• Sample pages
  • Page 1

    Introduction

    As a small business owner or entrepreneur, there are many obvious things that are clamoring for your attention: get clients, do the work, pay the bills, etc. However, what about, the less obvious? From being in business for over 25 years combined, we believe that it is vital to get past the obvious and address the hidden nuances, problems, and attitudes that can derail you – whether you’ve been in business for 1 month, 1 year, or 10 years.

    This book will increase your awareness in four key areas of business development, giving you a realistic foundation to promote long-term profitability. We know the power of these “less than obvious” issues, because we have been through them all – and have come out the other side with our businesses stronger than ever.

    It’s time for real talk about real issues – so you can discover real solutions.

  • Page 2

    Strengthening Your Business

    5 Hidden Nuances that can Destroy Your Business

    The statistics are sobering: only 49% of new businesses last five years or more, and only 34% last 10 years or more.

    Why the heavy attrition rate? Many experts have addressed various reasons businesses fail, citing inadequate cash flow, high overhead costs, bad management practices, poor credit, and too-rapid expansion as key factors. However, in our many years as seasoned entrepreneurs, we have identified five less-obvious factors that can completely destroy a business if gone unaddressed. These are particularly critical when just starting out, but they can spell disaster for a business at any time.

    1. Not Being 100% Committed

    In the early years of starting a company, most business owners feel stretched financially. Many combat this by developing a contingency plan: they either work at night or on weekends at another job just in case their business fails. However, by straddling the fence, you are tacitly giving yourself the option to fail. The “hidden nuance” here, which could have destroyed both our businesses, is that if you are putting time and effort into a back-up plan, you cannot make a full commitment to your business.

  • About the Authors

    Garnett Newcombe is the Co-Founder and CEO of Human Potential Consultants, LLC, an awardwinning employment solutions company. Established in 1997, Human Potential Consultants was founded on the belief that helping individuals improve their self-worth, work readiness, and employability skills – regardless of their background – will increase job opportunities.

    Kay Woods is the Founder and CEO of Precious Treasures Childcare, an award-winning 24-hour, 7-day-a-week child care center. Established in 2002, the vision of her child care center is to strengthen family unity at the root by integrating early childhood education and parenting resources.

    "We developed CEO Real Talk as an extension of our own companies to deliver effective strategies to fellow business people, based on more than 25 years of professional experience. Through CEO Real Talk, we are revealing dangerous caveats (hidden nuances) that can potentially destroy small and minority-owned businesses. It is our goal to help business owners promote realistic long-term profitability as they continue to grow and diversify." – Garnett Newcombe and Kay Woods

$4.95  buy now

Get Past the Obvious

Posted on October 11, 2013 by SkillBites

As a small business owner or entrepreneur, there are many obvious things that are clamoring for your attention: get clients, do the work, pay the bills, etc. But what about the less obvious? From being in business for over 14 years, we believe that it is vital to get past the obvious and address the hidden nuances, problems, and attitudes that can derail you – whether you are a start-up or you’ve been in business for 10 years, whether you are the CEO, CFO or a manager in Human Resources or Purchasing.

This book will increase your awareness in four key areas of business development, giving you a realistic foundation to promote long-term profitability. We know the power of these “less than obvious” issues, because we have been through them all – and have come out the other side with our businesses stronger than ever. You’ll learn:

  • Five factors that can destroy your business if not addressed;
  • Five strategies that will enable you to hire the best workforce;
  • Five highly dysfunctional decision-making behaviors that all small business owners, managers, directors and coaches should be aware of – and avoid; and
  • Five techniques that can help you achieve a true, healthy work-life balance.

It’s time for real talk about real issues – so you can discover real solutions.

I found this quick read to be relevant and insightful, certainly worth the time for any small business owners. It proved to be that gentle reminder that the obvious is not always quite so obvious in the demanding world of an entrepreneur.
Marneta House
CFO & Co-Owner of Futureage Enterprises
Inc., Palmdale, CA

This book is a blessing. The chapter on the Five Essential Strategies for hiring the Best Workforce is not only interesting to read, but I firmly believe that it would save many small businesses from making some serious mistakes and lead them to success and wealth. Every new business owner should share this book with their hiring managers and human resources team. The strategies discussed in the book will enable any business owner who implements them to build an awesome workforce and bring control and success to their business.
Elease Minor
CEO Important Details Inc., Vallejo CA

I read Get Past The Obvious and found it to be a very easy read with a reminder of the “less obvious”. Having been in business for over 15 years, I had “hidden nuances” that needed to be addressed. The book increased my awareness of certain issues. This book will definitely help many with their business development.
Bridget Smith
CEO & Founder, Short Cutz by Bridget,
Emeryville, CA

What an amazing book I found it to be. The book was a quick read, clear and easy to follow. Having been a business owner, I could definitely relate to the nuances that we all fall prey to when running a business. I saw myself repeatedly in the book from not understanding my finances to working in the business instead of on the business. I would highly recommend this book to my colleagues who have stepped into the world of entrepreneurship. Thanks for your insight and candidness.
Joyce Redd
Employment Manager, Alameda County
Behavioral Vocational Program, Alameda CA

The saying “Good things come in small packages” is the first thing that came to mind after reading Get Past the Obvious! This book has great insight on what is needed not only for business proprietors, but also for directors and managers in the day-to-day operations of an organization. Its strategies surrounding “work-life balance” will now hang over my desk. Thanks, Garnett and Kay, for the invaluable information.
A. Renee Daniels
TPMG Service Manager East Bay Area
Oakland, CA

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