Taking the Temperature of Your Business

As the temperature rise to over 100 degrees in Philadelphia at the Democratic National Convention, in California around the wild fires and in many parts of the country, people and entrepreneurs are trying to stay cool in air conditioning and pools and partaking in iced tea and ice cream. There isn’t much you can do but swelter in the warmth. The record breaking heat actually made me take the “temperature” in my business the morning. I was curious to observe whether my business is as hot as the weather outside in the marketplace or as cool as the Freon in the air conditioner.

As entrepreneurs we ride the wave of hot and cold in our ventures. Sometimes our business is on fire – the phone doesn’t stop ringing, the opportunities pile up, our companies are talked about in the community and we’re making good amounts of money. The next moment the atmosphere is chilly – we lose contracts and clients, the phone stops ringing and revenue dries up like our back yard this July.

This week is the perfect time to ponder whether your business has been heating up or cooling down. If it’s heating up, do you know why? Are you prepared to keep doing what you have been doing right to keep the success flowing? Do you have the structure and staff in place to keep up with the pace? Are you celebrating your success and sharing the news with the media?

If it’s cooling down, do you know why? Should you analyze what’s not working and create a plan with improvements? Should you be conducting more sales or publicity to get things heating up again? What needs your attention the most right now to improve your current condition and future?

Today’s blog post is meant to have you stop and take the temperature in your company. What is warming it up and what is cooling it down? Is it your mindset, your structure or the economic climate? What should you do more of or what should you do less of to adjust the temperature to feel more comfortable within your business.