Have you ever had a plan that didn’t work out as you had hoped? If your plans are always perfect, I applaud you. Mine usually go off without a hitch, but this weekend I did have a bit of a hitch. I used it as a teaching opportunity for my kids and to remind myself that when a plan doesn’t work out, you gotta get creative and keep moving forward.
On Pinterest, I saw a recipe for a whoopee pie cake and thought this could be fun to make. I’m a very good cook and baker and my friends think I never have a kitchen disaster but this time I did. I even sent them this picture to show them.
Yup, the top two layers slid right off and the top broke in half. At first glance, it was beyond repair. I was ready to throw it in the trash and call it a day but my seven-year-old son said, “Mom, what the heck happened to your cake?” I wanted to use a few choice words but told him it didn’t work out as planned, so how can we fix it?
What does my cake failure have to do with your business? Everything! I led a very successful birthday party program and know how hard it can be to reach your goals. Some weeks we had to get creative on how we were going to make our goal, but we worked as a team and never gave up.
Imagine if this year we planned on doing $500,000 in birthday parties or group events and we came up short. Do we just throw in the towel and say, “Well, we didn’t reach our goal so there’s no point in moving forward or trying next year?” Or do we work as a team, set a goal, and create a plan on how we are going to reach that goal next year?
What if we realized our leadership or sales team members don’t have the right training to provide the best service? Do we just let them keep doing the same thing or do we find a way to help them get better in leadership and sales?
Walt Disney put it best, “Around here, however, we don’t look backward for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things, because we’re curious… and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.”
One hundred times yes! Today, I want to give you three tips to help you keep moving forward.
1. Don’t Fear Failure
I hear this so many times. People are scared to fail and we shouldn’t be. The word shouldn’t be in our vocabulary as we are not failing, we are learning. If you can continue to see every one of these stumbles as an opportunity to learn and teach others, you will grow and see more successes.
2. Have a Plan
We have worked with hundreds of sales and leadership teams in North America and I’m always amazed how many of them want to sell more or grow their business but don’t have a concrete plan. A goal without a plan is just a wish. Spend time with your sales and leadership teams and create a plan for success.
3. Hire a Coach
This year I found a mentor/coach to help me grow in my leadership abilities. In a short time, it has made a world of a difference. Remember, you don’t have to do it alone! Someone has already made the fought the battles, made the mistakes, and created plans for success.
If you are ready to grow your people and your business, don’t wait, call us today. We want to understand your business and your current challenges and, based on your needs, we will prepare a plan of action for your business. Once we have created that plan together, we will work directly with you and your team on a weekly basis to GROW your business.
Before we go, I know you are dying to know what happened to the cake. Well, we decided to throw it in a bowl and make cake balls. The little hurdle didn’t stop us from having a great dessert and feeling frustrated, overworked, or anxious shouldn’t stop you from growing your business. Call us at 817.886.4840. We’re here to help!
