Christmas wishes?

Christmas is the time of year for remembering, giving, and good will to all men and women… well these are the kind of things I think we are still desperately trying to hang on to and believe. Christmas is actually, for most people, challenging to say the least: expensive, stressful, fattening and exhausting!

But we are approaching the end of another year which gives us a chance to think about what on earth we have been up to over the past 12 months. How is it that in most cases we are still standing on the same spot as last year? 

The trouble is most people don’t really get to the bottom of why that is and say things like:

“In the New Year I’m going to…. [Insert lots of promises that won’t get fulfilled]”

Before they know it, the end of January is here and the opportunity for a fresh start, doing something more exciting, challenging, adventurous and fulfilling, is again slipping away.

So what is the answer…? Well the trick is to make a resolution today and not in January, to use the Christmas break to reflect and ask yourself some really tough and exciting questions about what you want, what you really deserve and the very specific steps and very specific people who can help you get there…then step across that line and get on with taking the action.

Enjoy the Christmas break and use this rare time to make 2013 a great year for you and your loved ones, so that next Christmas you can enjoy time off knowing that you are well on the way in your exciting journey.

Merry Christmas

Nathan

The secret to success in 2013

How has 2012 been for you then? I trust you have been inspired by the awesome and progressive coalition government and their policies to help develop the economy and society as a whole? Fear not, if current trends continue we will have Ed Miliband the Great to rescue us from the shadows – God/Allah/Buddha etc help us!

Which is why instead of thinking about what the government might do for us in 2013, I am going to make this assumption: the government will do absolutely nothing that will REALLY benefit business in the UK next year.

Fortunately for us at Jasper’s Catering Franchise, the market in which we operate is robust and healthy. It is there for the taking, but that doesn’t mean that we don’t have to work super hard, with passion, enthusiasm, drive and energy.

I do happen to know several people that will make a real difference themselves to their business in 2013 and they know secrets that the vast majority of people don’t.  Foremostly they know that the key to success lies within them, NOT out there with politicians or banks. They know that you can
B(*tch) M(oan) W(hine) all you want but it will not help your situation. The reality is you have to take FULL responsibility for the decisions you have or haven’t taken, the actions that you have or haven’t taken and deal, with them.

So if you really want to make sure that 2013 is your best year yet, think about everything that you should have or could have done in 2012 that would have gained more customers, kept more customers, increased your margin etc. Then turn those ‘should have’s’ into ‘I am going to’ and DO IT!

Bullet proofing your success is easy when you implement proven systems and processes, at the right persistent rate with the right attitude…. do this and you can compensate for any insufficient policy makers and money movers.

Happy Festive Greetings!

Good people are hard to find

More than 10 years ago I left employment to start my own business, primarily because of my own long held desire to work for myself. This was justified by the behavior and standards I observed in the managers and senior people I worked for. Almost exclusively, they were promoted to their levels of inadequacy.

With my internal drive and the external validation of the desire to be my own boss, I took the leap into business ownership. In doing so, I decided that I was going to be a better boss / employer than I had witnessed. I tried everything from bonus up front, bonus for target, nights at the pub, complementary lunch, vouchers…. through to paid-for therapy and shopping days off for Christmas. The most interesting thing is that none - not one! - of these ideas resulted in more effective, productive, loyal or successful employees.

I didn’t and don’t want to believe this, but I think I’ve almost accepted it: good people are motivated and driven by internal drivers and external incentives make little difference. Ouch! That hurts.

The reality is that there just aren’t that many good people out there for the role you are recruiting. Recruitment is nearly always expensive and frustrating.

So, what is the solution to this challenge of finding the right employees?

1. First of all remove the human interaction element from tasks that have high degrees of error and try to automate as much as you possibly can
2. Secondly, give specific tasks and instant commands. I promise you that the more specific and task orientated and the more instant the command, the more likely it is to be completed. Also, the more your employee will enjoy the success of delivery and feel rewarded by it
3. Lastly, don’t expect too much!! That old saying of ‘If you want a job done properly, do it yourself” has definitely stood the test of time!

Employing good people is one of the most important and toughest parts of running a business…and I haven’t entirely cracked it yet.

We are all chimps

I have been reading ‘The Chimp Paradox’ by Dr Steve Peters. My wife bought the book for me as she knows I have a significant interest in simian behavior present in human beings. I often refer to fellow humans as chimpanzees in clothing. This isn't necessarily a negative comment it is merely a recognition that us human beings have a part of us that is very chimp-like, a part of our brain that functions in a chimp fashion and this sometimes gets us into real trouble! The chimp brain is primarily fast, powerful and dominant especially when stress and risk are involved...so in business you meet and see a lot of chimpanzees in suits!

As stated in the book, which Sir Chris Hoy gives credit to for contributing to his Olympic success, the trick is to recognize, accept and manage your inner chimp. Most people don’t even recognize the chimp inside and stay at its very powerful and reactive mercy – you will recognize these people as they will be highly emotional, negative, reactionary, defensive and even paranoid.

The good news is that you also have a very human part of your brain, a more rational, reasonable and factual element, that when applied fully can, and will, help improve your experience in life and the world. You can be less reactive, measure with facts, look at specifics and be more in control – which is what is required for business success.

It’s up to you if you want to stay up in the trees picking at flees ie keep blaming the world, reacting and fighting because you feel vunerable and paranoid. Or you can come down to the ground and find your human side.

I would encourage you to get the book 'The Chimp Paradox'. It’s a great read and you will start looking at the people you know and asking are they behaving more like a chimp or a human? And remember the old chimp saying: ‘Oooooo ooooo aghhhhh aghhhh Oooooo Ooooo'!

The legacy of the Olympics...what we can learn

If you were lucky enough to go to the Olympics as I was, or just loved watching it on tv (as everyone I’ve spoken to has!) this article from business and marketing expert Chris Cardell will resonate with you, as it did for me:

“Well, as Sir Bruce Forsyth would say…… “Didn’t we do well.”

As the gold dust settles from London 2012, I wanted to share some thoughts with you on the extraordinary spectacle and experience we’ve just been through – and some observations that might be of use in you Entrepreneurial life.

I was going to write this email the day of the closing ceremony but I think it may be of more use today, as Britain starts to get back to ‘normal.’ The following is really written for my UK readers. If you’re outside Britain, don’t be offended. We’re feeling rather proud of ourselves at the moment.

So, some thoughts on the London Olympics of 2012…….

First, I had forgotten what an extraordinary country Britain can be. Somewhere, back in the mists of times, our ancestors had the balls to call our country GREAT Britain. I think we had lost track of why. I know I had. The last month has shown us why. It’s been exciting to be here over the last few weeks but it’s also been a privilege. The organisational and logistic achievement of what we did and how well we did it was breathtaking. I’m not sure what was more impressive…..turning up at the Olympic stadium and seeing this extraordinary creation – or leaving the stadium with a hundred thousand people and somehow getting onto that bullet train and back to London in 7 minutes without having to queue for a moment. I have absolutely no idea how they did it. I do know that the whole experience was a profound reminder that when we get our act together, we can do anything as well as any country on this planet – and in many cases much better. It’s worth us remembering that as we run our businesses. It’s easy to believe that we have an inherent disadvantage against the global economic superpowers. That’s not the case. If anything the opposite is true. We have a history of producing results massively disproportionate to our relatively small population. Think of the opening ceremony and that never ending stream of music we have gifted the world.

Talking of music, that wonderful opening ceremony also reminded us of our creative genius. From The Beatles, to Shakespeare and so much more, we are an island brimming with creativity. I’ve always argued that great Entrepreneurism isn’t primarily about business skills. They’re easy to master. Great Entrepreneurism is about creativity. Whatever business you have, you’ve created it out of absolutely nothing. Reaching your goals and solving future problems will require skill – but above all it will require your creativity. Tapping into our innate creativity is something we could all do more of.

As an aside, it’s also worth remembering that there’s a direct link between creativity, intelligence and humour. A sense of humour requires the ability to link seemingly unrelated factors in your brain in unusual ways. So does creativity and intelligence. I’ve been constantly reminded of Britain’s sense of humour over these weeks. From Rowan Atkinson’s Chariots of Fire to the jokes and banter of those incredible volunteers. Our sense of humour is an asset. There were mumblings after the opening ceremony that some countries wouldn’t ‘get’ some of it. No they wouldn’t. That’s the point.

My American friends are fond of proclaiming their country the greatest on earth. I respect their patriotism but I don’t think the world is that black and white. In any context, we have the opportunity to be as good, or better than anyone else. I know that Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin America airline is kicking ass in the country of supposed superior customer service. There’s no reason you can’t do the same in your own field of endeavor.

I’m as guilty as anyone of complaining about my country. There’s a lot wrong with it. But in August 2012 that country did something to me it had never done before. It humbled me. A couple of weeks ago I strolled across Blackheath Common where I used to stumble as a teenager after an evening at the pub – and walked into Greenwich Park to experience not only the most stunning backdrop imaginable for the equestrian events, but also Britain winning gold. I wasn’t expecting that and I certainly wasn’t expecting how emotional it would be when they raised the flag and played the anthem. I don’t claim to be an equestrian expert but it seems this all happened because one of our team, in his 50s, broke his neck a few years ago and was told he’d never ride again and totally refused to buy into his diagnosis. That’s another thing the British are good at – sheer bloody minded stubbornness.

The next thing may be obvious – but it’s worth focusing on. The Olympic Games is about the leading edge of human excellence. You’ve just had two and a half weeks surrounded by human beings at the pinnacle of that excellence. One of the interesting things about studying excellence is that the context is fairly irrelevant if you’re interested in learning from high achievers. In other words, the fact that Bradley Wiggins rides bikes and you run a business doesn’t matter if you’re interested in learning profound lessons from Bradley. In fact, the British cycling team’s three pronged approach to success that has made them the best in the world, can be mapped across to business almost word for word. For example, their approach to incremental improvements is what we would call optimisation. It would be a very good use of your time to watch interviews with the high achievers from the Olympics and take notes. I did and have lots of sheets of paper from the last couple of weeks stuffed in my pockets as a result.

There are numerous lessons we can learn from the gold medal winners and most are beyond the scope of this message. But I’ll make one observation. I didn’t see any gold medal winners who got there by making a vague decision about how successful they’d like to be, putting in the same effort as the masses and not working weekends. I’m not sure why so many business owners who take that type of half-hearted approach, are so surprised that their life is such a struggle. You get gold by getting up when everyone else is asleep and putting in the work that others won’t. Then you do it again and again and again through rain, sleet and snow. You get gold by failing and coming out of that failure with an iron resolve that nobody will shake. You get gold by doing the gymnastic leap of your life, with a bandaged broken toe.

Of course, when we see the proud athlete with their gold medal glistening in the London sun, we don’t see the cold, dark mornings of training they endured to get there. Likewise, when you turn up in your shiny new car (or whatever your equivalent) the people in your world won’t necessarily have seen the Entrepreneurial pain and heartache you endured to get there. But the gold medal winner and the Entrepreneurial winner are the same in many ways. They know precisely what they want. And they’re willing to pay the price to get it.

Finally, one of the great joys of the 2012 Olympics was that Britain stopped moaning. An extraordinary achievement. I experienced several London taxi drivers who were totally silent. There was nothing to moan about, so they had nothing to say. Ironically, most of us Brits think we stopped moaning because the Olympics were so great. I would say that the Olympics were so great partly because we stopped moaning. You simply can’t have that level of excellence with negativity. The laws of the universe won’t allow it.

Our culture and our media’s obsession with negativity is, I believe, one of Britain’s greatest challenges going forward. This economy will pass. Our attitudes won’t. That media and culture are eagerly awaiting the ‘return to normal’ so that they can claim that the high we experienced at the Olympics was a flash in the pan. Actually, as a nation, they’ll be right. Six months from now the country will be about as negative as it was six months ago.

But the same does not have to be true for YOU as an individual.

If you’re in Britain you’ve just experienced your country functioning at an extraordinary level of excellence. You’ve seen what we’re truly capable of, when strategy, mindset and a belief in possibility are aligned. And as if that wasn’t enough, hundreds of the world’s most incredible, success driven individuals have come to your country and shown you, day after day, levels of human achievement that are simply staggering.

I hope you enjoyed the Olympics as much as I did. But I also hope that you’ll consider using it as a wake-up call. A wake up to what you’re capable of. And maybe a wake up to the fact that you’re not even scratching the surface of your true potential.

And remember, you live in a country where James Bond went to pick up the Queen to take her to the Olympics. It’s OK to be proud.

Best wishes

Chris Cardell”

The profile for success

I was invited to host a number of round tables last week for the British Franchise Association, specifically to discuss the use of profiling in franchisee selection, and the support given to a franchisee once they have made their investment.

I was surprised that the vast majority of franchisors do not use any kind of profiling process when they are selecting franchisees. This is obviously missing a trick. Profiling enables both franchisor and franchisee to see if they are matched to the business, based on the profile of an ideal franchisee. It shows the skills and character traits that are need for success. Without profiling, franchisee and franchisor are really just taking a punt, hoping they will be right for each other, but facing the consequences down the line if they aren’t – worst case scenario being that they are ill matched and the relationship must end. At Jasper’s, profiling has helped us establish what we need in franchisees – highly capable, motivated, positive people (ideally a partnership) with strong sales skills.

When hosting the round tables I was also surprised to discover that most franchisors do not consider offering any structured emotional support once a franchisee has invested in their business. It is a fact that once you become a business owner, stress levels shoot up. This is to be expected – suddenly, after the excitement of investing in your own business, it’s down to you to lead it, run it and make it a success.

But once you get to the point where you embrace and accept this responsibility you can enjoy all the positives that come with it – not least that you no longer have a boss! And, an ongoing basis, you can enjoy the increased freedom you feel and the increased wealth you will gain in the long run. I don’t believe it is fair or productive to expect someone from outside of franchising to acquire all the knowledge they need and manage their emotions over the short and transitional period of setting up in business. That’s why I am passionate about including the support of a professional high performance coach to help every franchisee who joins our network. Franchisees tell me the support has been invaluable in keeping them focused, confident and motivated.

So when you explore the world of franchising start by asking the question – what support can you as a franchisor offer me? After all, the whole point of franchising is to have your own business but without feeling alone!

Being liked is overrated

Earlier this month Jasper’s were presenting to the board of the British Franchise Association after being nominated as a best franchisee support finalist. On the panel was Sir Bernard Ingham, now the president of the BFA, who is probably best known for his role in Margaret Thatcher’s government where he was Press Secretary championing the Thatcherite cause - not an easy Job!

As part of the pitch I stated that as franchisors our main concern is to be respected over and above being liked. Don’t get me wrong, it is indeed possible be liked and respected, but ultimately it’s only important to earn respect by being ethical, honest, straightforward and doing what you say you are going to do.

That means that when we, or any franchisors, sit a franchisee down and state our single aim is to make sure you achieve and exceed your targets, we will sometimes have to nudge you back on track and be very blunt about what you need to do. You might not like this BUT it is all for the good.

Some people see these necessary areas of ‘confrontation’ as stressful or unpleasant, but avoiding them or not addressing them when necessary is weak, unethical and could end up with a franchisee not achieving their business goals.

Sir Bernard Ingham commented to me after our presentation that he once “wrote a speech for Margaret Thatcher where she stated it was more important to be respected than liked and that if more of our politicians took this position we might not be in the mess we are in". Whether you are Thatcherite or not, it doesn’t matter, but if you are going to join a franchise, yes it is important to like the franchisor and their team but ask yourself this more important question - will you respect them at the end of year one?!

What oath should business owners take?

Who is the Hippocrates of the business world and what oath should business owners take?
The classical Hippocratic Oath that medical professionals take is the foundations of the ethical code. The oath is summarized as:

A solemn promise:

• Of solidarity with teachers and other physicians
• Of beneficence (to do good or avoid evil) and non-maleficence (from the Latin 'primum non nocere' or 'do no harm') towards patients
• Not to assist suicide or abortion
• To leave surgery to surgeons
• Not to harm, especially not to seduce patients
• To maintain confidentiality and never to gossip.'

I believe that every business owner should be required to take a similar oath as with business comes great responsibility. Business owners can heal many of societies wounds. Perhaps all business owners should sign something like the below:

A solemn promise:

• Of solidarity with business owners and business apprentices
• To use my business for the good of my community, family and friends
• Not to assist in fraud, false commitments or non payments
• To leave business to business people
• Not to harm. Especially not to seduce customers falsely
• To dedicate myself to learning the craft of business and to compete legally and fairly

Maybe if we once and for all focused on legitimizing business, not through law and taxation but through a code of ethics, from a binding commitment that involved a solemn promise, we might get people to understand how noble an arena business is.

The new heroes of the modern world

Last week British Prime Minister, David Cameron, described business as the "most powerful force for social progress the world has ever known" as he championed the role that firms play in their communities.

I echo that, but what was missing from Cameron's speech was ‘potentially’. The reason I say this is because a large proportion of business owners don’t seem to recognize this and if they do, their behavior doesn’t demonstrate it.

The wealth creating sector providing money for the voluntary, 'first' / 'third' sector is NOT what I am talking about. The real power that comes from owning a business is the magnetic influence that the business and its owner has over their employees, peers, family, friends and the next generation.

History has taught us that trying to ‘force’ social progress normally ends in disaster - governments legislating for social progress is slow at best, businesses trying to construct social progress for profit again falls short and normally is followed by the largest crashes. The real way to look at social progress is to inspire and liberate, to build confidence, belief and self reliance. Encouraging and inspiring people to provide for themselves and their family - 'teaching them how to fish' - is one of the greatest gifts you can give.

Business can give society dreams to follow, demonstrate that anything can be achieved with self reliance. Let children, friends, families and communities see that when you have a dream - when you put your mind and body to it - you can become anything you focus on through creating your own business.

Take heed those business owners that don’t achieve what you should, those that are always on the negative, the nihilistic. You are taking part in malpractice, you are damaging the dreams of future generations, you are stealing their light by taking your business into dark corners where big spiders live, you are acting unbelievably selfishly. STOP and start accepting responsibility and start DOING what you should do which is to become successful through you business.

Liberate a generation from feeling that unless they work for someone else, there is no life. You can stop people condemning themselves in many cases to a life focused on retirement with day after day in a job they despise.

If you own a business, if you own a franchise, you have a duty to the community around you, to your peers, to your friends and family and to future generations to demonstrate gratitude for the opportunity you have at your finger tips. Take charge of it and ride it headfirst at pace into a position of success.

Business owners, franchise owners and the self employed, you are the new heroes of the modern world, pick up your arms and succeed!

Top 5 regrets of the dying

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2012/feb/01/top-five-regrets-of-the-dying

The above article was forwarded to me by Mark Blunt, Jasper’s franchisee for Manchester, and it is a thought provoking read.

If only we could bottle the feelings and thoughts of the dying to inspire us to live with less fear.

For now though, I want to comment on the ‘I wish I had not worked so hard’ regret. I wish I could have asked all these people ‘What do you mean?’ when they said this. I am going to assume that they really meant they wish they hadn't done so much ‘stuff’ that felt like work. The reality is that what you do in exchange for money is only ‘work’, in the negative sense, if you don’t wake up wanting to do it every day.

I have met so many entrepreneurs and business owners that feel stressed, start early and finish late yet simply don’t see what they do as ‘work’. They are on a mission, they are fuelled with a desire to do more, and the truth be told they literally love what they do.

The late and great Jimmy Saville, when asked where he finds the time to do so much charity work, replied ‘Well now that I don’t work, I have a lot more time’ – he said this when he still presented a Radio One show, hosted Jim’ll Fix it and Top of the Pops!

We should all take note that before we die, we need to appreciate what we do, what we have, and love it - if we don't, we should change it. After all, there are millions of people just down the road from you (in a cemetery) that given the chance would love to work harder than they ever did –  at something they love!

Do what you want to do, do more of it, do it well and the chance to earn a living from it will follow.

Nathan Siekierski
Director, Jasper's Catering Franchise Ltd
http://www.jaspers-franchise.co.uk/

From Nietzsche to Noah (and the Whale)

A philosophical start to 2012's blog! Brace yourself.

“What if a demon were to creep after you one night, in your loneliest loneliness, and say, 'This life which you live must be lived by you once again and innumerable times more'" - Friedrich Nietzsche

Profound stuff from the German philosopher. Ok so hopefully you don’t believe in demons as such, but Nietzsche raises an important point: what if you did have to live this life over again and again, repeating every single act time after time? Could you honestly say you would be happy, more importantly that you had made the most of it?

I know I, like everyone else, have wasted many a day forgetting or not appreciating the great things I have in my life. But as I get older (and hopefully wiser) I am doing my best to do the opposite more and more.

The point is, as far as we know, we only get one shot at this life. If you don’t want that common regret on your last day on this planet, of ‘I wish I’d done more of the things I wanted to do’ then there is no time like the present! Crack on with the things you want to do as opposed to things you are expected to do or think you should do to meet the expectations of others or of society!

We should all look in a mirror and say to ourselves ‘One day I will be dead'. Don’t treat it as a morbid thought, treat it as a statement to inspire you to do great things with your life, to chase and fulfill your dreams, make a difference, build a legacy, do something different...to say to Nietzsche's demon: "Bring it on!'

The lyrics of Noah and the Whale's LIFEGOESON song sum it up perfectly:

"On my last night on earth,
I'll pay a high price,
To have no regrets, and be done with my life"

Nathan Siekierski
Director
Jasper's Catering Franchise Ltd
http://www.jaspers-franchise.co.uk/