Osamah Alkhattabi, MA(PR),CBPL™,CICS,PMP®’s Post

6 steps from a small to a big, profitable #business https://lnkd.in/gmQ9E5HD

Check out this blog:  Starting a new business is something that you may not have experience in, but you need to get things right straight away. Everyone you hire will be looking at you… Read more » The post 12 Essential...

🚩 The Top 9 Green Flags For Choosing a Business Partner Selecting the right business partner is crucial for success. Especially when Forbes says that 70% of business partnerships fail.... So what do you need to look out for? Here's a guide to identifying the traits that matter most: ✅ Performance Driven They view setbacks as opportunities to learn and grow, rather than reasons to stop. ✅ Clear Vision Ensure alignment in your goals and mission to avoid conflicts down the road. ✅ Embraces Failure Seek a partner who understands that success comes from hard work and resilience. ✅ Respects Your Time A good partner won't waste your time with unnecessary meetings or micromanagement. ✅ Shows Empathy Find someone who treats others with empathy and respect and supports a positive working relationship. ✅ Open Communication Transparency and honesty are non-negotiable; choose a partner who values clear and open communication. ✅ Addresses Issues Promptly A partner who swiftly addresses and corrects bad behaviour or conflicts can help maintain a healthy working environment. ✅ Accepts Disagreement Healthy debate leads to better decisions; look for a partner who welcomes differing opinions and perspectives. ✅ Value Driven Shared values are the foundation of a strong partnership; prioritise integrity, ethics, and shared goals over superficial perks. Choosing the right business partner is more than just finding someone with compatible skills; it's about finding someone who shares your values and can complement your strengths and weaknesses. Spoken from experience 5 years into owning a business with Ruairi Keran What qualities do you value most in a business partner? What are your biggest green flags? Let me know in the comments ⬇️ - - - - - If you found this helpful, share it with others considering a business partnership. If you liked this content, ♻️ repost this and follow Tadhg Guiry - - - - - 🎩 Hat tip to Chris Donnelly for the idea on 'Green Flags'

Years ago I was given the opportunity to run my first business, a business that was solid but not growing at the rate corporate demanded.  This was a huge opportunity for someone, who at the time, had limited experience and domain expertise.  I accepted without looking at the team and the situation I would be stepping into enamored by the potential for the business and myself.  What wasn’t explained to me was the long standing, and popular, current leader of that business, John, would now report to me.  As you can imagine the story could go in several directions from here, most of them bad for the business and myself.  But that isn’t how this story rolls ahead.  Despite John reporting to me, he took me under his wing to learn this new business and all the technical, methodological, and philosophical intricacies of benefits reporting and valuation.  In addition, he made me feel welcome and made certain we were in lock step when speaking to the team about the direction of the business and how we could pivot to growth mode. What could have been a tenuous and non-productive business relationship moved over the years to a friendship that has luckily for me endured the test of time. Additionally, by partnering together and leveraging each other's skills and experiences we were able to launch the business forward creating more opportunities for the team.  The ability to work for someone and yet be a super influential mentor and model for work and life is rare, and I hope I can do him justice over time.  This includes being wise enough to carve out a few minutes to celebrate those wins, big and small, around both work and family.  I savor those moments with him as we closed out big projects or celebrated life moments.  Don't tell HR but it was done with that 20 year Pappy we kept at the office. John passed away last week after a long battle with cancer and this one hit me hard as he subtly taught me so many lessons that I carry forward today in my professional and personal life.  He was such an amazing dude that will sorely be missed and I'm so stoked our paths crossed.  Save me a Pappy neat sir….. https://lnkd.in/eCK7R_pU

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝗚𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗥𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗢𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻?  𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗠𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗕𝗲 𝗦𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗱! Last week, I had an insightful interaction with a business owner. He felt their organization needed a formal welcome committee for new members. As we dug deeper, it became evident… they already had an unofficial group of members doing an outstanding job of welcoming and representing the organization. It was a pleasant surprise for them to realize that they were already excelling in this area, even if they hadn't officially recognized it. This got me thinking. How often do you overlook or take for granted the good things happening within your own business? There are things you will continue doing AND there may be some minor tweaks here and there? 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗳𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗞𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝗚𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗥𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁, 𝗶𝗻 𝗺𝘆 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲: ✅ 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗲: Recognize and celebrate the positives to significantly enhance team morale and motivation. ✅ 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀: Understand what works well to allow you to duplicate successful strategies in other areas of your business. ✅ 𝗖𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗳𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Continuously do what you excel at to ensure a consistent and positive experience for your customers. ✅ 𝗜𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Build on your strengths to lead to innovative ideas and improvements. 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙍𝙞𝙨𝙠𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙉𝙤𝙩 𝙆𝙣𝙤𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙥𝙖𝙨𝙩 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚: ❌ 𝙈𝙞𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙊𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙨: Fail to recognize your strengths and you might miss out on opportunities to leverage them for further growth. ❌ 𝙊𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙀𝙭𝙘𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚: Without acknowledgment, your team and the individuals responsible for positive outcomes may feel unappreciated. ❌ 𝙎𝙩𝙖𝙜𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣: Ignore what's going right and it can lead to complacency and a lack of continuous improvement. ❌ 𝙄𝙣𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙚𝙩𝙚 𝙁𝙤𝙘𝙪𝙨: When you concentrate solely on fixing problems without appreciating what's working well, you can create an unbalanced approach to business development. Take a moment to reflect on your organization.  What are the hidden gems that you might be overlooking? Sometimes, an outside perspective can help you correct what's not working. And also ensure you continue doing the things you're already doing right. If you're ready to uncover more potential in your business, let's connect.  An outside perspective could be just what you need to see the bigger picture. #BusinessSuccess #Leadership #BusinessInsights #SmallBusiness 𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗺𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 #OrganizationalDevelopment

Every great business intentionally prioritizes relationships in some manner...ok - it's about to get vulnerable in here... At Free to Grow CFO our first, and most important, value is Relationships. Why? Because we aspire to create a business that does good in the world. And one of the ways we can proliferate good across the world is by intentionally cultivating real, meaningful relationships. Here are the exact words from our internal Core Values document... Relationships: Plain and simply said: we have strong relationships, we trust each other, and we freely speak our minds. Transparency is built on trust, and trust is built on relationships. Our strong level of trust allows us to operate with radical candor. Radical candor means we always speak up. Nothing gets held back if it needs to be addressed for the good of the business or the good of one of our people (employees, clients, partners, and vendors alike). However, just as God tells us in the Bible, our candor is always to be delivered with love. What is the most important core value in your business? PS - like I always say, we're humans so we screw this value up. However, our aspiration is to always build an environment of true, meaningful relationships. And we'll never stop trying to get to that end.

**Why Business Disagreements Can Be Beneficial, While Personal Disagreements Are Not** In many corporate environments, disagreements are often viewed negatively. However, when disagreements centre around what’s best for the business and its people, and when each party remains open-minded and professional, these debates can be crucial for making well-rounded decisions. Conversely, personal disagreements can be incredibly destructive. These occur when clashes are based on personality conflicts or control issues rather than business objectives. Such disagreements divert energy and focus away from what truly matters. We may naturally shy away from business disagreements and get caught up in personal conflicts. However, by distinguishing between "business" and "personal" disagreements, we can better manage our involvement—choosing when to engage thoughtfully and when it’s wiser to step aside. Embracing this approach can transform disagreements into tools for improvement rather than obstacles.

If every client was like your top client how good would your business be? Are you intentionally connecting with the relationships that matter to your business? Every time I work with a small business, I ask this question. What I find is: 1. The squeaky wheel gets the grease. And we rarely ask why it is squeaky in the first place. 2. There is little clarity over what an Ideal Customer (and Ideal Job Looks like). This clarity leads to a totally different focus in judging work and working relationships. There are no bad people. But there are plenty of uneasy "fits" when it comes to co-creating value. "Business can be transactional. Relationships are not" - Jesse Itzler Every leader we've worked with to build this has dramatically changed the quality and quantity of work they are working with inside of 6 months.

No one else can be as serious about your business as you are. But, it would be best if you had a team to have more tremendous success in your business. Choosing the right team member takes work as well. Jim Rohn provided a four-part checklist to help leaders judge whether someone should be part of their team: ➜ Check Their Background: This involves examining the candidate's qualifications, experience, and history to ensure they meet the requirements for the job. ➜ Check Their Interest Level: Assess the candidate's interest in the role and your organization. This can be gauged through face-to-face interactions where you can judge their sincerity and enthusiasm. ➜ Check Their Responses: Pay attention to their reactions and answers to questions about job expectations. Responses that indicate reluctance or lack of commitment (e.g., "You want me to get there that early?") reveal much about their work ethic and attitude. ➜ Check Results: Ultimately, performance should be judged based on results. Monitor their work activity and productivity over time to determine if they meet the required standards and contribute effectively to the team's goals. Always choose someone who brings value to your business.

Having a good business partner is crucial for the success and growth of any business. A business partnership provides the opportunity to combine talents, skills, and resources, leading to increased innovation and efficiency. Good business partners help overcome obstacles and achieve success. Collaboration and mutual trust in a business partnership enhance performance and revenue. A business partner can bring complementary skills to the table, filling in the gaps and creating a well-rounded team. So, how can you cultivate a Good Business Partnership Goal-Setting / Common Vision Successful business partners prioritise goal-setting and have a common vision. Setting specific goals and metrics is essential for measuring progress. Cultivate Compatibility and Trust It's important to choose a partner who is compatible in communication, leadership, and work style, and who shares mutual trust. Encourage Communication and Conflict Resolution Open, honest, and regular communication is crucial in strategic partnerships. Conflict resolution abilities contribute to maintaining a healthy and productive partnership. Research and Evaluation Before entering a partnership, thorough research and evaluation of potential partners is necessary. This includes background checks, asking for references, and even conducting a trial run to evaluate compatibility. Legal and Financial Considerations Define responsibilities, exit strategies, and financial commitments - it's an important step in ensuring a successful partnership. Define Roles and Expectations Successful business partners have specifically defined roles, responsibilities, and expectations, leading to better communication and collaboration. When embarking on a business partnership, it's essential to consider these elements to maximise the likelihood of building a strong and successful partnership.  Feel free to add your experiences and suggestions. #life #questionforgroup #business #partnership #communication