1) It clarifies your thoughts.  When you have to put something in writing you have to think it through more.  Talking about something is easy, you can ramble on and on about all the reasons why you should or shouldn’t do something but when you decide to put it into writing, you are taking ACTION.

2) You get momentum.  The action of putting your thoughts in writing will tell your brain that you are serious about whatever this is and it will expect you to keep taking actions toward this topic.  People who don’t put things in writing take much less action and therefore they never get the force of momentum to work for them.

3) You build a habit.  By continuing to put your thoughts in writing you create a habit.  We like habits.  Most things you do come out of the habit of doing them.  You get ready in the morning the same way each day, you do the same things before you go to work each day…..If you start putting things in writing you will develop a habit of taking action and building momentum.

4) You follow through more.  What’s worth writing about is worth doing. If you’re going to take the time to write about it, you may as well do it. You will realize that by putting things in writing, clarifying your thoughts and gaining momentum, your new habit will allow you to get more done.

5) You lay a strong foundation for setting and achieving goals.  People that write things down that are important to them tend to focus on those things more.  The more you focus on something and clarify it in your mind, the more likely it is to happen. Only write things down THAT YOU WANT TO HAPPEN.  Writing things down that you don’t want to happen only gives that thing more power, more focus.  Think about and write down what you want and it will be much more likely to happen.

Start this new habit today and tell us about your future successes with it!   Make it happen!

Usually when this type situation arises, it's because of a disconnection between what they employees expect and what you expect. When we hear this we can usually ask one question to find out why the miscommunication exists: Do you have a detailed position description for the person or people who are not performing at your expectations? The answer to this question is usually no. A comprehensive position description is necessary to ensure both you and the staff understand completely the position and what it entails.

A detailed position description typically includes 6 parts:

Part 1 – This is where you describe your company, its values and how it operates. It's best to sprinkle in some standards are about your business as well; this will only air in your favor. Example: "XYZ Company is the premiere provider of THESE services in the YOUR TOWN metropolitan area. We have a reputation for providing excellent quality, prompt service and we treat our customers and employees with respect in a fun and safe environment." The employee should get a real feel and flavor of your company by reading this.

Keep in mind you will be reviewing this position description with potential candidates so it should solve any problems you are having "with employees within it." Meaning if you are having challenges with employees not wanting to go above and beyond to make more money, outline these possible issues in a positive way within the position description. (More to come in Part 3.)

Part 2 – This part should be reserved for the position’s title and provide an overview of the purpose and responsibilities for the position. Include what areas of the business the person will be responsible for and what you expect them to accomplish.

For example: "The stylist will be responsible for styling hair as indicated by the customer or according to a style that will compliment the customers features in the best manner. If the stylist is not sure what to do they will confer with the senior stylist or Suzy/Owner on the best style for that person. They will also refer the customer to the hair style magazine to pick a style or they ask the customer what actor or actress style of hair they like."

The key here is to put in writing what you would like your employee to do and how you would like them to do it. The more you put in the position description the better.

Part 3 – Necessary experience and education level should be entered here and remember to always be as specific as possible in this section. If you are willing to accept someone with less education but having a background consisting of similar attributes or experience, note that here. This is a good place to change negatives into positives by adding things you don't like with your current staff now so future staff will comply. For example: If you don't like how stylists refuse to take on new customers close to end of their shift for the day, put in the position description the attributes that would like a stylist to have like the employees' proven commitment to doing what it takes to cater to customers, including taking a new customer from time to time when it is close to their end time.

Now you have your exact requirements for the position in writing and the employee has an expectation of what you want them to do when this situation comes up.

Part 4 - Personal Characteristics. This area consists of the behavioral characteristics you are searching for in a stylist. Be specific and only focus on what you want, not what you don’t want. Turn the negatives around into positives and put them in this area of the position description.

Part 5 – In this area put all the information related to compensation, reporting, training, benefits, scheduling/hours, start date, vacation and any other benefits you are offering. Work on making this offer sound very attractive yet never crossing lines by making promises you don’t intend on living up to.

Once you completed your first position description your next ones will be easier to write. Take the time to make detailed position descriptions like the one we reviewed above and you will eliminate the majority of excuses surrounding expectations of employees and you!

Tell us about your results!

In writing.  Some times small business owners want or need something so fast they don’t spend the time to make sure their new relationships with a vendor is in writing.  It is imperative that you have your agreement in writing and that it is clear.  The agreement should spell out what your vendor will do and what you will do, what will happen if things don’t happen as agreed, payment terms, length of the agreement, termination clauses and all the other basic elements of an agreement. I’m sure your vendor will have one for you and you can make changes to it to include the key elements of your deal with them.

I know, I know, you’re thinking why is it important to have everything in writing all the time?  Because it clarifies everyone’s thinking on what is going to happen, who is going to do what and how much you are going to get charged or charge someone else.  You can have your emails going back and forth and you can have your phone calls but most final agreements always say “this agreement supersedes all other agreements whether written or verbal” and that nullifies all those emails going back and forth.

So take the time and make sure EVERYTHING that was committed to in all those meetings, emails and phone calls is in the FINAL AGREEMENT.  If it’s your first business then talk to someone who has been in business before and ask them if this is a good idea, they will tell you yes.  If this is not your first business then you already know you should put your agreements in writing.  So start today and never stop!  Make it happen!

© 2008 eMarketing 4 Business LLC

The short answer is no. Most people who start small businesses do so because they are very good at something and would rather work for themselves instead of someone else. They have excitement, passion, confidence and a severe desire to succeed which are typical main reasons most people start their own companies. One thing that can really slow you down and make you lose confidence in yourself & your abilities would be to spend countless hours trying to work with someone to design a logo and/or your marketing materials.

When was the last time you decided to do business with someone based on their logo? Probably never. A logo is not necessary to start your business, in fact you would probably be better served to decide "if" you will create a logo after a few months of starting to market and build your company. The process of trying to make a logo will slow you down, reduce your confidence (mostly because you're not a graphics person) and possibly drive you nuts trying to weigh everyone's input on colors, shapes, etc.

Put the name of your company on a business card, website, brochure or whatever other type of marketing material you decide then start your business and get on with marketing your company! Do not spend ten's of hours trying to design a logo that most people will never evaluate you on or use to make a decision to do business with you or not.

Spend your valuable time and passion marketing your company!