Notice I said ‘when’….because really…this happens to everyone.

I wanted to touch on this today, because I’m noticing you taking action and some things are working out and some things…aren’t.

There’s a skill to failing that I wanted to highlight that I’m hoping will be helpful.

So what does failing look like to you?

Have you ever thought about what it would be like to sell your business?

Or, hand it over to a family member who now works, or will be working, in your company?

Is this something you know you’d like to do in the future…or does it feel more abstract and you have no idea how to make it happen?

We’ve all heard stories of successful businesses, passed down to the next generation who have failed the business in some way.

While we can’t predict what a new owner might do - whether that’s a buyer or your own family member we CAN prepare our business the best we can so it operates well, setting the new owner, existing employees and existing customers up for success.

AND there’s a way to do all this so you enjoy the benefits now even before you are ready to transition.

Have you ever wondered if business could be done another way?

If your business, and your relationship to it, has to be the way it is?

If you’re in the camp that’s thrilled and love your relationship to your business, then keep doing what you’re doing!

However, if you’re in the camp where you’ve had successes but are thinking: How much longer can I continue with this? Then this is for you.

What if you could re-write some of the rules?

What if there was another way that didn’t require such a drain and strain for you, and you didn’t have to sacrifice growth and profits to do it? What if your business model supported and created the environment where the business supported itself versus feeling like it’s all resting on your shoulders?

I was speaking recently with someone who had sold not one, but two businesses in the past several years.

I asked her what she found was the more challenging aspects of selling. She said that one of the biggest challenges was getting her processes in order. She didn’t build it with selling it in mind and certainly didn’t think about capturing her processes as they operated.

So, preparing to sell her business the first time was quite onerous because it’s something she had to start from scratch.

It wasn’t until this was in place that her business could be properly evaluated (along with other metrics).

Standard operating procedures are not only valuable when you’re trying to sell your business, they are actually very powerful to…

In my years of working as a sales professional and teaching sales at a Fortune 500 company, I've seen people held back by their own self-diagnosed assessments that they 'can't sell' or don't know 'how to sell'. 

I now coach people who are promoting their small businesses or in career transition and I've seen trends that can make a big impact to your personal sales process (whether selling your skills, product or service).

Having systems in your business is like having healthy eating habits...once they're established they contribute to longevity, vitality and create a solid foundation for great things to happen - such as growth in your business.