The term "Work Ignited" or 'us' or 'we' refers to the owner of the website whose registered office is 8304 Main Street, Williamsville, New York 14221, United States of America. The term 'you' refers to the user or viewer of our website.
The content of the pages of this website is for your general information and use only. It is subject to change without notice.
Neither we nor any third parties provide any warranty or guarantee as to the accuracy, timeliness, performance, completeness or suitability of the information and materials found or offered on this website for any particular purpose. You acknowledge that such information and materials may contain inaccuracies or errors and we expressly exclude liability for any such inaccuracies or errors to the fullest extent permitted by law.
Your use of any information or materials on this website is entirely at your own risk, for which we shall not be liable. It shall be your own responsibility to ensure that any products, services or information available through this website meet your specific requirements.
This website contains material which is owned by or licensed to us. This material includes, but is not limited to, the design, layout, look, appearance and graphics. Reproduction is prohibited other than in accordance with the copyright notice, which forms part of these terms and conditions.
All trademarks reproduced in this website, which are not the property of, or licensed to the operator, are acknowledged on the website.
Unauthorized use of this website may give rise to a claim for damages and/or be a criminal offense.
From time to time, this website may also include links to other websites. These links are provided for your convenience to provide further information. They do not signify that we endorse the website(s). We have no responsibility for the content of the linked website(s).
Your use of this website and any dispute arising out of such use of the website is subject to the laws of the United States of America.
Work Ignited LLC has taken every effort to ensure promotions and products are accurately represented, as well as their potential earning or financial return. However, there is no guarantee that you will get any results or earn any money whatsoever from our products and services, and we do not purport any "get rich schemes." Nothing on our website or in our promotions is a promise or guarantee of earnings. Your level of success in attaining results is dependent upon a number of factors including your skill, knowledge, ability, dedication, business savvy, network, list, and financial situation. Because these factors differ according to individuals, we cannot guarantee your success, income level, or ability to earn revenue. You alone are responsible for your actions and results in life and business. Any forward-looking statements outlined on our sites or in our promotions are simply our expectations or forecasts for future potential, and thus are not guarantees or promises for actual performance. These statements are simply our opinion. As stipulated by law, we make no guarantees that you will achieve any results from our ideas or promotions and we offer no professional legal or financial advice.
Every effort is made to keep the website up and running smoothly. However, Work Ignited takes no responsibility for, and will not be liable for, the website being temporarily unavailable due to technical issues beyond our control.
If you have any questions, concerns or complaints about this Privacy Policy, please contact us:
By email: [email protected]
By visiting this page on our website: http://www.workignited.com/contact.html
By phone number: 716-276-8005
By mail: 8304 Main Street Williamsville, New York 14221
Explore our assessments for candidate screening, development, team building, succession planning, and more.
Together
Give the women in your organization the coaching, confidence, and connections they need to have successful careers and a fabulous lives.
Made Easy
Create an amazing learning experience
whether your team is
at the office, at home, or on the go.
Ignited
Be the best leader you can be
with this award-winning
learning opportunity.
Breakthrough
Create a workplace you love with our best-selling book, employee survey, and interactive team experience.
Conversations
Replace your archaic review process
with an online system to
guide GREAT conversations.
Mistakes. They happen to everyone. Yes, you learn from them. Yes, they help make you stronger. Yes, they are inevitable. But, let's see if I can help you avoid some, Okay? In fact, I'm going to share 3 mistakes I made while building my B2B business.
These mistakes:
Slowed my growth
Frustrated my team
Impacted my customer service levels and my reputation
Drained my bank account
Wore me down emotionally, mentally, and physically
Fortunately, when I see a problem, I jump on it. So, the impact of these mistakes was lessened because I addressed them as soon as possible. Failure to do so could have been catastrophic. So, today, I'm going to share 3 mistakes I made while building my business, in hopes that you'll be able to avoid making them in yours.
Mistake #1: Offering Too Many Products/Services
I can't even count the number of products and services I've created and sold over the years. If a client needed something, I could build it. One day, we'd be delivering leadership training and on another day, customer service training. Then, we'd take on a recruiting engagement and then, an outplacement engagement. Although I was able to make a lot of clients happy and make decent money, I was never efficient. I was constantly starting, building, and delivering new things without any thought of using them more than once. I could never gain any economies of scale and I never had a reputation for anything.
Then, I decided to narrow my focus to simply selling leadership assessments and training solutions to human resources professionals. That focus allowed me to build systems that scale and to develop a reputation as being a go-to person in my industry and community. Clients find me, because of my focus, thereby lessening my need to be prospecting on a regular basis.
How to Avoid This Mistake: Take a look at your products and services. What do you love to do? What gets you excited and energized? What products and services have the greatest return on investment? Prioritize them and focus on those that bubble to the top. Most importantly, have the courage to say "no" to clients who want the services that drain you financially, emotionally, and mentally.
Mistake #2: Working With the Wrong Clients
When you're first starting out, it's easy to say "yes" to any client that comes along. That might be okay for a while, as you try to sort out who you enjoy working with and who you don't. Over time, you learn which clients are more profitable than others. You see which clients share your values and beliefs. You begin to identify who your "best" customers are.
For me, my "best" customers are not solely defined by the revenue they generate for my company. For me, what ranks above revenue are things like how they feel about their employees. Do they care about employees? Do they want to create a great workplace culture? I also consider how difficult they are to work for. I call it the PITA factor. If they are a Pain In The A*%, I don't want to work with them.
Today, I love my clients. In fact, in many cases, I've become friends with my clients. I care about them, their success, their families. They care about my business and me. Their support has allowed me to have so much of what I have enjoyed in my career and my personal life. I don't take those relationships lightly.
How to Avoid This Mistake: Identify what makes a "best" customer in your mind. It's different for everyone. Perhaps it's a client that contributes a certain amount of revenue to your business, a client who shares your personal values, a client who prefers to do business a certain sort of way, a client that has a particular philosophy or personality trait. It's totally up to you.
Next, review your client list with three colored highlighters:
Color #1 (Your Favorite Color): Highlight clients that meet your "best" customer definition
Color #2: Highlight clients that are on their way to meeting your "best" customer definition - write down what you need to do to push them over the top
Color #3: Highlight clients that will most likely never meet your "best" customer definition. Identify when it will be time to say "goodbye" to them. You might need them for a while longer, as you grow your "best" customer list. Just don't take too long.
Mistake #3: Choosing the Wrong Partners
I've had a lot of partners over the years. Some have been formal, legal business partners. Others have been referral partners and people for whom I've served as a value-added reseller or affiliate. Some of these partners have and continue to be amazing. Others were on a completely different wave length.
My first business partner had very different philosophies than I did. When we started our business, we didn't have one client. We were starting from zero. During our first week in business, she purchased a Jaguar. When I asked why she would buy such an expensive car when we didn't have one client, she replied, "Amy, we need to exude success." I thought, what on earth did I do? She wants to exude success when one of my core beliefs is that humility is the cornerstone of leadership. We did a lot of great work together, but eventually our philosophical differences led to the end of the partnership.
How to Avoid This Mistake: Choose your partners carefully. Ensure you have alignment around your personal values, your goals for your business, and how you want to be perceived in the community. Use formal legal agreements, even if your married or the best of friends, to ensure your rules of engagement are clearly spelled out. And, be sure to communicate frequently and regularly - the key to maintaining any strong relationship.
There you have it - the 3 mistakes I made while building my B2B business. I hope you haven't made these mistakes already and that you're reading this blog post in time to avoid them in the future!