business planning

How Many Holidays Should a Business Owner Take?

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If you own a business, when was the last time you took a proper break without feeling like you should be back at work?

I meet plenty of business owners who tell me they want more holidays, more time with their family and more opportunities to actually enjoy what they’ve built. But unless that time is deliberately planned, there’s always something in the business that gets in the way.

I’m a big believer that holidays shouldn’t just happen when you finally find a gap in the calendar. I have a simple system I use each year to make sure I get proper holidays, shorter breaks and plenty of long weekends throughout the year.

It’s good for me, it’s good for my family and I reckon it’s good for the business too. When you’re constantly working without taking a break, eventually you become stale, your productivity drops and your team can start picking up on it as well.

In the video below, I’ll show you exactly how I plan my holidays each year and the simple system I use to make sure they actually happen.

You might not want the same number of holidays or the same types of trips I do, and that’s not really the point. The important thing is having a system and putting the time aside before the year gets away from you.

After all, your business should give you more choices in life, not fewer.

Please reach out if you need help structuring a plan.

Thanks,
Hugh

From Ideas in Your Head to a Business That Can Run Without You

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One of the biggest parts of succession planning is turning what you know as the business owner into something the business itself can use.

For many established business owners, there are years of knowledge, ideas and experience sitting in their head. But if the business is going to grow, operate with less reliance on its owner and eventually be passed on or sold, that knowledge needs to become plans, processes and systems.

That’s something I’ve worked on with Chris Beretta from D.A. Beretta, a long standing Geelong plumbing and civil works business.

When Chris first came to me, he already had plenty of ideas. What he needed was help getting those ideas down on paper, building plans around them and, importantly, actually implementing them.

Since then, we’ve worked on future growth, goal setting and streamlining systems within the business. Chris has also successfully developed a new traffic control arm within D.A. Beretta, turning what had previously been a cost to the business into another source of profit.

As Chris explains in the video, one of the biggest benefits of coaching has been having someone there to help move those ideas from his head into action.

That’s also an important part of building a business for the future.

Succession planning isn’t simply deciding who will take over one day. It’s about creating a stronger, more organised business with the systems, plans and people in place so everything doesn’t continue to depend on you.

Watch Chris’s story below to hear about his experience working with me and the changes they’ve implemented at D.A. Beretta.

Thanks
Hugh

June GrowthCLUB: A Day of Planning, Sales and Business Growth

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Yesterday I had the pleasure of hosting our June GrowthCLUB workshop, and once again I was reminded how valuable it is when business owners take the time to step away from the day to day and work on their business rather than just in it.

The focus for this quarter’s workshop was Sales and Planning, two areas that have an enormous impact on business performance. Throughout the day we explored sales processes, objection handling, goal setting and strategic planning for the months ahead.

One of the highlights for me is always the discussion that happens around the room. Business owners from different industries sharing ideas, challenges and solutions. Often the best breakthroughs come from hearing a different perspective or learning how someone else has tackled a similar challenge.

The Hot Seat sessions were particularly valuable, with participants openly discussing their biggest business challenges and receiving feedback and ideas from other business owners. It’s amazing how much knowledge exists within a room full of people who are all committed to growing and improving their businesses.

We also spent time reviewing goals, measuring progress and creating practical action plans for the next quarter. Having a plan is one thing. Having clear actions and accountability is what turns plans into results.

Of course, no GrowthCLUB would be complete without great conversations over lunch and the opportunity to connect with other like minded business owners who understand the challenges and opportunities that come with running a business.

If you’ve never attended a GrowthCLUB workshop before, I’d encourage you to consider joining us at one of our upcoming events. These workshops are designed to help you gain clarity, build a practical plan and leave with actions you can implement immediately in your business.

The next workshops are already scheduled and I’d love to see you there. Sometimes taking just one day out of your business can create results that impact the next three months. Yesterday we saw the majority of goals set by participants at the previous GrowthCLUB had already been achieved!

Please reach out if you have any questions about my future GrowthCLUB workshops.

Thanks
Hugh Bowman

The Process of Quarterly Planning for Small Business

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One of the most valuable exercises I encourage business owners to do is quarterly planning. Over the years, I’ve seen a clear pattern: the businesses that stop, review, and plan every 90 days consistently achieve more than those that simply keep pushing forward without a clear direction.

 

In this video, I walk through the quarterly planning process I use with my clients. It starts by reviewing the previous quarter, looking at both the wins and the challenges. Understanding what has worked well, and what hasn’t, gives you the clarity needed to make better decisions moving forward. From there, we look at the numbers because your results will always tell a story about where your business is heading.

Once you’ve reviewed the past, it’s time to reconnect with your longer-term goals and decide what needs to happen over the next quarter to move closer to them. One of the biggest mistakes I see business owners make is trying to achieve too much at once. Instead, I recommend focusing on a small number of meaningful goals and identifying the key actions required to make them happen.

Quarterly planning creates accountability, direction, and momentum. It helps you stop reacting to whatever comes your way and start proactively building the business you want. If you’re not currently planning every quarter, I’d encourage you to start. The clarity and focus it creates can have a significant impact on your results.

If you’d like help implementing a quarterly planning process in your business, feel free to get in touch. I’d be happy to have a chat.

Hugh Bowman
ActionCOACH Geelong