ActionCOACH Coaches start new trend of Practice Vacations for Business Owners

Alberta: With the Financial Post reporting last week that only 46% of small business owners are taking vacations, ActionCOACH’s Kent Boehm and Laurie Mcnaughton are offering advice on how to change that.

“Fear and mistrust stops many people from taking a vacation. They think that if they leave for one minute, their business will crumble.” That tells you 3 things: 1- They don’t have proper systems in place, 2- They don’t think much of their staff and 3- Their staff have not been managed properly,” says McNaughton, an ActionCOACH business coach in Edmonton.

“The ideal way to tackle this problem is with a 7-to-14 day ‘practice’ vacation. Take one or two weeks off, but stay in the city. Give someone you trust a number you can easily be reached, and let them know they can use it if they have to. Check in once a day if you have to. This ‘practice’ vacation will be a wonderful test of the people and systems you have put in place. And because you are in town & can be easily reached, you can rest easy, knowing you will be informed if something major arises,” says Kent Boehm, an ActionCOACH business coach in Calgary.

“And if something does arise, you will know exactly the weak points in systems and teams- and you can fix it with establishing a clear chain of command,” says McNaughton.

“The key,” as Laurie argues, “is to have someone in charge you trust. And he or she will only gain that trust if you allow him or her to make decisions, even the wrong ones, occasionally. Nobody learns in a vacuum. If your response to that is to say, ‘I can’t afford mistakes’ then you are also saying ‘I will never take a vacation.’”

And what about losing customers? The general consensus is that if you lose a customer during a two week vacation, he or she was never really a customer anyway. Most people stick around for reasonable prices and great service.

As the statistics show, without a vacation, business owners will never be able to recharge their batteries to enjoy their business or their life.

For more vacation tips from ActionCOACH Canada visit: Business Tips for Small Businesses http://bit.ly/lUEDgO

To contact Laurie McNaughton visit: www.actioncoach.com/lauriemcnaughton

To contact Kent Boehm visit: www.actioncoach.com/kentboehm

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To book an interview contact
Rachel Sentes, Publicist

Rachel@gal-fridaypublicity.com

604-366-7846

Holistic Business Coaching: New ActionCOACH comes from a unique background

Edmonton, AB- You’ve heard of life coaches and new age coaches, but combining holistic nutrition with a love of business isn’t heard of often. But that’s exactly why the newest ActionCOACH Mel Ruttan of Edmonton wants to let people know about.

Mel is a Certified Management Accountant and Financial Planner as well as a Registered Holistic Nutritionist.  He was chosen from a select group of applicants in the first round of the 2011 ActionCOACH Draft.

“Health isn’t just about your body and mind, it’s also about nurturing your business and making sure that it also is going to grow and be healthy. There is nothing worse than working on your core emotional needs but neglecting the work environment and how it affects you. With my business expertise and compassion for health I’m excited to give businesses a new style of coaching,” says Mel, who is dedicated to giving back to a community that has supported him in his many careers.

Mel is known for his compassion and determination and knowledge in business. One of his clients said, “He has been very helpful in coaching me in three main areas of my life – his financial, health and spiritual – and his guidance has been invaluable. He has put my money where it is safe and growing, he has kept me healthy and healed my aches and pains and he has also helped me to meditate on the important things in life. I cannot imagine a future for me without his leadership and guidance”- Margaret McCallum- Investment Business.

Mel is now just finished training for the ActionCOACH franchise and is setting up business in the Edmonton Area.

Lethbridge ActionCOACH Rewards Successful Businesses with Awards Ceremony

Lethbridge, AB– Every day, in every major city across Canada, we see “For Lease” or “For Sale” signs on local businesses on every major street; with rents going up, local businesses are finding it tougher & tougher to survive.

Still, some local businesses thrive, even during the hardest times. Local business expert Greg Stonehocker knows what makes a business thrive: “Above all, a passion for excellence. You have to want to be the best, to really be the only viable option for your customers. Competition will always be fierce. What will set you apart? That’s why I gave out these awards to Alberta business owners—they are showing that anything is possible!”

At the Awards ceremony the Mastery Award was given to Russ Gallant, owner of Water Proofing Roofing Ltd: Russ used to let his business run him, instead of the other way round. Now revenue is up 200% from 2008 & his golf game has never been better. Getting off the roof and working “ON” the business turned out to be the key.

The Leverage Award was given to Gerrit & Jane Bezooyen, of Bezooyen Contracting. Greg gave them this award because Gerrit was recently appointed as the local Canadian Home Builders Association President, which has increased his already busy schedule. We put a plan in place and a system to hire a new person, allowing him to leverage his time and resources.

The Team Award was given to the Boys & Girls Club of Lethbridge: over the past 2.5 years they have consistently upgraded their systems & procedures to make their staffing 100% better. Trever Broadhead, their general director, made incredible strides.

Greg spoke to Trevor, who said “It validates all of the hard work we have been putting forth to achieve our strategic objectives. For the first time in 2 ½ years I feel like we have the best team structure in place, with the most qualified and enthusiastic team members.”

Greg went on to say: “Finally, the Focus Bat Award goes to the company that shows the most significant results and consistent effort over the past 90 days. It was a real privilege to give this to Rudy & Stella Reger, of EnergySmart Canada, who have shown incredible resolve to make things better. Among other things, they have implemented a number of Sales, KPI, Marketing Systems, have hired a General Manager, renegotiated financing and inventory levels. Business in Alberta is booming–& owners like Rudy & Stella are showing us the way!”

For more information about how and ActionCOACH can help your business contact

Greg Stonehocker at ActionCOACH Lethbridge Call (403) 360-9173 or (403) 524-3636 or email at GregStonehocker@actioncoach.com

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To book an interview contact:
Rachel Sentes, Publicist

rachel@gal-fridaypublicity.com 604-366-7846

ActionCOACH Canada Rock Guitarist is latest Franchise Owner

Ottawa, ON- ActionCOACH Canada’s latest entry into the ActionCOACH business franchise is Kevin Savoy, guitarist in the band Yesterday’s Tomorrow, a tight rock cover band out of Ontario.

Savoy, a seasoned veteran of the high tech and sales management industry was chosen from a selected group of applicants in the first round of the 2011 ActionCOACH Draft. A family man living in Oxford Mills, Kevin is active in the community as a volunteer hockey coach, baseball coach, and a member of the Knights of Columbus Chapter 5333.

“I was at that point in my life where I wanted to take the challenge of being a business owner and start giving back to the community. I had a successful career in Sales management and when this opportunity to be a help others as part of ActionCOACH presented itself, it was a natural fit. I’m eager to be part of this small business revolution,” says Savoy.

Kevin is known for his energy on and off the stage and as a former colleague of his said, “He always engaged his audience and was able to connect with people so easily. I find this to be one of Kevin’s best attributes…He also has an innate business sense and will make a great business coach.  With my interaction with him I was able to grow my business significantly as did my co-workers,” said Lynn Gillman of Avnet-Memec Corp.

Kevin is now entering training for the ActionCOACH franchise and will soon be setting up business in the Kemptville, Brockville and Ottawa area.

For more information about ActionCOACH Canada and the ActionCOACH Draft, visit www.Actioncoachcanada.ca and www.actioncoachdraft.ca

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To book an interview contact
Rachel Sentes, Publicist

604-366-7846
Rachel@gal-fridaypublicity.com

Time and Management: Saving a Wage Could Cost You a Fortune!

Is time management a hot topic for you? Whenever I talk to business owners they have two main concerns, making more money and attempting to work less hours in a week.

In other words getting from 80-100 hrs a week to something like 60-70 hrs/wk. As a business owner, the idea of a 40 hr work week or a business that works without me the owner is someone’s idea of a joke.

In one of our surveys we did with business owners we asked the question, How long would your business last if you were not there (eg. You were hit by a bus and in a coma in the hospital). Everyone laughs at the question.

Many times the owner of a small business ends up doing everything. So they end up working IN the business instead of ON the business. So how do we get business owners working hard on smart things insteading of working hard or thinking about how to work smart?

My #1 time management priority everyday in my business– if it doesn’t add money to the bottom line, I don’t work on it.  No money coming in, no point in making a pretty spreadsheet or spending countless hours in a meeting with an undefined purpose.

The The key time management tool for an owner is to figure out what he is worth an hour. That will determine what a business owner should be working on.

For example:

Let’s say your business brings in annual revenue of $750,000. Now you have to figure out what you are worth an hour. Since you are the owner you are the rainmaker, the person who makes things happen. The buck stops with you.

So, if you were working a normal week, and I know you aren’t. Let’s say it’s 40 hrs and you work 49 weeks. Your total hours per year are 49 x 40 = 1,960 hrs. So $750,000/1960 = $383/hr (rounded up).

That means you as the owner is worth $383/hr. So if what you are working on isn’t worth $383/hr; stop it!

Real life example — you are working late each night catching up on paperwork and doing the book keeping and you spend 30% of the week doing it. So that means it is costing you and your business over $18,000/m because you are doing those admin tasks. If you hired someone to do it and pay them $20/hr that means the cost of the person is $960. So if you hired the person and then spent that 30% generating an additional $18,000 less their $960 you are making $17,040. So stop saving a wage it could be costing you a fortune!

To your success and the success of our communities in Canada,

Greg K.

Entrepreneurial Job Playoffs heat up in ActionCOACH Draft

Edmonton, AB- Business Entrepreneurs looking for an exciting new job opportunity are vying for a place in the new Canadian ActionCOACH draft. The unique draft now in its very successful second round is seeking skilled individuals who want to see if they have what it takes to step up and take one of the 3 coveted spots on their business coaching team.

Headed up by business Coach Greg Kopchuk, the sports related recruiting tactic is the first of its kind and is yielding exceptional results.

“ Our goal is to revolutionize the way Canadians look at small business. There is no better way to do that then to have entrepreneurs and potential business coaches nominate themselves and others who they feel can contribute to changing the business landscape. There is no better time for people to jump into their own business than now, and this opportunity is the first of its kind,” says Kopchuk.

In keeping with the sports theme Greg is offering each qualified draft pick a $5,000 signing bonus that they can do anything with.

The ActionCOACH Canada draft has just launched across the country, and people can submit their draft picks until May 27th   to qualify for the $5,000 referral fee.  Player prospects should fit the following criteria:

• Men and women between the ages of 30 and 45 that have business experience or owned a business
• People that are comfortable selling
• Entrepreneurs and those that like helping other people succeed and who want to make a difference in their lives and the lives of others.

“ I know people are glued to their tv sets to watch the playoffs, but if their team isn’t winning, then this is the next best thing. Our first round draft was such a success we just had to do it again,” says Kopchuk.

Greg Kopchuk heads up ActionCOACH Canada, the #1 business coaching firm in Canada. They work with established and emerging small and medium businesses. They are the winners of the CFA Bronze Award of excellence  for non-traditional franchises and the 2011 Franchisees Choice award.

For information on the ActionCOACH Draft visit www.actioncoachdraft.ca
To learn about ActionCOACH Canada visit www.actioncoachcanada.ca

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To book an interview contact
Rachel Sentes, publicist/Rachel@gal-fridaypublicity.com /604-366-7846