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How to Jump Over Business Hurdles and Keep Your Momentum

by Britt Michaelian

 

A few months ago, I got an email from a woman who had worked with one of my clients and she was threatening to sue (while slandering my client like crazy).  I am a business coach, so I wasn’t sure why this woman was contacting me, but very soon it became clear that this woman was just out for blood and she didn’t care who she had to talk to in order to get her point across. She just wanted her anger to be heard.

She had contacted my client and they got into a war of the words through email, which of course just made the situation worse.  As you can imagine, the situation escalated very quickly into a back and forth of she said, she said and lawyers got involved.  It was ugly and mean and sticky and really could have been avoided with some preparation and foresight.  Of course the disconnect between these 2 women happened BEFORE my client began working with me, but I want you all to have a system in place to make sure that if something like this ever happens to you… you come out shining!

FACT: No matter what kind of business you run, there are bound to be hurdles that you face each day, week, month and year that you are serving clients.  Whether they are technical glitches, team issues, production problems, quality control issues or just plain growing pains… being in business means you are going to have to face some challenges.

The key to successfully navigating the business minefield is to be prepared: mentally, financially, strategically and emotionally.

“A good hurdler has to be completely familiar with everything that goes on so if something happens he can automatically make an adjustment.” -Rodney Milburn

The real opportunity in overcoming business growth challenges lies in how you face each hurdle and how you recover after a fall.  There will be times when you make mistakes (because you are human) so expect them, embrace them as part of the learning curve and have a plan for how you will manage the situation, your feelings, your team and any client reactions or media fall out.  Think of it as your disaster preparedness plan (and this is your training).

In business, we create systems to attract, engage, service and retain loyal customers, so we must also create systems to manage mistakes.  Whether it is a financial mistake or an unhappy client, you have to think about how you want to show up in these kinds of situations BEFORE they occur. So think about each of your business systems and make sure to include a disaster plan in each of them.

For example, if a client (or fellow business owner) is unhappy with you, your product or the service they have received from your company and they threaten to sue, report your business to the authorities or to slander you online… how will you react?

Will you respond and try to diffuse the situation or will you stay quiet and hope they go away?

Will you contact your lawyer and have him/her manage the situation?  (Do you even have a lawyer that you trust to handle these types of situations on your behalf?  If not, now is a great time to find one!)

What type of human being do you want to show up as in an escalated situation?  If you were “looking back on” a situation like the one above, how would you want to show up?  Would you want to be silent, strong, forceful, calm, solution-focused, a team player or a victim?  Think about this now, so you know at least what word represents the energy that you want to channel as you face a scenario like this.

However you choose to respond in these types of situations will reflect on you and your business, so it is best to think about how you will manage heated moments BEFORE they happen, so you have a plan of attack that doesn’t catch you off guard.  The most important thing when it comes to maintaining your business growth is to foster healthy relationships with anyone who touches your business.  If you want to always be pushing forward and building momentum, then you need to have systems in place that allow you, your clients and everyone on your team to stay calm, focused and confident.

“The hurdles have taught me that if you work really, really hard at perfecting the little things in your life, the big picture will come together.”
–John Shaffer, 400m hurdler for Marquette University

Have you ever had a big hurdle that threw you for a loop?  Have you created systems to manage the challenges that may arise?  Please share your thoughts or stories in the comments.

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  • Anonymous

    Yikes! Being prepared for situations like these BEFORE they happen is so important, but how many of us are ready for the unexpected?

    Because we can’t imagine every possibility, I love how you ask: How would you want to show up? If you know the answer to that, then you can be prepared for anything.

    We can’t control outside situations, but we have complete control over our responses. Thanks for another great post, Britt!

  • http://twitter.com/DabneyPorte Dabney Porte

    What a fabulous post loaded with extremely relevant and important business advice Britt!

    I have faced hurdles in the early stages of my business development at a time when I was not prepared. I agree with you…it is very important to surround yourself with a core team who you can call into action when confronted with hurdles. If not..you will not only be confronted with difficult situations that need management, you will also be forced to find appropriate guidance and assistance which will pull you away from what you should be focused on. This may all be summed up in one word…STRESS.

    I now have a team in place and I am released from the stress I unknowingly was under when they were not there. Thanks for always sharing such important strategies and advice with us. I value you more than you know….you are brilliant!

  • Anonymous

    YES, having the right team in place is critical to building a healthy business. One tip on building the right team: make sure everyone knows your values and goals and that you know theirs so you can all support each other in reaching those goals!

    It is absolutely essential for every business owner to have the phone number of a lawyer you can call in the event that legal action is needed – whether you ever need to use the number or not, you will sleep better at night knowing you have someone who will go to bat for you if needed!

    Thanks Dabney! You are such a doll. I so appreciate you! Mwah!!!

  • Anonymous

    You are right, we can’t prepare for the unexpected unless we prepare for the unexpected! ;)

    So, the best way to do this is to know who we are, what our values and goals are, who we want to be and the outcome that we want to achieve in any situation.

    Thanks for leaving your thoughts :) I am so grateful for you, Nika!!!