That’s not an issue…

Have you ever heard or used the phrase: "That's not an issue we have"? Chances are you have. There are innumerable variations on it. You hear variations on this phrase in every aspect of business. This phrase is often a point of well-earned pride. It comes from business owners who know every issue of their business inside and out. These people have gotten into a good routine of keeping their business running smoothly. Unfortunately, this phrase can also be one of the biggest hindrances to growing a business. What if we took that statement and applied it to a part of business that owners don’t necessarily think of... something that's just a part of doing business:

Turnover

For the most part, these businesses are correct. Employee turnover is not an "issue" they have as much as an expected way of life. What employer would begrudge someone for leaving for a better opportunity? Good for them right? What does it matter when that customer goes to another company because they found a better deal? Cheaper product equals inferior product right?

These are all valid viewpoints...but they will NEVER grow your business. The question you should be asking is much more difficult to be honest and objective with...why was your top performer/best employee looking for something else in the first place? Why did they not feel that there was sufficient opportunity for them? Why was that customer looking for a better deal? What was it about their experience that sent them somewhere else?

These are some of the hardest questions to ask. They're the hardest questions to ask because they require a lot more introspection and self-analysis than anything else you will run into as a business owner. Any business owner knows that it's exceptionally easy to analyze your sales tactics and your product offerings. There are always new procedures and methodologies to try. There is always the latest and greatest to drive sales and improve back-end processes.

Company Habits

Basic human nature tells us that reflecting on your "company habits" (long-held policies, culture and overall environment) is far more difficult. Having a third party come in to review this is even more intimidating. What if something you’ve always taken for granted is shown to be a hindrance? What if the changes they suggest have a high upfront cost?

The best thing to keep in mind through this process is simple: asking yourself if there's anywhere to improve is simply good business. Asking a fresh set of eyes is even better. There’s a saying that is often used in sales...though it may be phrased differently: The riskier the road, the greater the profit. There's always a risk in asking for help...the risk that you won't like the answers you get. The risk that there may be things that need to be addressed that you’ve always said “that’s not an issue we have”. Maybe you even considered what you see as a low turnover rate as a strength of your company. Could it be lower, though? Answering that question is where true growth happens. That’s what sets a business up for #kingdomclass service!

Live to Serve, Serve to Live

For the last 20 years, I have been serving people in some way or another. What started out as a way to earn some extra spending money has turned into a lifelong passion of "doing the right thing". Because of that, I tend to have a very black and white sense of what customer service is, and what separates the good from the better in that regard.

In the last 5 years specifically, that vision has come into focus in a very unexpected way. I've been blessed to have multiple positions where I am the person that is sought out for the How-To of what many call "Kingdom Class Service" . Whether you want to look at that phrase as meaning service fit for a king of men or service befitting the Kingdom of God, it is a phrase that stands out as being the epitome of serving someone else. My own vision has narrowed down to a phrase...a phrase that is now the motto of Serve Business Consulting LLC: "Live to Serve - Serve to Live". What does that phrase mean? The simplest way to explain it is actually to look at it in reverse.

SERVE TO LIVE

"Serve to Live" is just what it sounds like. We all serve someone...clients, customers, family, managers, the state...the list goes on and on. We serve to live...we do something for someone else to get some sort of satisfaction whether monetary or otherwise. Everyone serves someone else so that they can also live their own life.

LIVE TO SERVE

"Live to Serve" is the tricky one. When we "live for something", that’s another way of describing the core or essence of our being. There are those who live for themselves...or those who live for their family...there are even those who simply live for chocolate! What if we all lived to serve, though? What would our society be like if we lived to serve someone else? Family, friends, clients, or random strangers? For me, serving others is the core of my being. The times where I am most happy are those when I am doing something simply because it's the right thing to do. Sometimes that means serving myself...that can include taking a step back or a break. Other times that's serving my community through volunteering or advocating for a cause. Then there are those times where I simply do something for someone else (and no, that's not always done for free).

This is what that sentence means. "Live to Serve - Serve to Live" is more than just a cute, poetic phrase. It's a mantra that forms the basis of #kingdomclass service, and it's the explanation of what Serve Business Consulting LLC exists to do.