My “Rules of the Game” …

Okay …

… a few points for what you can expect from me in this forum …

I’ll only say or write the word “crickey” one time.

(… and that was it!).

I’ll give you my views on business, leadership, franchising and business coaching the way I share them with my team … as honestly and as unfiltered as possible.

I’ll also do my best to keep you up-to-date with the latest and greatest in online and web-based marketing and media tools, strategies, new gadgets and toys.

Not only will you soon be a master of a new domain (pun intended), you might also make your company (and yourself) more money this year than last.

Finally, I’ll interact with you as best as I can and answer any questions you may have, keeping in mind there are some topics or issues where legal or fiduciary duties may mean I disclaim upfront my generic answer (or non-answer!).

So … with that said, let’s go!

Jodie Shaw

Another CEO Blog?

Right!

So … you may not know me right now, but I’m hoping over the next weeks, months (and years!) we’ll start to develop a rapport about business, women in leadership, franchising and business coaching – the latter being the business I’ve promoted, strategically planned and led for the past five years.

I’m a huge fan and proponent of online media, web marketing, business and personal blogs and the like, so this seems to me the ideal medium to communicate and share with others my thoughts and perspectives … in a forum outside ActionCOACH’s more conventional forms of media.

So why another CEO blog?

A few things here I suppose …

First, I’m a relatively young Australian woman heading an organization that was previously led by the person who founded the company … so I think I have a somewhat unique and interesting perspective on business, leadership and how to aspire to a leadership position – and actually get there.

Second, I lead a very unique organization that is built around a very different idea about how business does – and should – work.

These ideas have not only helped me coach our network to greater success, they also help more than 15,000 businesses every week all over the world get more profits, more time for those company owners and better team members to help build better companies.

Third, I rose to the rank of CEO from the marketing department, a path that is a bit different from someone who spent their formative years in finance or operations.

Because of this, I think I have a different perspective on how a marketing “world view” in business is actually better and more oriented toward growth for an organization than one based on finance or operations.

I also think I have some different ideas on how marketing can drive both finance and operations better than those areas can drive marketing … (but, we can have some good back and forth on that one …)!

Fourth, I believe that profit is not only the most important thing in business, but it’s the only reason to be in business … and I can say right off the bat you will not hear many CEO’s make such a blatant statement about the need and value of profit, but after “being in the trenches” of small business for a number of years, nothing is more important (yet misunderstood) than the role of profit in business.

One of the things we pride ourselves on at ActionCOACH (and the main difference between our company and a conventional consulting company) is that we focus on business growth and profit as the ONLY way to grow a company, versus cutting expenses to the bone.

You can only ever cut so many expenses before you affect performance … but once you know “how” to grow your sales and profit margins, the sky really is the limit – for any business on the planet.

Finally, I don’t only believe … but I know as an absolute fact … that small-and-medium sized business is the driving engine and force of economic growth in any economy.

This is even true in heavily regulated and highly top-down oriented economies (Mexico being one example), where small business and the profit incentive is the only factor standing between a recession and complete economic collapse.

I think this is because there are certain people in any culture or marketplace (read:  small business owners and entrepreneurs) who have an innate (or yes, even learned) need to succeed … fueled by a desire and drive to produce a profit and the aspiration to build a better lifestyle for themselves and others.

This need that is found in a few benefits many … even those who are more comfortable with stability and “security” … and who are content just to have a job or live pay check-to-pay check (either in the public or private sector).

The dividends small business pays are incalculable … not only to owners of small business but to communities and countries in terms of employment, innovation … and yes, even taxes and other benefits (even health care!).

But that’s a rant (or a topic!) for another day … or week … and just one of the many I hope to explore through this blog and interaction with you.

It’s been an incredible journey to this point … and I hope you’ll join me as I share my thoughts on a very exciting world of global small business and a future that will prove very interesting for all of us …

Jodie Shaw
ActionCOACH CEO, USA and Canada