My Business On Purpose

A dear friend of mine sent me a book recently simply titled Success: The Glenn Bland Method…How To Set Goals and Make Plans That Actually Work! The book was written in the 1970s and quite frankly carried and implied genre that I don’t spend much time reading (but should probably spend more time). On page 42, I was stopped when Glenn Bland wrote this about goal setting, “only 3 percent of all people have goals and plans and write them down.  Ten percent more have goals and plans, but keep them in their heads.  The rest - 87 percent - drift through life without definite goals or plans.” Then Bland follows that shock statistic with this, “the 3 percent who have goals and plans that are written down accomplish from fifty to one hundred times more during their lives than the 10 percent who have goals and plans and merely keep them in their heads.” Fifty to 100 times more during their lives than the 10 percent. Brian Moran wrote a great book some years ago, The 12 Week Year.  It is a must-read, and a must-implement

After spending two days speaking to a groups of builders and contractors, there is an unspoken question that most have and is revealed when we begin to talk about the chaos they are feeling. What most builders and contractors want to ask, but struggle to open up about is simply, “how do I manage my small business successfully”.   They know what features the clients' desire.  They know how good structures are built, and yet they quietly live with an inadequacy of building a  structure of their business with the same integrity, the same stability by which they build their projects. In the volatile market environment we are in now, material delays, pricing increases, and employee challenges, how is a business owner to manage the business so that the business doesn’t end up managing them? A journey back into the annals of history can help us gain perspective on our current reality.  Where there is no vision, people become detached, scattered, and alone.  It’s proverbial…it’s a natural law. If you have written and

You are not your business.  I own The On Purpose Group, the entity that holds Business On Purpose, but that is not who I am. I heard a late-middle-aged woman recently say something that made me sad, “I wouldn’t know what to do if I didn’t own this business… this has been my identity for so long.” It is ironic that amount of time and focus that we spend trying to protect our digital identity (identification, credit cards, passwords, etc.) and yet spend very little time trying to maintain a distance between ourselves and the identity that is created from our work. You are not your work.  Today you can serve ice cream, tomorrow lead a class on pottery, and the next day lead a congressional hearing.  Of course acumen in any trade or profession is, in part, gained through right repetition over long periods of time.  So if you wish to have impact through your work, then it will likely require longevity and focus. Where we must be careful is when longevity and focus begin turning into obsession and idolatry along wi

Our family’s mission is to be a light through wisdom, adventure, and time around the table. Our family mission ties directly into the mission we have here at Business On Purpose which is to liberate heroic business owners, just like you, from the chaos of working IN your business. So that you can ENJOY your business, maximize the impact that it can have on your family and your community, and make time for what matters most! For a ground rule...IGNORE THE NOISE and distraction… “It pays to curate the incoming, to ignore the noise, and to engage with voices who are willing to show their work.” We are about to SHOW you our work.  It’s up to YOU to implement Surveying hundreds of heroic business owners just like you over the past few years we have heard loud and clear one of the biggest challenges that you face in your business...the feeling that you will never be able to step away from your business b/c you are SO busy working IN your business. Imagine the day, a lady named Josephine comes walking in your worksp

The U of SC football program had just won the first Bowl Game in the 100-year-plus history of the school.   After joining the rugged and tough SEC in 1992, the Gamecocks were still struggling to be the elite SEC teams like Florida and Tennessee.   Tennessee had a young QB with a head-turning last name…Manning.  We had a pony-tailed enthusiast named Taneyhill, along with two offensive lineman, two running backs all headed eventually to the NFL.   We were desperate for a signature win in the SEC. JAMES DEXTER STORY at Tennessee turning the table over, driving down to the five yard line  2nd and 1 (5 yard penalty): (7:40) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jPj3LKGMhc Blocked FG Returned 95 yards for a TD (9:51): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jPj3LKGMhc 56 - 21 Final Score… Often, in life, sports, and business, we do desperate things in desperate times in order to solve desperate problems. The last 2 years have created a desperate longing.  Let’s articulate the challenge that you are up against today. PAIN - S

After months of spending time with and getting to know a construction contractor partnership we got to the point where they thought, “We really need help.” After a few days, they came back and said, “I think we’ll really be ready in about six months… what do you think?” This is a multi-million dollar, 40-employee business where each partner is having to stay at the office till 10 pm many evenings just to ensure that all of the moving parts of their business and life is being held up.  They are spinning plates, juggling balls, throwing hail mary’s, and hoping that when all is tallied up at the end of each year that they have more money than when they began.   I asked simply, “what will be different in six months?” They looked at each other at a loss for thought, “probably nothing” they replied. In that moment I had a decision to make, give in to their excuses, or tell them the truth. The truth is that they have the bones of a great, legacy business and yet they are at risk of losing their friendship and their

Delegation… handing off things to your team to allow you to do what ONLY you need to be doing in your business. It’s powerful and necessary, but how do you take a task from delegation to done the right way? Well, let’s talk about that today.  Thomas Joyner with Business on Purpose here. So last week I sat in on an interview and we were discussing how the candidate had implemented change in places he has worked before. And he introduced to us his process for delegating and training tasks. I just started smiling as he basically explained to us what we ask our business owners to do when they let go of certain tasks and hand it off to the rest of the team. He explained it in simple terms in a 4 step process that I’ll walk you through today. First, there’s a directive. A verbal communication of what is being asked to do. If you want someone to take over-invoicing all new clients and getting their payment set up, they have to be told it’s their responsibility now.  It never fails, we hear business owners complain a

Ok, we’re finally sitting down to meet 1 on 1 with our employees. So what do we ask? Well, let’s talk about that today. Good afternoon, Thomas Joyner with Business on Purpose here. The thing we have been pushing our clients to do more than anything is to sit down and meet with your employees. Spend time listening and learning. Good employees have become a currency in and of themselves, and the businesses that are thriving right now are, typically, ones with solid employees. So, we have been pushing our clients to meet with all key leaders once a week or every other week at a minimum, and then meet with everyone else once a quarter. It’s incredibly valuable and communicates that you desire to hear what they have to say and invest in them individually.  In a world where people are looking around for new jobs in record numbers, every meeting counts and every meeting communicates you want them to stick around for a long time. But the thing we hear more than anything is this…” what do I ask them about?” Or…” what

Hey, y’all Brent Perry with Business on Purpose. Legally and hypothetically speaking, of course, but the question to ask yourself today is this, would I bet on my business to be profitable this year? Hopefully, your answer is yes, but the more business owners I have the privilege to talk with the more I realize there is uncertainty in that answer.  Now I am not asking if you want your business to be profitable. Or if you are hoping to be profitable this year. I am not even asking if you have been profitable in the past. Again, this is a legal/hypothetical question, if you actually had to bet real, hard-earned cash out of your pocket, would you bet on your business to be profitable this year? This past weekend was the KY Derby, and wow, what a race it was. I will be the first to admit that I am not a huge horse race kind of guy. I do love riding, and I love sports, I just don’t follow the world of horse racing that closely. Luckily I have some friends who do. And as we gathered on Saturday to celebrate the Der

I had a client turn down a 1.2 million dollar job this week. 25% of his yearly revenue. Let’s talk about why? Good afternoon, Thomas Joyner with Business on Purpose here. If there’s a phrase that I’ve heard over and over this year, it’s “we gotta make money while there’s money to be made.” There’s a scarcity mindset that is going around in the contractor space. Prices are still on the way up, and yet people continue to build, and work continues to be there for the taking.  So, is all work the same? Is all work worth taking, no matter who the client is and no matter what it costs you? Well, most people today would find a way to make it work. Well, we can hire and train quickly and we’ll find a way to get it done. Straight into emergency mode. Straight into the chaos. And yet, that decision is made out of emotion and not with a plan in place. It’s almost destined to fail or be awful throughout.  I was so proud recently when I sat down with one of my clients and they said, you’d be proud of me… I turned down 1.2

A business owner called me and said simply, “my people are getting their rear ends kicked right now, do you know of a good motivational speaker?” Within a few weeks, I show up ready to deliver a powerful talk on the RPMs of leadership (repetition, predictability, and meaning) and then follow it up with our super fun and engaging DISC workshop so that this team of project managers, purchasers, warranty care members, and general managers could work through the importance of speaking to people the way they wished to be spoken to. We worked through the realities of competing personalities and, in some cases, warring agendas. It was a powerful two-hour window of time and left each of the team members trying to understand their colleagues, customers, and trade partners better. But then what? The motivation was there.  The new insights, the curiosities, and the nuances were all uncovered, evaluated, and role-played to some extent. But now what? A two-hour workshop is part insight, part motivation.  Insights can spar

Look at your calendar. Do it. Obviously, this week is slammed, how bout next? And the next? So when does the faucet cut off so that you actually have some time back on your hands and things slow down? Well, let’s talk about that today. Good morning Thomas Joyner with Business on Purpose here. I saw a meme the other day and I just laughed. Because it represents the way pretty much all of us live our lives week after week after week!  Here it is: Adulthood is saying, “But after this week things will slow down a bit,” Over and over until you die!!! I was dying laughing. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve said the same thing. Next week is a slower week, let’s connect then. And if I’m not careful, I look up and it’s Thursday afternoon and I’m wondering where that slower week I told everyone about actually was! So, is that you? Are you the person who, at church or your weekly golf match, when asked how you’re doing…always tends to answer, busy man how are you? You deserve a busy badge! But seriously, who isn’t bu

I was volunteering as the public address announcer for the team my son plays on at his local High School.   Armed with a cobbled-together sound system, a prescribed playlist, a microphone, and a few corny dad-jokes, we try to provide a little light humor throughout the competition of a High School game.  Most games are a lot of fun.  But the off-field activity of this last game was not. Parents from the visiting team began heckling when we did not announce their children’s names each time they scored: we never have for any visiting team for a variety of reasons. On a spring evening in the beautiful low country of South Carolina, in a sport where very few players will go on to play in college, parents began rebuking the volunteer Dad running the music and making some announcements.   Why?   We struggle with empathy as a culture.  We are in a civic landscape where if someone is not 100% right or good, then they are immediately painted as 100% wrong or bad. There seems to be little in between, little grace exten

Our family’s mission is to be a light through wisdom, adventure, and time around the table. Our family mission ties directly into the mission we have here at Business On Purpose which is to liberate heroic business owners, just like you, from the chaos of working IN your business. So that you can ENJOY your business, maximize the impact that it can have on your family and your community, and make time for what matters most! For a ground rule...IGNORE THE NOISE and distraction… “It pays to curate the incoming, to ignore the noise, and to engage with voices who are willing to show their work.” We are about to SHOW you our work.  It’s up to YOU to implement Surveying hundreds of heroic business owners just like you over the past few years we have heard loud and clear one of the biggest challenges that you face in your business...the feeling that you will never be able to step away from your business b/c you are SO busy working IN your business. Imagine the day, a lady named Josephine comes walking in your worksp

STORY The U of SC football program had just won the first Bowl Game in the 100-year plus history of the school.   After joining the rugged and tough SEC in 1992, the Gamecocks were still struggling to be the elite SEC teams like Florida and Tennessee.   Tennessee had a young QB with a head-turning last name…Manning.  We had a pony-tailed enthusiast named Taneyhill, along with two offensive lineman, two running backs all headed eventually to the NFL.   We were desperate for a signature win in the SEC. JAMES DEXTER STORY at Tennessee turning the table over, driving down to the five-yard line  2nd and 1 (5-yard penalty): (7:40) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jPj3LKGMhc Blocked FG Returned 95 yards for a TD (9:51): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jPj3LKGMhc 56 - 21 Final Score…we were  Often, in life, sports, and business, we do desperate things in desperate times in order to solve desperate problems. The last 2 years have created a desperate longing.  Let’s articulate the challenge that you are up against t

It’s beautiful outside and if you’re anything like me, you’re getting excited for summer right around the corner. It’s so easy to get distracted and to hit that wall at work, so here are 3 questions to ask yourself today, to push through that stall wherever you may work. Good morning everyone, Thomas Joyner here with Business on Purpose. It’s natural that around April 15, you’ve mowed your grass a couple of times, spring break just passed, you hopefully paid your taxes and you got your first taste of the summer lifestyle. And then just like that… it’s Monday… yet again!  You lose motivation, your problems start to feel magnified as if they will never change and you feel less and less inclined to put in the work to actually change them! Am I alone in feeling this way? I don’t think so. So I want you to write down the 3 questions I’m going to give you today and find some time to think about them. Hopefully, it’s right after we finish, because you and I both know there’s a fire burning in your business the secon

What are you holding onto too tightly as a business owner? And how is that holding your team back? Well, let’s get into that today. Thomas Joyner with Business on Purpose here. At our weekly Check-ins, Scott always asks me the same 5-6 questions, and he tends to sprinkle in one or two that come and go throughout the year. His question last week? What am I holding onto too tightly that I need to let go of?  It’s a question that’s rooted in humility but also rooted in knowing that this business is his baby. And for years he wore every hat in the business. From coaching to bookkeeping, even ordering the toilet paper for our office bathroom. He’s done it all for years. So, sometimes he doesn’t even realize someone is ready to take something off his plate, because you get locked into these rhythms. But it’s a powerful question because there are areas I’m ready to grow, responsibilities I’m ready to take on that will ensure I continue to grow in my job role and not grow bored with my day to day.  I had a client a f

What is the difference between a business mentor, consultant, and coach? And why do we choose to be coaches? Let’s dive in and talk through that today. Hey there everyone! Thomas Joyner with Business on Purpose here. We got a question last week from someone outside our network who asked us, “So what really is the difference between business mentors, consultants, and coaches?” I thought it was a great question because to most people it’s just a different way of saying the same thing. So what do each do well, and what are the shortcomings of each?  Well, let’s start with business mentors. Kind of the most unofficial of the 3. Everyone should have a business mentor. Someone who you can take to lunch and just fire off 100 questions. Someone who is a step or two further down the road and may have survived some of the battles you’re facing.  A mentor is a sounding board but largely stays in an unofficial capacity. The beauty of a mentor relationship is they have typically experienced what you are experiencing and c

3 weeks ago, Shackleton’s ship the Endurance was located 9800 feet beneath the Ocean's surface near the antarctic. One ship: 144’ long Crew of Shackleton and 27 men One aim: the first to cross the Antarctic continent and become the first to cross it  Foundational reality: Your seas are changing, the weather patterns are becoming more unpredictable.  Today the swells are 1-2 feet, and in an hour they are 5-8.  Chaos is the standard and unpredictability is the new predictable.  Your choice: either take your existing boat out into the unpredictability of the seas… OR learn from what the seas are telling you, and build a different boat. Would Shackleton, knowing the tumult of the Antarctic, have taken the same boat?  Would he have not gone?  NO!  He would have built a better boat and designed a better map. Let’s look at the route of the Endurance Trapped in Jan 1915 Crushed in Oct 1915, Sunk Nov 1915 Departed isolated spot April 1916 (15 months in one isolated spot!!!!) Final crew rescued Aug 30, 1016 (18 mont

The U of SC football program had just won the first Bowl Game in the 100-year plus history of the school.   After joining the rugged and tough SEC in 1992, the Gamecocks were still struggling to be the elite SEC teams like Florida and Tennessee.   Tennessee had a young QB with a head-turning last name…Manning.  We had a pony-tailed enthusiast named Taneyhill, along with two offensive lineman, two running backs all headed eventually to the NFL.   We were desperate for a signature win in the SEC. JAMES DEXTER STORY at Tennessee turning the table over, driving down to the five-yard line  2nd and 1 (5-yard penalty): (7:40) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jPj3LKGMhc Blocked FG Returned 95 yards for a TD (9:51): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jPj3LKGMhc 56 - 21 Final Score… Often, in life, sports, and business, we do desperate things in desperate times in order to solve desperate problems. The last 2 years have created a desperate longing.  Let’s articulate the challenge that you are up against today. PAIN - S