I don't love you anymore

Running a business isn’t easy.  

As a business owner, we have days where we are disillusioned with it all.  The worst days are those when you fall out of love with your business.

There are many reasons why business ownership is great, and I’d like to say from the offset that I’m glad that I made the decision to start mine – a decision which was accelerated thanks to being made redundant.

However, it’s hard to switch off - we are always thinking about it; even more so if things aren’t going smoothly.

HEALTH COMES FIRST

One thing I’m becoming more aware of is the need to look after our health – it is important and should take priority.

It’s all too easy to ignore the warning signs, especially when we are busy or under pressure (which, of course, can exasperate the issues).

I recently spoke to friends who are getting health issues – one making himself ill with stress; another getting a cancer diagnosis; and another needing support with mental health.

I myself get chest pains and I’m having trouble sleeping.  I have regular health checks and overall, I’m healthy, but I also know (as does my doctor) that the issues are a direct result of stress, caused by a number of factors including business ownership.

Even my wife is worried about me, which isn’t like her.

HOME AND AWAY

Business ownership is a constant learning curve, and this is an instance where I realise I’ve taken too much on - trying to look after clients, finding it hard to say no, and trying to ‘make hay while the sunshines’.

However, I have a brilliant team which can take some of the pressure off me (and make sure our clients get nothing less than great service).  

But this doesn’t stop me thinking about my business, my home life, and the future.

It is up to us to look after ourselves, particularly as life keeps moving and the world keeps turning.

For example, in one week alone recently, I had a 1,000-page investigation report arrive which I need to read and review; some ad-hoc work which took six months to arrive (due to client delays) where they are pushing for a quick resolution; a client needing me in their office for three days a week (which also involved being away from home); and a client who cancelled their Direct Debit with no warning.

CASHFLOW IS KING

In a small business, cashflow is important.  This is one of the reasons I moved to a ‘retained’ model.

Having retained clients means that I can plan and forecast my cashflow, but more importantly, it means that I can focus on long-term planning with my clients and work alongside them to support their business growth.

My clients are predominantly on a retainer, and my retained model is heavily front-loaded.

I’m a big believer that invoices should be paid on time – I am meticulous about paying my suppliers on time.  I believe this is a sign of respect, and is an extension of matching values.

This month, for the first time ever, I’ve had a client ghost me.  They cancelled their Direct Debit with no warning – there were no calls, emails, or any discussion at all – and because my services are front-loaded, the client has already had most of the benefits of my HR services. 

The client originally came to me as they had tried to exit someone without HR support and it went badly wrong.  Currently, the job isn’t finished either, as we are still trying to fix the issues caused by a contract (possibly created by ‘my mate Dave down the pub) that wasn’t fit for purpose.

Now they are not responding to my emails or telephone calls… and the unpaid invoice is, of course, about to go overdue.  My terms are watertight around this, and the client’s contractual obligations are just that - obligations - so we will get paid.

TIMES LIKE THESE

This isn’t about the money - it’s the lack of communication, and then the hassle involved in rectifying the situation.  In fact, early communication may have saved the client money and time, because together we could have found a solution. 

It may sound obvious to decent business owners, but you should have the same values with other businesses as you have with your own, and how you would expect others to treat you. 

And it’s times like these where I fall out of love with my business and think ‘why am I doing all this?’

ALIGNED VALUES ARE KEY

I recently read an article called ‘why are so many HR leaders going solo?’ and it made me think about why I started my own business.

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In the article, HR leaders were interviewed about why they started their own business, and some of the reasons were things like wanting to leave the corporate life or grabbing a slice of the growing HR market.

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One reason particularly resonated with me - the opportunity to work with businesses that had aligned values.

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Since starting my independent HR consultancy, I’m glad to have created something where I can work with a range of good, value-led clients.

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However, one of the initial drivers was my desire to work with a variety of clients who were looking for independent, bespoke support, rather than a faceless off-the-shelf solution.

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I pride myself on knowing, learning and having experience of the full spectrum of HR knowledge, and being able to support businesses by offering a tailored solution to their needs.  My retained clients include everyone from small local businesses right up to national organisations.

ALL ABOUT THE TEAMWORK

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I have always had support in my business, whether it be an accountant or a coach. Today, I have a fabulous team – Jessica, Louise, Hayley, Gus and Denise – that help and support me and our clients.

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HR is a an incredibly busy place right now, and good consultants are in demand like never before. As an independent consultancy delivering bespoke, highly-experienced HR support, we only work with a set number of clients at anyone time, mostly on an exclusively-retained basis.

If we are having discussions with you about potentially working together, that means you have the right values (as we don’t work with just anyone). I’m grateful that my business is at this point.  We will take all of your ‘people problems’ away, leaving you time to focus on growing your business.

When I see our clients growing and succeeding, and then how much they value our work, it all starts to fall into place, and I fall back in love with my business.

HOW MUCH IS HR REALLY WORTH?

How much is employee engagement and the knowledge that you are legally compliant worth? Our bespoke HR services cost less than most people think.

Our first question to you is usually “why should we work with you?” because you have to be right for us, as much as we have to be right for you. 

If your first question to us is “how much do you charge?” then you aren't the right client for us.  Perhaps a question to consider is “how much will it cost our business if we DON’T have proper, experienced, bespoke HR support?”

If you are an employer and your business is growing, get in touch for a chat to see how me and my team can support your business.

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