Page 56 - AVN December 2013

Wring e en nd d- -o of f- -y ye ea ar r Out c ch ho or re es s f fo or r the Old E Ei ig gh ht t e en nt tr re ep pr re en ne eu ur rs s a an nd d b bu us si in ne es ss s o ow wn ne er rs s
A A
ll year long you’ve been in frantic motion. You’ve put out fires.
Solved employee snafus and issues. Juggled conflicting priorities.
Fielded exhausting back-to-back meetings, telephone calls and
endless emails. Motivated yourself and others. And kept block-
ing and tackling month after month by leading and managing
your company toward achieving the objectives and goals you set. In other
Typically, entrepreneurs and owners of small businesses have trouble
seeing above the action and the dust it creates. But maintaining a cool and
measured perspective on where you are, where you’re headed, and—most
importantly—exactly what you need to do to get there is crucial to next
year’s success.
T he Facts of Business Life explains how to do this. As the title suggests,
words, it’s been a typical year in the life of a small business owner.
the book lays out seven of the most critical facts successful business owners
Suddenly, December is here, and a new year is right around the corner.
According to author Bill McBean, with a little focused thought,
the last month of the year can also be the most valuable one.
“Sometimes the business world pauses to catch its
breath in December,” says McBean, author of the book The
Facts of Business Life: What Every Successful Business
use to their advantage every day. Most importantly, McBean delves into
how those facts play out through the five levels of every busi-
ness’s life cycle, from determining whether a business
opportunity even exists to moving on when it’s time to go.
“Too many owners and their senior staff just get so
caught up in the daily whirlwind that they lose sight of
Owner Knows That You Don’t . “This may or may not be true
in your industry or company. But either way, you owe it to
yourself, your customers, your employees, and your future
to tear yourself away from the daily grind long enough to do
some end-of-the-year or early-next-year reflection and
forward planning.”
the realities of business ownership,” he says. “When
that happens, success may not evaporate overnight, but
it will, inevitably, slip away. It doesn’t have to be this
way. It pays to step back and reevaluate your market and
your company’s place in it by making sure your practices
are in line with ‘the facts.’”
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56 | AVN.com | 12.13