Your Path to Business Success: The Blueprint

 At my core, I believe running a successful business is one of the most satisfying professional actions a person can take. Hobbies are great. They are fun pastimes, can help you meet other people, and craft solutions for problems at a small scale. The only problem with hobbies is that they tend not to pay the bills, which is why we all need a job.  Having a job is work. You can earn an income, be part of an organization, and acquire new skills. However, the problem with employment is that jobs frequently require you to do work that does not align with your strengths. You do not have much power or control over how they operate, who they serve, or the organization's values, norms, or practices. This misalignment can grow into frustration, annoyance, and burnout. The solution for some is self-employment.

Building a business from scratch is the one time when you have total power within an organization. You get to decide who you will serve, how you will serve them, and who you will work with. Yes, others get a vote. You will not be successful if you develop a solution no one needs, provide poor service, or treat those you work with poorly, but all those decisions are within your control. The remainder of this article provides a blueprint for small business owners to design a business that meets financial, lifestyle, and personal fulfillment goals.

The Blueprint for Reducing Small Business Risk

Nine out of 10 small business owners fail the first time they launch a business. The top three reasons businesses fail are lack of capital, knowledge, and poor business model design. The incredible thing about this statistic is that when they launch a second business, 90% of them are successful. They are successful because they learn from their mistakes, gain wisdom, and do a better job the second time. Wisdom is the key to business success.

There is only one way to gain wisdom: to seek knowledge. Knowledge can be gained through personal experience or from the experience of others. You do not have to be bitten by a snake to know it is dangerous. You were taught snakes are dangerous as a child, and you use that knowledge to make wise decisions when encountering snakes. The same is true within business. Knowing the risks and dangers of running a small business can provide a blueprint for making wiser business decisions.

Learning from Others

Over the last 20 years, I have acquired business knowledge. Some of it has come from books I read while studying business and economics at Randolph-Macon College. More was learned from professors as I acquired my MBA from the University of Maryland Global Campus. But most of my wisdom has come from reading over 60 business books and 1000 business articles, completing over 500 hours of workshops, and applying that knowledge towards a +20-year business career.  

I have been everything from a sales associate, store manager, marketer, vice president, and now a small business owner, executive coach, and business consultant. I have the metaphorical scars from every significant mistake I have made over my career, and they are the source of the wisdom I share in my writings, coaching, and consulting. One of the benefits of being an executive coach and small business consultant who works across industries is that I get to see how universal most business challenges are. I can take what I learn from one business or industry and apply it to another.

Build your Learning Plan

Over the last 15 weeks, I have provided visibility to some of the knowledge I have gained throughout my professional career. As I have written each word, I have become more aware of the complexity and simplicity of running a business.  If you are a small business owner seeking more knowledge and wisdom for running your business, review the 15 topics below. Each covers a different lesson that can help you run your business better.

Read the article that answers a current problem you are looking to solve and know that each topic is interconnected. Each business management skill or practice I share is maximized when combined with other skills. After reading the articles, if you need additional help applying what you learned, reach out. My mission as a coach is to help you acquire and apply the knowledge you need to be successful.

Crafting and Communicating Your Vision

Getting Your Vision On Paper

Communicating Your Vision

Determining if Your Vision is Viable

Three Fundamentals of Business: Service, Scale, Strategy

Generating Revenue

Converting Vision to Strategy

Setting Goals

Refining Your Product and Service Offerings

Finding Your Niche

Building a High-Performance Team

Building Trust with Your Team

Getting Your Team to Work Together

Attracting and Developing Talent

Reducing Team Conflict

Must have Business Tools

Balanced Scorecard

Balance Sheet

Cash Flow Statement

 If you have read this far, thank you for taking the time to review this blog. Running a small business is one of the most challenging and rewarding things you can do. If you would benefit from having additional support and guidance running your small business, please feel free to email Executive Coach Dorian Cunion at dcunion@yourpathexecutivesolutions.com or book a session to learn more about our services.

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Stop Fixing, Start Empowering: The Benefits of a Coaching Approach to Leadership

In the traditional view of management, the leader is often seen as the "Chief Problem Solver." When a team member encounters an obstacle, they bring it to the leader, who provides a solution. While this might feel efficient in the moment, it creates a dependency loop that drains the leader's energy and stifles the employee's growth.

There is a more sustainable way: The Coaching Approach.

Adopting a coaching mindset isn’t about becoming a therapist or stepping away from performance goals. It is about shifting the focus from giving answers to asking questions. By doing so, you move from directing behavior to developing potential—a core tenet of what we believe at Your Path Coaching and Consulting.

The Coaching Approach: The 7 Essential Questions

One of the most practical guides for this transition is Michael Bungay Stanier’s book, The Coaching Habit. Stanier argues that you don't need a complex theoretical background to coach effectively; you just need a few robust questions to open the door.

Here are the seven questions Stanier recommends to break the cycle of advice-giving and start uncovering real issues:

1. The Kickstart Question: "What's on your mind?"

   • This breaks the ice and gives the employee the autonomy to choose the starting point.

2. The AWE Question: "And what else?"

   • The first answer is rarely the only answer. This keeps the flow going and digs deeper.

3. The Focus Question: "What's the real challenge here for you?"

   • This stops the conversation from spinning into abstractions and pins down the specific hurdle the individual is facing.

4. The Foundation Question: "What do you want?"

   • This clarifies the desired outcome and helps the employee visualize success.

5. The Lazy Question: "How can I help?"

   • Instead of jumping in to "save" them, this forces the employee to make a clear, specific request for support.

6. The Strategic Question: "If you are saying yes to this, what are you saying no to?"

   • This introduces the reality of constraints. It forces a conversation about prioritization and protecting one’s time and energy.

7. The Learning Question: "What was most useful for you?"

   • This reinforces the value of the interaction and helps embed the learning.

Making the Questions Your Own

While these seven questions are a fantastic scaffold, they are not a script to be recited robotically. The true magic happens when you internalize the intent behind the questions and adapt them to your natural voice.

The goal is not to memorize a checklist, but to facilitate a thought process that empowers your team. When you use these questions authentically, you guide your employees through five critical stages of problem-solving:

1. Articulating the Current Situation

By asking "What's on your mind?" and "What else?", you allow the employee to lay out the landscape. You are giving them the space to declutter their thoughts and identify what is actually happening, rather than assuming you already know.

2. Identifying the Biggest Challenge

Often, employees are overwhelmed by symptoms rather than the root cause. The question "What is the real challenge here for you?" helps them cut through the noise. It empowers them to name the specific obstacle standing in their way, which is the first step toward removing it.

3. Clarifying the Goal

"What do you want?" seems simple, but it is often the hardest question to answer. By asking this, you help the employee pivot from complaining about the problem to envisioning the solution.

4. Defining the Help Needed

Leaders often burnout because they assume they need to do the heavy lifting. Asking "How can I help?" puts the onus on the employee to define exactly what resources or support they need. Often, you will find they need much less from you than you thought—perhaps just a sounding board or a quick approval.

5. Protecting Time and Energy

Strategy is as much about what you don't do as what you do. The question "If you are saying yes to this, what are you saying no to?" teaches your team to think economically about their energy. It empowers them to set boundaries and ensures that their new goal is realistic and sustainable.

Leading vs Fixing

When you stop rushing to fix problems and start asking questions, you do more than just solve the immediate issue. You build a team that is more resilient, self-sufficient, and engaged. You help them clear their own path, allowing you to focus on the bigger picture.

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If you enjoyed this article, consider checking out the Coaching Gold Podcast. This podcast highlights the benefits of working with a certified coach.

https://youtu.be/EmM3DCswH1Q?si=yldFU9TfQMmdw9s2

Are You Working Hard, Or Working Well?

Have you ever experienced the “Sunday Blues”?

On our latest episode, Dorian Cunion shared a personal story about his time in corporate America. He described a feeling of dread that would creep in on Sundays, eventually leading to health issues because he was carrying so much stress and anxiety.

He realized he was over-identifying with his company and ignoring his own well-being.

The Challenge of Working Hard

Dorian isn’t alone. As emerging leaders and small business owners, we often feel we have to choose between professional success and a happy life. We live in a world of high uncertainty, financial pressure, and rapid change. We put on our boxing gloves and fight for our careers, but we often drain our batteries in the process.

We convince ourselves that burnout is just the price of admission for success. But what if that isn’t true?

The Path to Working Well

In this episode of the Coaching Gold Podcast, Dr. Rudy Jackson and Dorian Cunion sit down with Lindsay Barnett, an award-winning author and executive coach. Lindsay shares insights from her book, Working Hard to Working Well, and reveals how working with a certified coach can help you reclaim your energy without sacrificing your ambition.

A certified coach doesn’t just tell you what to do. They act as a partner to help you align your actions with your true intentions. They help you separate your identity from your job title so you can navigate uncertainty with confidence.

3 Strategies to Recharge Your Leadership

If you are feeling drained, Lindsay suggests looking at your “energy battery.” It is not just about sleep and food. Here are three tips from the episode on how to tap into the “Three Cs” of energy:

• Creative Energy: You don’t have to be an artist. Simple acts like doodling, designing a new workshop, or visiting an art museum can actually provide health benefits and boost your longevity.

• Connection Energy: This goes beyond networking. Connect with nature by taking a walk, connect with your company’s deeper purpose, or simply connect with a friend over coffee to refill your cup.

• Completion Energy: In a never-ending workflow, we rarely feel “done.” Find small tasks you can finish completely—even if it is just doing a load of laundry—to get a psychological boost of effectiveness.

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Take Action Today

You can be committed to your job without it being 100% of your life.

Listen to the full episode: Join us on Spotify to hear the full conversation on navigating the 3 Cs. "Finding the energy to change," with coach Lindsay Barnett - Coaching GOLD | Podcast on Spotify

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Join the conversation: Leave a comment on our LinkedIn post telling us which “Energy C” you are going to focus on this week! https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7411846425950461952