|
|
|
|
||
Worldwide Entrepreneurs:
What Is Strategy?
Recently, I met with a very successful investment advisor (IA) who told me that his strategy for growing his business was to get referrals from satisfied clients and centres of influence. While that is an effective method or tactic for growing an advisory practice, it...
From One Generation To The Next
I first met Norm Carroll in May, 2002. I was launching our Practice Development Program sponsored by Great West Life. Norm was one of 32 President’s Council qualifiers who signed up for the program. In our initial interview, Norm explained that his primary...
Lessons My Father Taught Me
The death of a parent is a defining moment in our lives. My father died in March of 2009. I was conducting a workshop in Des Moines, Iowa for a group of top advisors and received two calls from my brother and wife within five minutes of each other around 9:30AM. Their...
Defining Your Business Opportunity
Your Business Plan starts with Defining Your Business. The four components of Defining Your Business are: Vision, Mission, Values and Business Opportunity. Your Business Plan is the articulation of your Strategy for growing your business. Strategy is the systematic...
What Differentiates Entrepreneurs and Employees?
Entrepreneurs can avoid many of the problems associated with growing a business by recognizing the differences between employees and entrepreneurs. There are two important distinctions we can draw between entrepreneurs and employees. The first is in the way in which...
Lessons from Costa Rica
For the last 11 days, I have been in Costa Rica with my wife, Wendy. We came here as guests of my friend and client, David Gray, Vice President, Wholesale Distribution, for Sun Life of Canada. David asked me to speak at the Sun Life Premier Partner Conference at the...
The Most Important Word in Business
When I give a presentation, I often start out by asking the audience the following question: “ If you had to choose one word that is critical to the success of a business, what would that word be ?” Typically, people will respond with words such as...
The Entrepreneur as Achiever
Throughout history, human behaviour has been informed and influenced by archetypes. The Oxford dictionary defines archetype as: (1) original model, prototype; and (2) typical specimen. For centuries, philosophers, and, more recently, social scientists have used...
The Drive To Excel
What motivates someone who has built an eight figure financial advisory firm to continue growing? For John Nicola, the founder and CEO of Nicola Wealth Management, it is the desire to build a sustainable business and leave a legacy. All of us want to push as big a rock...
Lessons My Mother Taught Me
My mother died recently, only ten months after my father passed away. The depth of my grief seemed overwhelming. Taking the time to mourn is important. With my dad, I did not spend enough time in reflection. With my mother’s loss, it has been different. My...
From Art to Science . . .
What does it take to build a sustainable financial advisory business? For Don Leitzell, it was the ability to combine the art and science of business building. Don started his financial services career in 1984. He became an independent financial advisor in 1987. Now...
Lessons From India
I just returned from a ten day business trip to India. During my trip, I learned many lessons about life, business and people in India. Hopefully, you will find these lessons of value in your business and personal life.
The importance of generosity of spirit:...
Individual Roles, Capabilities, & the Right Organization--Part 5
This is the fifth of five blogs that describe individual roles, individual capabilities and the right organizational structure (or as we say, defining the Requisite Organization). Today I'll describe advisors working at Stratum V and what their practices look like....
Individual Roles, Capabilities, & the Right Organization--Part 4
This is the fourth of five blogs that describe individual roles, individual capabilities and the right organizational structure (or as we say, defining the Requisite Organization). Today I'll describe advisors working at Stratum IV and what their...
Individual Roles, Capabilities, & the Right Organization--Part 3
This is the third of five blogs that describe individual roles, individual capabilities and the right organizational structure (or as we say, defining the Requisite Organization). Today I'll describe advisors working at Stratum III and what their...
Individual Roles, Capabilities, and the Right Organization -- Part 2
This is the second of six blogs that describe individual roles, individual capabilities and the right organizational structure (or as we say, defining the Requisite Organization). Today I'll describe advisors working at Stratum I and II and what...
Individual Roles, Capabilities, and the Right Organization
This is the first of six blogs that describe individual roles, individual capabilities and the right organizational structure (or as we say, defining the Requisite Organization).
Foundation Principles
1. There are things about you that...
The Client Attraction Conversation — Part 2 of 2
In my last blog I described a simple framework for structuring client attraction conversations. The structure of the opening of an interview is You/Me/Us/We . In Part 1 we covered the You/Me part of the attraction conversation, in this posting we’ll cover the...
The Client Attraction Conversation — Part 1 of 2
There is an art to attracting clients. You can utilize a simple framework for structuring client attraction conversations. My friend and colleague, Bill Whitley says: “ If you know how to open, you don’t have to close .” Your Client Attraction...
Defining Your Business Opportunity
Your Business Plan starts with Defining Your Business. The four components of Defining Your Business are: Vision, Mission, Values and Business Opportunity. Your Business Plan is the articulation of your Strategy for growing your business. Strategy is the systematic...
Values and Operating Principles
Expressing your values is facilitated when you are able to describe in one or two sentences how each value will be implemented. We call these descriptions of values in action, Operating Principles. The purpose of an Operating Principle is to provide a necessary frame of...
Expressing Your Values
A value is a thing or condition we consistently act upon to get and to keep. A value is a vector – a direction with a force. The clearest indication of what we value is how we spend our time and our money. It is not what we say that tells people what we value, it...
Four Fundamentals of an Effective Mission Statement
In my last blog, I described how Joel Goodhart developed the Mission Statement for BIRE Financial, “Financial Security Through Informed Decision Making.” Let’s review the four fundamentals in preparing your Mission Statement.
Start with...
The Power of a Good Mission Statement
What is a Mission Statement?
A Mission Statement describes why you are in business and is designed primarily for your clients. Ideally, the Mission Statement has meaning for every stakeholder in your business, e.g. shareholders, employees, associates, suppliers,...
Vision
Vision – The Starting Point in Defining Your Business
Your Vision is your mental picture of the direction in which you want to take your business. It is the goal for your business towards which you are working. A goal is a future desired state. It could be that...
Elements of a Business Plan
Entrepreneurs start a business to fulfill a purpose that has meaning for them. The business becomes an instrument for the entrepreneur to do what s/he wants to do. Your business plan describes what you want your business to do. It must comprise the following elements....
Four Systems To Build Your Business
Webster’s Dictionary definition of system includes: “a method or plan of classification or arrangement; an established way of doing something; method; procedure etc. There are four systems capabilities that are integral to building your business:...
Creating High-Performing Businesses
Creating a high-performing business means aligning five critical elements.
Vision – The starting point is the vision or picture of your business at some point
in the future. Vision answers the question: “Where are we going?” It...
Competition . . . Opportunity or Threat?
This is the last part of a four-part series on change. So far I’ve discussed: (1) Population , (2) Innovation , and (3) Globalization . Today I will discuss the impact of Competition . The way we do business today is different; we are undergoing significant...
Greetings From Hungary
As I travel around the world, I continue to be amazed at how similar entrepreneurs are in every country.
For the past ten days, I have been in Hungary. Last week, I facilitated two workshops for over 60 top financial advisors with AVIVA Hungary. AVIVA is one of the...
|
 |
|
| Home I About Us I Solutions I Events I Partners I Clients I Client Portal I Français |
| ©2010 The Covenant Group. All Rights reserved. |
