Challenges to Growing Your Business

Challenges to Growing Your Business and Your Career

5 Meta Challenges

The expression of these challenges is a synthesis of three main sources of information. The first is practice-based evidence. 25 years of business coaching, and the stories told by business owners during coaching, has revealed multiple problem types and themes. The second, evidence-based practice, the result of academic learning and training in such fields as education, counselling psychology, and economics, likewise identifies common cognitive, emotional, and behavioural aspects to business life. Finally, a form of meta-analytic review, i.e. a distillation of business books, journal articles, and industry-specific reports. Any of the challenges outlined below can explored more fully during coaching.

This work identifies 5 Meta Challenges to growing your business. Each Meta Challenge has 3 Sub-Challenges. Each of these challenges are as valid for business owners as they are for employees. Whether you are a senior executive, middle manager, or staff person, these challenges affect you as well.

These challenges may give voice to what you are experiencing when running your business, or the challenges you face running your career.

Some of these challenges can be solved, others can only be managed. During coaching you can explore how these 5 Meta Challenges may affect your stated goals.

1. Owner Engagement (OE)

Owner Engagement describes how engaged you are with your own enterprise. The 3 sub-challenges are:

  1. Motivation
  2. Family and Societal Systems
  3. Innovation & Relevance

2. Client Engagement (CE)

Client Engagement describes how clients come to trust and start to work with you. The 3 sub-challenges are:

  1. Distinctive Value
  2. Trust
  3. Emotional Engagement

3. Client Experience (CX)

Client Experience describes how your clients move through your organization from your client’s perspective. The 3 sub-challenges are:

  1. Service Offering
  2. Ongoing Client Value
  3. Client Processes

4. Business Management (BM)

Business Management concerns the running of the business. The 3 sub-challenges are:

  1. Stalled Growth
  2. Strategy & Planning
  3. Talent Pool

5. Operating Environment (OE)

The Operating Environment includes variables outside the firm that affect the business. The 3 sub-challenges are:

  1. Technology
  2. Competition
  3. Legislation & Regulation