Weekly Review July 24-31, 2022
Paul Segreto
Thought Leader | Visionary Strategist | Empowering Entrepreneurs in Small Business, Restaurants & Franchising | CEO & Founder of Acceler8Success | Host of "Acceler8Success Cafe: The Podcast"
Just like an experience at your local café, I've planned for Acceler8Success Cafe to be conveniently located when and where you desire or need to relax, enjoy a cup of coffee, and catch up on some time for you. My goal is for Acceler8Success Cafe to be your virtual café, a place where you may frequently visit to enjoy a few minutes of leisure time to read, think and reflect about ways to improve and succeed in today's crazy business world.
I strive for your experience to be memorable by providing learning opportunities, by presenting different perspective & insight, by spurring thought & reflection, by encouraging interaction, and by spotlighting topics that, quite frankly, may not be as front and center as they should or need to be.
Acceler8Success Cafe is open for business seven days a week. For the benefit of current & aspiring entrepreneurs, this daily newsletter is delivered each morning. As a way to jumpstart the week ahead, a weekly review is delivered each Sunday morning listing and linking to the articles you might have missed during the previous week. My objective is to provide an opportunity for you to begin your day and the week ahead informed and with ideas that possibly could accelerate your success.
So, before we jump into this week's review, how about starting today with a smile? A positive thought? Your happy place? A tug at the child in you? And what better way than doing so than with Snoopy & Woodstock on this hot summer day!
Take Action to Overcome Fear
Over the past two weeks we had addressed surviving a downturn in the economy, and yes, in a recession. Whether just on the horizon or already in it, the effects of a recession are quite real. Strategizing and implementing action plans are all fine and good and of course, absolutely necessary but can only be effectively accomplished by recognizing and addressing fears. Yes, fear as we are in scary times!
It's tough enough working through a period of economic challenges than compounding the difficulties with fear. The after effect could be debilitating with potential catastrophic results. The fallout from the same would be widespread. As such, the likelihood of indecision, poor decisions, and procrastination is very high, significantly compounding problems even more.
Proactively Addressing Business Fears
Listing fears for your business, the various things that could possibly raise their ugly heads in challenging times, are all essential components to your action plan. In fact, they represent the reason for the plan and as such, make up the foundation from which your plan should be built.
Fears expressed by many to me in recent conversations are real (and challenging). Almost all have expressed fear of failure, fear of losing everything, and fear of losing the respect of others. I believe we can all agree similar fears have been on the minds of business owners and entrepreneurs at one time or another. Whether admitted or not, I believe that to be true.
Pivot! Pivot! Pivot!
When a business pivots, it means that it's?changing some aspect of its core products or services. Businesses might pivot to better meet customer demand, to shift their target audience to boost sales or some combination of both. Businesses may also pivot if the business model is not adaptable for the current environment, ergo within a pandemic.
However, the ability to pivot does not necessarily mean a commitment to pivot. And that's exactly what I've realized long after writing and speaking about The New Normal. I've witnessed a number of restaurants quickly adapt to several new ways of doing business only to revert back to the old at the first glimmer of things returning to the way they were before.
领英推荐
Pivoting to Success!
For some time now, I've been intrigued by a story of commitment that has stemmed from love of family. It's a story of commitment to goals. It's also a story of determination, dedication, and survival. The story I'm referring to is that of Fusun, Gonca and Arzu Esendemir. These remarkable sisters are the founders of Flatbread Grill and Thumb Bread.
Their journey as entrepreneurs began as a commitment to family. They have been faced with one seemingly insurmountable challenge after another. Yet, from the early days of difficulties with banks and landlords to the pandemic when they were preparing to open an additional location to the hard-pressed decision to pivot for survival, they have not only persevered, but they have also thrived.
It's Always Time to Celebrate Life
Funerals are always sobering events. Of late, even more so for me. It's probably due to my turning 65 in August. OMG where has the time gone? But that's a story for another day.
Yesterday, I attended the funeral of my son-in-law's grandmother. It was a very nice service as one would expect for a woman who had lived a good life and was quite loved. Heartfelt words were spoken. There was sadness in the room, but more so for a dearly departed great-grandmother, grandmother, mom, aunt and friend and the memories rather than for a tragic passing.
As the spoken words settled in and as the last person to share his thoughts returned to his seat, music and a video started as a celebration of life. The video appeared to follow a chronological order from a young age to marriage to becoming a grandmother and then, a great-grandmother. Truly, it was a beautiful tribute.
Entrepreneurs & Weekends: Do What's Best for YOU!
If you were to do a Google search for 'entrepreneurs and weekends' or any combination of words including both of these words, one would find more than could be read in a day that appears to have relevance. Although, that relevance is on both sides of the coin.
One side showcases the necessity and desire of entrepreneurs working seven days a week. The other side presents the case of work / life balance and necessary rest. Both philosophies could be looked at as the right way with a laundry list of successful entrepreneurs listed on both sides. If the lists were determined by reason or justification, additional lists would be required.
As we return from this weekend it’ll be August. That means there are four solid months left to achieve goals for the year (considering who knows what December will bring) while setting a foundation for 2023.
The road may be a bit bumpy for some, more so for others. Knowing who to turn to and when to turn to for guidance and help is important. Having resources at your disposal is also important.
So, if you hit a wall, for whatever reason, please feel free to reach out to me for assistance or even if you just need someone to talk to. Please do not hesitate.
You can reach me right here on LinkedIn, by email to?[email protected] , or by phone or text at (832) 797-9851.
Learn more about Acceler8Success Group at?Acceler8Success.com .
Have a great day, and week ahead. Make it happen. Make it count!