A couple of weeks ago I got an email that a service provider I use left his company and I was being referred to someone else in the firm. Bummer. I liked this guy, I know his leaving is good for him, but it’s a long term relationship kind of thing, I hate finding new people when I have a good one. And it got me thinking…
What if something happens and I needed to refer my clients or prospects to someone else? Who would that person be? Would they take good care of my clients? Would they honor my rates or jack up the prices? Would they treat them like I do? They HAVE to be dog friendly, obviously.

There’s a lot to think about as a small business owner. When someone you do business with leaves, do they have a great team in place that you’re comfortable with, or would you take your business elsewhere? What if you need to take some time off for health or family? Your clients businesses aren’t stopping because yours needs to. Do you have a back up plan? Is it realistic? Do those people involved know?

Something to think about on your dog walk today…

The other day I met with a client who said she often gets distracted and spends a lot of time on the next “latest and greatest idea.” So she has videos on her website that people don’t watch, or a ton of social media networks that she’s not using. And her question was, “how do I know what to spend time on?” GREAT question!

As I have mentioned time and again, I am a TERRIBLE employee. So, when my previous bosses would come to me with “a great idea, you should get right on it” I usually give it 48 hours. With some of them, I made them “remind” me about it again. Why? Because it’s not always a great idea. I’m not going to drop everything to work on it and the next have them change their mind.

If you think you have a great idea, give it a couple of days. If you can’t stop thinking about it, that’s a great sign. If you’ve already forgotten about it, that may be an even better sign.