Upcoming Events
The Jackson Retreat
Aug. 19–22 Jackson, WY
AACFB Conference Sept. 8–10 Nashville, TN Join the American Association of
new techniques. Golfing — well after eight holes, the rain came down hard. The best part about the whole experience was learning more about our Broker Associates, their businesses, their pain points, and their successes. An unexpected bonus happened — our Broker Associates got to learn more about each other. These are the businesses that go head-to-head every day as direct competitors, and here they were sharing their businesses. We will do this again. The relationships that were built from this weekend have the ability to last a lifetime.
The 2nd annual CHB Broker Weekend at Jackson was, well, phenomenal! Four brokers attended the event for a “getting to know each other” weekend. The best way to get to know people is to eat, drink, play, and work together — we did all of that, pretty much in that order! Fishing, golfing, and a gun-shooting exercise were the highlights. Floating the Snake River catching cuttys (cutthroats) and white fish was a challenge, but we were able to get a few. The “Jackson Hole Shooting Experience” was just that — an incredible experience. Not only did we shoot a variety of handguns and rifles, but we were able to hone our skills and learn
Commercial Finance Brokers at their annual conference! This year’s event, “Power of the Past, Force of the Future” will be held online and in person. Visit AnnualConference.AACFB.org to learn more and register. CHB Open House Sept. 23 and Oct. 21, 4:00 p.m.–6:30 p.m. Wheatland, WY Come see what we do here at CHB! Meet our team and learn more about our operations during our open house events. Our doors will be open to the public.
IS YOUR BUSINESS RUNNING THE WAY YOU WANT IT TO? Follow the Road to Optimization
over. The same applies to systems and processes within your business. Follow Your Road Map It may sound simple, but it rarely is. You need the tools, resources, and support of your team ( just as your team needs your support) to put your plan into action. If you want any part of your business to become optimized, the pieces must fit together. If your team needs help, get them that help. The road map should also offer flexibility in the event that you run into any roadblocks, and it should have enough guidance to get your business from point A to point B. The plan needs to be detailed but not too detailed because you don’t want to give yourself room to cut corners (which can be tempting when you want to save time and/or money). When you cut corners, you’re liable to miss a step, which could end up setting you back or putting you right where you started. Optimizing your small business isn’t easy, but if you want it to run the way you intended, it’s absolutely necessary. Walk through these steps and you’ll achieve that wonderful thing called optimization.
The challenge is getting to the actual source of the problem. It’s like back pain — you can throw painkillers at it, but the fundamental problem remains, and the pain will inevitably return. Find the source and you’ll be able to correct the problem. Make a Plan Once you’ve identified the problem, you can create a plan to overcome it — and put your business on the path you intended. It’s important to have a plan for every area you want to optimize — whether you have an ongoing problem or that area of the business simply isn’t running smoothly. Coming back to the marketing campaign example, let’s say the campaign was poorly targeted and now you’re going to miss your Q2 sales goal. You’re just not reaching your ideal customers. Why? Maybe you’re missing key data — the demographic data was wrong or out of date, or you’re leaning too heavily into the wrong platform (i.e., you’ve used Instagram when Facebook would have made more sense).
Is your business optimized ? You might scratch your head and ask, “What does that even mean?” In terms of your business, it can mean a dozen different things. But let’s define it and make it concrete: Is your business doing what you want? While “small- business optimization” can mean a number of things, that first question, “Is your business optimized?” points you to other questions you need to ask: Have your marketing endeavors paid off? Are your employees working cohesively as a team? Are you hitting your financial goals? If you can answer “yes” to these questions, then your business is likely optimized. However, if you’re answering “no,” then your business needs some work. Here’s how you can remove obstacles and achieve optimization. Identify the Problem If your business, in part or whole, is running inefficiently, you must identify the source of the problem. If you won’t hit your Q2 sales goal, there is a reason. For example, your current marketing campaign may have a kink in it — it may be poorly targeted and/or on the wrong platform, or maybe it’s just a bad offer.
Fill in the holes and re-strategize. It may be as simple as realigning the campaign or starting
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