Most people are aware of the benefits of a personal health check and will not think it unusual to have one carried out periodically. It does therefore appear strange that the same people do not carry out a health check on their business.
In the same way as an individual will benefit from a personal check so a business will also benefit from an early diagnosis of potential problems. In general the later a problem is identified the more drastic, painful and expensive is the solution to the problem.
Some businesses are highly complex whereas other businesses have a simple business model and very few employees. If you see your doctor for a personal health check they will start off with some standard tests and progress to more detailed tests if required. It is the same with businesses, there are significant similarities between most businesses so much so that standard health checks can be performed on almost any business.
It is possible to run a business health check based on benchmarks from similar businesses. This however does not tell the business owner or manager if the business is going in the direction that they would like to pursue.
Most business owners know how they want to run their business. To a large extent this is based on the business owner’s personal values, ethics and interests. Sometimes the day to day problems pile up at such a rate the owner loses sight of what they wanted to achieve as they get buried under layers of demands on their time.
Most people would not consider carrying out a health check on themselves. Instead they consult an external expert who will take an objective look at them and provide impartial advice. In business a similar route should be followed as anyone involved in the day to day running of a business may not notice a significant problem due to familiarity. The old adage about the value of a fresh pair of eyes is true in business as it is elsewhere.
I understand how you may feel reluctant to allow an external advisor to delve into the detail of your business. I have had other clients who felt the same way. But all of my other clients found the investment they made was repaid many times over both in their business and their own work life balance.
To help you we have produced a free spreadsheet which will allow you to reflect on what you would like to achieve with your business and where you are at present. If you use the spreadsheet it will help you to identify if it would be beneficial to get an external advisor or if you are proceeding in the direction you want. Once you have completed the spreadsheet we will review the results with you if you want at no cost to you.
If you would like a free copy of the spreadsheet send me an e-mail and I will send you the spreadsheet. It is fully re-useable in that you can use the “Save As” command and save versions for different businesses or different dates for comparison purposes. The spreadsheet is extensive with one hundred multi-choice questions to answer to produce a complete profile.
