Blog
Are Business Owners Really Ready to Exit?
A recent survey shows that many business owners feel confident about their readiness to exit, but some other revelations in the report may indicate otherwise. Discover what makes the difference between confidence and true readiness. Read more to learn how to secure your business’s future and achieve your exit goals effectively.
Answering the Questions: Who is Axiom and What Do We Do?
This blog post recounts a meeting with a second-generation business owner named Rick. His story involves working for his father for 17 years, buying and selling businesses, facing challenges, and taking risks. Joey highlights a pivotal moment when Rick committed to change, leading to significant challenges and transformations in the company. The narrative emphasizes the importance of faith but clarifies that the purpose is not to spotlight faith in business. Instead, it describes the mission of Axiom, to help businesses build a purposeful, lasting legacy. The key elements for successful businesses outlined include a healthy culture, defined roles, servant leadership, clear systems, market distinction, high profitability, and positive influence in communities.
Why we are busier than ever, and our goals keep escaping us
What if, in our quest for being most efficient, we have lost track of considering whether our daily work effectively accomplishes our goals? Considering the importance of being effective in our work by distinguishing between essential and non-essential work, this article outlines the need for a productivity toolkit to help accomplish goals in the new year.
Do Values Make a Difference?
At Axiom, we all believe that our mission is to walk alongside small-medium sized companies as they learn the art and science of growth through strategic planning, execution, and coaching so they can be what God has called business to be in the world. All of our consultants have to ask themselves if they believe in this, and if they can pursue it well. They are also faced with answering if you’re called to do this work, and specifically if you’re called to do it at Axiom. We believe that we can be most effective when we recognize our calling to serve our clients and commit to holding each other accountable according to our core values. This is how we work with you - by choosing each day to pursue our mission statement and remember that we’ve been called to serve you.
Am I Acting Like a Leader?
Last year, a client team leader set out to transfer her expertise to her colleagues, sparking the initiative "What would Wendy do?" This evolved into a deeper exploration of emulating Wendy’s leadership qualities. We often model ourselves after mentors, but do we truly behave like the leaders we aspire to be? True leadership transcends titles and is consistent across all aspects of life. This blog delves into how leading while alone, at home, and with friends can enhance your leadership skills and positively impact those around you. Discover practical tips to elevate your leadership journey.
Developing a Strong Team
Building a strong and cohesive team is vital for any organization's success. It requires effective leadership, clear communication, and a shared sense of purpose. “Extreme Ownership” by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin provides profound insights into the principles of leadership and accountability. In this blog post, we will explore how the principles of extreme ownership can help you develop a strong team that thrives in any situation.
One Construction Company’s Solution to Supply Chain Issues
Supply chain issues have plagued many industries, particularly construction. Tom of TJ Construction faces delays due to his masonry contractor’s unreliable supplier, causing frustration and financial loss. Tom's lack of insight into the masonry supply chain highlights a common issue: 34% of small businesses are unaware of their suppliers' performance, and only 6% have full supply chain visibility. This blog explores how building strong relationships with trade partners and suppliers can mitigate such problems. Discover how one construction owner’s relational approach kept him ahead of supply chain disruptions and learn practical ways to improve your supplier relationships.
Culture Surveys - A Brief Intro
Did you know that 62% of employees cite toxic culture as the primary reason for quitting? Often, bosses never hear the truth, attributing departures to better pay offers instead. Exit interviews can provide insight, but they're often too late. The real solution? Culture surveys or "stay interviews." These proactive tools offer anonymous, transparent feedback on workplace culture. At Axiom, we use REACH Culture Surveys to help businesses identify strengths and areas for improvement. Learn how conducting regular culture surveys can transform your organization, ensuring employees feel valued and heard. Discover practical steps to create a healthier, more productive work environment.
A Simple framework For Deciding When It’s Time To Fire
If you’ve been wondering when to fire an employee, then read our latest blogpost on the simple framework for deciding whether it’s time to move on… or not.
Creating a Culture of Accountability - 4 Simple Steps
If you’ve been a business owner for a considerable amount of time, has the thought, “Should I look into hiring a consultant?” crossed your mind, and you’re wondering, where do we start? Then read our latest blogpost on when you should hire a consultant.
When Should You Hire A Business Consultant?
If you’ve been a business owner for a considerable amount of time, has the thought, “Should I look into hiring a consultant?” crossed your mind, and you’re wondering, where do we start? Then read our latest blogpost on when you should hire a consultant.
Be a Person, Not a Salesperson
What comes to mind when you think of a salesperson? Do you picture someone going door to door with a vacuum in hand, nudging their foot into the open space of the doorway of the poor soul who was unlucky enough to answer? While this strategy may have its time and place, it is often an outmoded sales tactic that leaves customers more dissatisfied than they were before the sale.
Company Culture is Like a Mushroom
Here at Axiom, we focus much of our attention with clients on company culture because it is the underlying foundation that all businesses stand on. Culture is to business as mycelia are to mushrooms (for all my biology buffs out there). For those of you who remember that “Mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell” and not much else, mycelia are the expansive underground network of filaments that carries nutrients not only to the mushroom but also to the surrounding environment.
What Business Can Learn From Sports
In honor of Super Bowl LV this upcoming Sunday, we wanted to take a moment to explore and explain the dynamic relationship of teams and what makes teams like the Chiefs and the Buccaneers so successful. Group dynamics and the ability of athletes to function as a unit is just as important as the actual skill and athleticism of individual athletes. Without a strong understanding of the team goals and commitment to those goals, these organizations would not prosper. So while you sit at home, with your football-shaped pizza and team-colored utensils, screaming “DEFENSE” at your T.V., remember that the systems and conduct of the teams on the field are not unlike the ones that are happening at your own place of work.
Performance Compensation: Building Plans That are Simple, Sustainable and Strategic
Most business owners want some kind of performance compensation plan, even if they have no idea what one looks like. In this recording of a live training we go over a framework for categorizing and understanding the plethora of performance comp plan types. We talk about the advantages and disadvantages as well as the mechanics of how to put one together.
How Many Direct Reports Should I Have?
This is a question relevant to any business leader. But it is particularly important for business owners. Why?
Because more times than not we see teams where the business owner has 4 or 5 direct reports and each one of those people have a handful of direct reports…except one. Invariably there is one poor soul charged with personally overseeing the activities of 12, 13, 16, 20 people.
Customers Come Second
About 80% of businesses will say that they believe their team should come first, ahead of customers. But in practice painfully few actually do it. If your business is ever going to grow beyond your own personal abilities to service customers putting your team first is the only way to do it.
Getting Your Team to Get Things Done
How do you get your team to have a bias toward action? It is a series of habits, tools and disciplines you bring to the team as their leader.
PPP Loan Forgiveness Tool (Free Download)
We have completed version 9 of our PPP loan forgiveness calculation tool. A video walkthrough is available below as is the download.
We encourage you to provide an email address so that we can apprise you of updates and future resources as they are added to the Excel spreadsheet. As mentioned already, we are in version 9 and it definitely won’t be the last update.
Unlike previous versions the formulas are not locked. The sheets are protected to maintain the attribution row at the top of each tab.
How to Build a Culture of Accountability
This is a recording of a live training that was part of our ongoing Monday series for small business owners and key players. We cover the four foundational pillars that must be in place to begin developing an accountable culture. Then we speak to the specific tendencies of managers and the tools you can implement to overcome your struggles in holding others accountable as a leader.