What comes to mind when you think of a salesperson? Do you picture someone going door to door with a vacuum in hand, nudging their foot into the open space of the doorway of the poor soul who was unlucky enough to answer? While this strategy may have its time and place, it is often an outmoded sales tactic that leaves customers more dissatisfied than they were before the sale.

In honor of Super Bowl LV this upcoming Sunday, we wanted to take a moment to explore and explain the dynamic relationship of teams and what makes teams like the Chiefs and the Buccaneers so successful. Group dynamics and the ability of athletes to function as a unit is just as important as the actual skill and athleticism of individual athletes. Without a strong understanding of the team goals and commitment to those goals, these organizations would not prosper. So while you sit at home, with your football-shaped pizza and team-colored utensils, screaming “DEFENSE” at your T.V., remember that the systems and conduct of the teams on the field are not unlike the ones that are happening at your own place of work.

Most business owners want some kind of performance compensation plan, even if they have no idea what one looks like. In this recording of a live training we go over a framework for categorizing and understanding the plethora of performance comp plan types. We talk about the advantages and disadvantages as well as the mechanics of how to put one together.

This is a question relevant to any business leader. But it is particularly important for business owners. Why?

Because more times than not we see teams where the business owner has 4 or 5 direct reports and each one of those people have a handful of direct reports…except one. Invariably there is one poor soul charged with personally overseeing the activities of 12, 13, 16, 20 people.

About 80% of businesses will say that they believe their team should come first, ahead of customers. But in practice painfully few actually do it. If your business is ever going to grow beyond your own personal abilities to service customers putting your team first is the only way to do it.

How do you get your team to have a bias toward action? It is a series of habits, tools and disciplines you bring to the team as their leader.

We have completed version 9 of our PPP loan forgiveness calculation tool. A video walkthrough is available below as is the download.

We encourage you to provide an email address so that we can apprise you of updates and future resources as they are added to the Excel spreadsheet. As mentioned already, we are in version 9 and it definitely won’t be the last update.

Unlike previous versions the formulas are not locked. The sheets are protected to maintain the attribution row at the top of each tab.

This is a recording of a live training that was part of our ongoing Monday series for small business owners and key players. We cover the four foundational pillars that must be in place to begin developing an accountable culture. Then we speak to the specific tendencies of managers and the tools you can implement to overcome your struggles in holding others accountable as a leader.

In this weeks clients and friends of the firm broadcast we talk about innovation and break down a method for bringing big ideas to life inside your company.

The PPP program was rushed into execution faster than any major legislation in my professional memory and it has been a roller coaster. Nothing about the process followed the normal roadmap for new laws being rolled out into the real world. By and large when a new law goes into effect there is a very measured and deliberate process to make sure that there are no retroactive consequences. In other words, people know what they are getting into and have a chance to govern themselves accordingly. THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN with the CARES Act.

In this live training I walk Axiom clients and friends of the firm through our approach to constructing a revenue forecast, gross profit targets and overhead budgets.

Below are downloadable files referenced in the training:

This workshop on time and task management for teams was provided for clients and friends of the firm on Monday, April 20, 2020. There is a page full of resources in addition to a recording of the training session.

We recorded an open line call with Axiom clients and friends of the firm to highlight what businesses need to be doing to come out the other side of this stronger than they went in. It’s not easy, but with some intentionality and discipline many businesses will realize market share increases amid all the uncertainty.,

Update on 4/18/20: I’m posting the same update here as on our other post related to this matter containing our debt forgiveness forecasting tool. The issue surrounding whether loan forgiveness will be based on Gross or Net payroll still looms. I had not been able to find anyone calling attention to this or talking about it besides myself until I came across this article by Forbes contributor Tony Nitti. See point #6.

The following are key points from the conference call today with business owners and leaders facilitated by C12 of Southwest Florida.

Immediate internal actions

Determine your status as essential and capacity to service customers remote. Desantis is referencing the Homeland Security provisions embedded at the bottom of this post.

Two weeks ago we started sending out emails to client business owners and GM's pertaining to COVID-19 response. Those were being shared and forwarded and we made the decision to make them all public at axiomstrategic.com/blog. If you haven't seen those emails you can review them there.

A Google search for SBA Form 2483 turns up several links to the new application form, some on the back end of bank’s websites. Your particular lending institution will have their own links and loan package instructions, but this appears to be the standardized form you will be asked to fill out,

Update 5/19/20: The previous version of the tool has been superseded after the release of the loan forgiveness application. For the most recent version please visit the updated post here.

The video above is from on open-line call that I hosted with 2-3 dozen CPA’s from all over the country to collaborate and help each other help clients through the COVID-19 crisis affecting our business clients. During part of the call I introduced them to a tool we have been using to help businesses get some quick insights into how their cash flow will be affected for the remainder of 2020. A link to the Google Sheet containing the tool is available below.