You Fix the Appliances. But Who Helps You Fix Your Business?

You Know How to Fix the Appliance

You have done this hundreds, probably thousands, of times. You walk up to the door and the customer shows you the washer, dryer, refrigerator, or whatever appliance decided to stop working that day. They tell you what happened, you ask your questions, you figure out what is wrong, and you fix it. That's what you do. You know appliances. You know how to diagnose a problem, find the part, make the repair, and get that customer back up and running. You are good at it.

You probably don't even have to think about a lot of it anymore. You've seen the same problems over and over. You can hear a machine running and have a pretty good idea of what is wrong before you even start taking it apart. You know the common failures, the parts that go bad, and the things other people might miss. You have spent years learning your trade, and there is value in knowing your craft.

But then you look at your business, and that's where things can get a little harder to figure out.

You're Working Hard. So Where Is the Money?

You are busy. The phone is ringing. You're running calls, fixing appliances, taking care of customers, ordering parts, dealing with employees, answering questions, and probably doing things you never imagined you'd be doing when you decided to own a business

You're working hard. Really hard.

But when you look at the numbers, you aren't sure what needs to change. You know you should be making more. You know you shouldn't have to work this hard for what you're taking home. You may even have more calls coming in than you can handle, yet somehow the money still doesn't seem to match the amount of work you're doing. And that's frustrating.

Because you didn't get into business just to stay busy. You got into business because you wanted to build something. You wanted to make a living. You wanted some control over your time and your future. You wanted the hard work to mean something.

You Can Love What You Do and Still Be Frustrated

You can love what you do and still be frustrated with your business. You are helping people. You are solving problems that matter to them. Someone's refrigerator is keeping their food cold again. Their washer is working. Their dryer is running. Their oven is cooking dinner. People appreciate you because you show up when they need you.There is something pretty satisfying about that. You walk into someone's home, they have a problem, and you know how to solve it. You leave with the customer relieved because something that was causing them stress is working again. There is a reason you got into this business in the first place.

But sometimes you look at your life and think, There has got to be a better way to do this.

Because working hard is one thing. Working hard and not making what you want to make is a whole other level of frustration. You can be busy all day, run call after call, stay late, answer the phone, deal with employees, order parts, deal with customers, and still look at the numbers at the end of the month and wonder where all the money went.That's when you know something needs to be looked at.

So What Is Actually Wrong?

This is where I want you to slow down for a minute. Before you start changing everything, take a good look at what is really happening. Do you still enjoy fixing appliances? When you walk into a customer's home, figure out what is wrong, and get that appliance working again, do you still enjoy solving the problem? Do you still enjoy helping people? Do you still like being the person who can walk into a home, figure out a problem, and fix it? If the answer is yes, then maybe the problem isn't the work. Maybe the problem is everything surrounding the work.

How Much of Your Time Is Going Into the Wrong Things?

Think about a normal day. How much of your time is actually spent doing the thing you're good at?

How much time goes into answering phones, scheduling calls, chasing parts, dealing with paperwork, handling employees, figuring out payroll, dealing with customer complaints, worrying about marketing, looking at the bank account, and trying to figure out why the numbers don't look the way you thought they would? You started an appliance service business because you knew how to fix appliances. Somewhere along the way, you became the person responsible for everything else, too.

And that's where a lot of business owners get stuck. You become the person everybody calls when there is a problem. If the technician has a question, they call you. If the customer is upset, they call you. If the schedule falls apart, you fix it. If somebody doesn't show up, you figure it out. If the phone isn't ringing, you worry about marketing. If the phone is ringing too much, you worry about keeping up. Pretty soon, you're not just running the business. You're carrying the whole thing.

What Do You Actually Want From Your Business?

This is the question I think is worth asking. What do you actually want from your business?

Do you want to make more money? Do you want more time with your family? Do you want to take a vacation without your phone blowing up? Do you want employees you can trust? Do you want to be able to pay yourself what you're worth? Do you want to grow? Or maybe you don't even want a bigger business. Maye you want a business that gives you a good living without taking over your entire life.

Maybe you want to be able to leave work at the end of the day and actually be done. There isn't one right answer. It's your business. You get to decide what you want it to look like.

Sometimes You Need Someone Outside the Business

The problem is that most business owners are so close to their own business that it can be hard to see what is actually happening. You know every customer problem. You know every employee issue. You know every bill. You know every mistake you've made. You know how hard you've worked to get where you are.And sometimes that makes it harder to see the bigger picture.

You may know something isn't working, but you don't know exactly what it is. You may know you're leaving money on the table, but you don't know where. You may know you need help, but you don't even know what kind of help you need. That's where an outside perspective can make a difference.

Not somebody standing there telling you how you should run your business. Somebody who will actually listen, ask questions, look at the pieces together, and help you see what you might be missing.

I've Been Inside This Busines

T've been inside the appliance service business. I know what it takes to build one. I know the customers, the calls, the employees, the marketing, the numbers, the good days, and the days when you wonder what the hell you're doing. I've been the person behind the scenes making things happen. I've worked on the marketing. I've dealt with customers. I've looked at the numbers. I've watched what happens when things are working and what happens when they aren't.

And I know how easy it is to get so busy working in the business that you never get the chance to step back and actually look at the business.

Let's Take a Look Together

That's why I created the Complimentary Business Strategy Session.

This isn't a sales pitch where I'm going to tell you everything you're doing wrong. It's a conversation a discovery. We'll look at what's working, what's frustrating you, where you're making money, where you might be losing money, and what you want your business to look like.

Maybe we'll find one thing you can change right away. Maybe we'll uncover something bigger. Maybe you'll simply walk away seeing your business a little differently.

You don't have to have everything figured out before you schedule. In fact, that's probably why you should schedule.

Sometimes you just need someone to sit down with you, ask the right questions, and look at the business from a different angle.

You Know How to Fix the Appliance

You already know how to solve problems. You've been doing it for years.

You know how to walk into a situation that isn't working, figure out what is wrong, and find a way to fix it.

Your business deserves that same attention.

Maybe it's time to take a step back, look at what's really happening, and figure out what needs to change so the business you work so hard for actually works for you.

Schedule your Complimentary Business Strategy Session.

Let's talk about your business, where you want it to go, and what it might take to get there.