Many years ago I wrote an article entitled Take Time In Your Life For Inspiration. In it I make what is now my personal statement: I believe that everyone is capable of both being inspired and inspiring others…
I usually blog about things that are directly related to running your business, but I do have things related to exercise, relaxation, motivation, and just good old inspiration I’d like to share from time to time. Well, it’s that time. 🙂
I make it a point to eat right and exercise regularly to stay in shape and because I’d like to live to be 100 or so. I know very well that I won’t live that long, but I would do well to take care of this vessel as best as I can. Anyone who knows me knows that I love to jog and I practice marital arts. Well, I recently took up a practice that I really enjoy and it’s fantastic for both of these two passions.
If you’re a small business, including sole proprietors, there is a bit of global information that you may not realize is actually very important to your business – it’s the US Stock Market. Now, if you’re in China, Japan, India or the UK and you only do business inside your own country, you should certainly keep an eye on your country’s primary stock market. But until there is a significant shift in the largest economies currently in play, the US Market is the leading indicator of things to come.
I do believe that any business needs a way to benchmark its overall maturity and I do not believe it is necessary for it to be relative to any other business. Of course if the measuring system you select can in fact help gauge your maturity relative to other businesses, especially if they are similar yours, then of course this can be a nice additional feature. But it all starts with the empirical question: Are we actually maturing as an organization? Its fair enough to say that if we can actually answer this question in any substantial way, the very next question will in fact be: How mature are we compared to other companies that do what we do? This then is where that previously mentioned “nice additional feature” comes in.
When it comes to the execution on the strategy you’ve laid out for your business, the old methods are sorely lacking in many ways. Much like the waterfall method of project management brought about the advent of agile project management, it’s time for a paradigm shift for business strategy execution, and it just so happens that “agile” is the new keyword here too.
By now, most everyone knows that last week (just ahead of the World Wide Partner Conference), Microsoft announced the end of life for their Small Business Server product line. And last year, Microsoft announced the demise of the Small Business Specialist Certification. In near lockstep with each of these announcements, Microsoft named the successor offerings. SBS is replaced by Server 2012 Essentials and the Small Business Specialist Certification is superseded by the new Small Business Competency.
“I like a no B.S. way of communicating. Manuel communicates clearly and with a conviction that gets my attention even when I don’t agree with him. There’s no sales pitch in Manuel’s delivery. He really keeps it real. Manuel is focused on success in our… Read more “Felipe Vidal, President, Vital Systems Support”
“I wanted a coach who wouldn’t just tell me what I needed to do, but how I needed to do it. As a business owner, I understood the various areas I needed to work on, but wasn’t sure how I could go about improving those… Read more “Ahsun Saleem, President, Simplegrid Technology Inc.”
“Manuel comes from a true foundation of success in our industry in his own right, combines it with top-notch operations consulting and business strategy, and has a coaching style that gives it to you straight while simultaneously being encouraging with no judgment or criticism. I… Read more “Ben Ahlquist, President, ByteSmart Services LLC”
“I chose to coach with Manuel because I appreciate how he does business. Manuel is rigorous, process focused, and genuinely cares about his clients and individuals and their businesses as a whole. Manuel helped me think through the process of creating a rigorous process manual,… Read more “Josh Weiss, President & Founder, L.A. Creative Technologies”
“The most important benefit to Manuel’s coaching has been his encouragement and being told that we’re making improvements. When you’re in the thick of it every day, it can sometimes seem that you’re not making any progress and things are just the same that they’ve… Read more “Steve Bootes, Owner, Computing Dynamics Ltd.”
“I love working with Manuel. He constantly gets me past my sticking points. When I feel stuck, I know Manuel will get me going again to reach my goals. Before working with Manuel, I actually wasn’t even using PSA. Manuel made sure I implemented a… Read more “Eddie Joffe, Owner, NetZone Technologies”
“Manuel’s coaching has made a tremendous difference in my life as a whole. Before I met Manuel, I did not see myself as someone who was in control of my career. His coaching has not only allowed me to see how I am in control,… Read more “Robin Galley, Assistant Vice President, Golden Pacific Bank”
“I find value in working with Manuel in many ways – financially, organizationally, and new and enhanced professional relationships. He has been a breath of fresh air, helping me recognize areas of my business that are ripe for improvement, giving me ideas for growing my… Read more “Ken Dwight, President, The Virus Doctor”
“Manuel is so much more than a coach. If you own or manage an MSP, you need to talk with him. His extensive experience and unique system takes your business and draws a picture. The picture starts with what your business looks like today, and… Read more “Rayanne Buchianico, Owner, ABC Solutions, LLC”
“When I engaged with Manuel, my business was at a very bad point. We were not providing good service to our customers. Every tech did things differently, and we had a cowboy lead technician that was causing more harm than good and a system that… Read more “Philipp Baumann, President, BoomTech, Inc.”
“I’ve been working with Manuel going on 4 years and I can say my experience has been nothing shy of phenomenal. Manuel has years of real-world experience both as an engineer and in IT, developing and following formalized processes that have enabled him to build… Read more “Schyler Jones, Owner, MiradorIT LLC”
“Manuel Palachuk will take your MSP to a whole new level! Manuel was recommended to me by a friend, and my experience with him has been awesome. He is one coach that is determined to make progress no matter what. Many other coaches would have… Read more “Robert Paradise, President, Attain Technology Inc.”
“It is most important to note that Manuel truly understands every aspect of our business and our product. There is no doubt that his experience in the service industry has helped us put together many of our best processes in much less time than if… Read more “Stephen H. Watkins, Sr., Owner, S.H. Watkins and Associates”
“My business process was held together with duct tape when I met Manuel, which created a lot of chaos in my business. He told me I needed to automate my business so I did not have to work in my business and showed me a… Read more “Brian Glover, CEO, Technology Solutions Consulting”
“Manuel truly understands the business of being an MSP, how to deliver service efficiently, and what the impacts are on an organization when doing so. This comes from seeing the big picture as he does and then being able to focus it down to the… Read more “Alan Helbush, President, Where To Start Inc.”
“The CCIT staff has responded well to Manuel’s coaching because they can see the improvement in our day-to-day process. The training emphasizes the need for our technical staff to document and function as a team as opposed to each tech working as an individual. Manuel’s… Read more “Patrick Eloi, Owner and General Manager, Complete Care IT”
“I had joined a Microsoft networking event and after the first few meetings, I began to notice a pattern: The most successful members seemed to have a common denominator – Manuel. This is what made me choose Manuel for coaching. Before working with Manuel, we… Read more “David Moadab, CEO, Solutions Squad Inc.”
“What difference has Manuel’s coaching made? How do you say ‘EVERYTHING’? He understands the trials of an IT company owner. Not just the IT side, but the family side, the team side. He has all the areas covered. The reason his training is different is… Read more “William Lanier, CEO, Christian Computers, LLC”
“Working with Manuel has been business-changing and far exceeded my expectations. He isn’t lying when he says he takes you to the gym. My head muscle hurts (in a good way)! The MPI Getting to the Next Level program has completely changed our service delivery… Read more “Jason R. Etheridge, President, Logic Speak”
“Manuel is a black belt at building and sustaining a true proactive service delivery model. He works to build and change cultures within organizations. Other business coaches are generic; Manuel understands the MSP model and how to achieve excellence in service delivery. He understands our… Read more “Jon Sastre, Senior Vice President of Cloud Services, United Data Technologies”
“Manuel is direct and clear. He stands by his advice and recommendations. There’s never any guessing as to what he means or what I should do. Manuel provided solid business advice in the IT service provider field. He had not only the business coaching, but… Read more “John Verbrugge, President, Nonlinear Tech Inc.”
“The difference Manuel has made to my personal life, team, and organization in the short time working with him has been immeasurable. I knew who he was before we started working together, but didn’t realize he was on a mission to help other people succeed… Read more “Mike Ita, CEO & Founder, IT Corps”
“I find working with Manuel to be efficient and productive. He is very task orientated and holds everyone accountable. Manuel brings real knowledge and experience. He knows how to make you more profitable. Manuel is not there to lay out a plan and not see… Read more “Jim Hunton, President, Onsite Technical Services LLC”