Are you laboring over the right things?
As we celebrate Labor Day and take a moment of reprieve from the daily tasks of our work, be sure to ask one critical question: “is all this work paying off?”
What matters? What should your priorities be? How do you know you’re going in the right direction?
A lot of people consider the Fall as a season of opportunity—even though it’s actually the end of the major ‘growing season’ in the US. Kids go back to school and we emerge from summer (hopefully) having had at least a small opportunity to rest and relax. Things get back to ‘normal’ and, hopefully you’re invigorated to close out the year on a high note. Maybe you’ll even use this time to start something new. Hence my question- “is this work helping you grow?”
As a business leader, here are a few specific questions to consider:
- How specifically do you define the best customers—so they are easier to find and get in front of?
- How deeply do you understand what ‘makes them tick,’ so that you can deliver a solution they buy and love?
- What gives you a competitive advantage and meaningful differentiation?
- What special things are you doing that provide a high perceived value for customers, without incurring a high expense?
- How do you measure progress—prior to sales?
Got you thinking? Want to be a standout business?
A strong business model can help you improve the answers to these critical questions so your business is more competitive and positioned to grow. It’s about strategy and execution. It starts with a one-page framework to pull all the ‘moving parts’ together (which you can find on our homepage).
Most businesses performing below their potential either need to improve an average or outdated business model, or need to do better at implementing the existing strategy.
Models, metrics and accountability don’t sound all that refreshing, but I assure you that the satisfaction you’ll feel from achieving progress is as refreshing as watermelon on Labor Day! As you ponder whether your hard work is leading to the outcomes you desire, use the Business Model Blueprint, designed by align, to guide your thinking. Cheers and Enjoy!
PS. One parting thought… if you want to know more about improving your business model and strategy, join me October 19 at The Lancaster Chamber for the 2-hour workshop “Designed for Growth—The Art and Science of Your Business Performance.”