It made us pause and most of us were not sure!  She explained how these words define our outlook and what is really motivating us all.   In this week’s video, we discuss the dif...

Do you ever feel like you need to babysit your team because they have trouble completing some tasks successfully and consistently? I know many business owners who feel that way. And it is usually because they don't have an effective framework to train their team members, or they just don't invest enough time training them to be effective. In this week's video, I share with you a 5 s...

This is a critical question for you: How much are you personally needed every day in your business?  How much is reliant on you, your decisions, and your experience?   Are you so important that it keeps you from taking a few days off or take a holiday and completely disconnect?   In this week’s video I share a practical strategy for HOW to become less important in your day-to-day operations, so yo...

As the CEO of your business, your responsibilities over time have likely increased in both number and volume.  There comes a time when you need to make a critical hire to take many of those vital responsibilities off your plate.  Once you do that, you can focus on the strategic areas of your business, and grow your enterprise.   In this week’s video, I’ll be sharing what the responsibilities of th...

I was at the airport recently and I got thinking about the windsock as it was blowing around in the gusting winds. A windsock is a simple yet critical tool for pilots, as it tells them what direction the wind is blowing and at what speed, which is extremely important when you’re taking off or landing a plane. What areas of your business do you need to know the velocity and direction? Cash flow? Le...

Have you ever been in a state of thinking that a particular situation can't change, nothing is going to work, and become resigned to the fact that this is just kinda how it is? Watch to learn the simple process to getting unstuck and achieve different and better outcomes. Connect with me on LinkedIn Watch episodes on our YouTube Channel  Watch THIS episode on our YouTube Channel  Schedule a D...

Whenever we interact with our customers, we are having an impact on them. The impact is rarely neutral, and usually either positive or negative. When we have a positive impact, its like making a little deposit into their emotional bank account. Having a negative impact on a customer is like making a withdrawal from their emotional bank account. Whether we are making a deposit or withdrawal is base...

I find that when talking with business owners that they find it’s difficult to get and stay consistent on their most important tasks because life just gets in the way. So I want to share with you a little story and a technique so that you can gain and maintain your consistency in doing the successful things that you need to do to achieve your goals. Jerry Seinfeld, one of the most successful comic...

Do you find meetings a waste of time and energy? Most business owners do too, because meetings are plagued with some of these chronic challenges: They never start on time. People don't come prepared. You feel like the changes discussed in the meetings don't actually happen. Participants are distracted and not paying attention. The consultation rambles. You never get through the agenda. I...

This week I want to talk to you about personality styles and behavioural styles. Think about this: on your team do you have anybody that kind of drives you nuts? Are you looking at their difference as a weakness? If you are, I'd like to challenge you to  look at their difference as a strength. For example, if you're high energy a lot of motion person, you're getting out there making...

Have you ever said that you wanted to be, do, or have something and then immediately or shortly thereafter you decided that you couldn't be, do, or have that thing. And then you talked yourself out of it. What happens there? You're inspired with the idea of something that you could do, but then you made a decision that it wasn't possible for you.   Something I want you to think abou...

Hear the story of entrepreneur Juliet Aurora who started her enterprise out of pure necessity in the spare bedroom of her house 20 years ago, and how she and her husband Steve Loates grew it into a national bookkeeping firm that has earned Intuit's highest Accolade: Firm of the Future. Along the way, Juliet and Steve had a lot of ups and downs - and eventually grew not only their company, but...

Do you ever feel nervous about trying something new in business or life? This week, my daughter Megan and I discuss strategies to push through the nervousness, jitters and limiting beliefs that can keep us from trying new things and achieving what we want to accomplish! If you've ever thought: - Can I even do it? - What will happen if I fail? - What if I don't do a good enough job? - Wha...

Are you hard on yourself? Are ya? You…I’m talkin to you. Yeah, maybe not all the time but sometimes…a little bit of that negative self-talk kickin in there about this, that, or the other thing. Maybe it’s how much money you’ve made, or didn’t. How much time you’re working in your business or not, or that thing that you didn’t do just quite right or perfect enough. I work with a lot of business own...

Have you ever had one of those days where you'd prefer to just stay home, and not go into your business and deal with all the stress?  I think we've all been there at one point or another.  As business owners, we are subject to a lot of pressure, stress and challenges on a daily basis: Meeting client expectations, handling cashflow issues, staffing issues, competition, marketing, sales,...

The effectiveness and quality of your team is a significant factor in the valuation of your business.   In addition to the amazing people on your team, you might have some staff that you regard as a consistent headache but continue to keep them on.   Maybe they’ve got some key relationships with customers, or they’ve been with the business for a long time.  Perhaps you feel it will be difficult -...

As business owners, it's easy (and sometimes tempting) to allow ourselves to get pulled into too many roles in our businesses. And let's face it, who doesn't like to be the person with all the answers and solutions? The challenge we have is that we can get spread too thin. The result is a business that constantly relies on us, which reduces our freedom and limits the business value....

Does your business have an 'X-Factor' that makes it really stand out from your competition?   This week, in episode 2 of 10 in our Driving Business Value series, we discuss how to determine what your X-Factor is, and how it sets you apart from your competitors, and keeps your customers coming back to you.   Knowing and developing what makes your business unique and valued in your marketp...

The difference between a Zapper and Sapper is the energy the person brings to those around them. A Zapper brings energy and a Sapper drains energy from those around them. Think of the folks you enjoy spending time with - I would wager that they are Zappers - you leave an interaction with them feeling better - energized, upbeat and positive. And the folks you would prefer not to spend too much time...

If you are considering exiting your business in the next few years, NOW is the time to get to work on increasing the value of your business. This week's video is episode 1 of 10 in my Driving Business Value series, and is all about Key Person Reliance. Key Person Reliance or Dependency is where any one person is too important to the business, which can cause your business value to diminish. C...

You know effective execution is what keeps your business moving forward quickly and profitably, but sometimes getting the entire organization to execute well is a challenge.  In today’s video I share the three key things to have in mind for effective execution:  1. Clear priorities for everyone  2. Measurement of progress on priorities  3. Effective meeting rhythms. Not just meetings that everyone...

Did you know that most business owners think their business is worth more than it is? The reality is your business is only worth what someone will pay for it - not necessarily what you think they should pay. If you are making decisions about business succession or transition based on guessing - you could be setting yourself up for disappointment. In this week's video, I share two common reaso...

When you’re asked, "How’s business?" Do you answer “Busy!” Is busy something that happens to us or are we busy by choice? Often I see business owners over-commit out of a sense of service, and responsibility and obligation. As well, we are often the only ones who are able to execute on many areas of the business and we haven’t been successful at delegating and handing off many of those r...