Home
>
Success
>
Marching To A New Beat

Marching To A New Beat

For our family, the Fall is filled with Friday Night Lights, as our oldest child is a member of her high school marching band. While we certainly enjoy the football team's successes on the field, the process and progress of the marching band really captures our attention. From two-a-day practices in the August heat, to entering the stadium in line to the drummers' beat at each game, to practicing for the always-sold-out Patriotic Game?everything the band director does is designed to build his team into a synchronized unit performing at its highest possible talent level.

A similar approach would be of tremendous value to your small business. Band directors don't show up in September and start figuring out what to do. They work on it all summer long, so they're prepared when students arrive for their first practice. As you and your team work through the daily challenges of running your small business, are you making plans for what you want to accomplish six months from now?

Success Handler Action: After you finish reading this e-newsletter, spend some time thinking about your goals. Consider all aspects of your small business including employees, your products/services, your competition, finances and the economic direction. Here are some questions to help you get started:

~ What do you hope to accomplish in the next year?

~ Where are your biggest opportunities?

~ Who on your team are the key players for getting you there?

~ How will you get your message out to prospects and current customers/clients?

~ What is your competition doing, and what can your learn from them?

Marching bands typically practice in 'sectionals' ? clarinets with clarinets, drum line with drum line, tubas with tubas, etc. ? then come together to blend all of the individual pieces into one cohesive unit. To the casual observer in the stands, everything seems to flow in perfect unison. However, it's the hours of practice leading to each performance that produce musical and marching masterpieces. Similarly, taking the time to develop your team members will pay off tremendously in the results you ultimately achieve.

Success Handler Action: As you begin the process of planning for the next six months, consider what your team needs, individually and as a unit, to take you to a higher level. Here are five ways you can have an immediate impact on their productivity and individual growth:

1. Pay for employees to attend an advanced learning class ? online or in-person.

2. Review the software your team uses regularly and decide if it's time for an update.

3. Reach out to your vendors and ask them to provide educational materials/training.

4. Make this "Employee Idea Month" ? and remember?the quantity of ideas you receive, not the quality, ultimately leads to discovery.

5. Give each employee two tickets to the movies...it will help relieve some of the stress, and not cost you much.

When our daughter began playing the clarinet in sixth grade, many months were filled with incorrect notes and shrill squeaks. However, she practiced every day, took weekly private lessons and began to improve. With ongoing encouragement from her middle school then junior high band directors, and her own self-determination, she eventually gained a skill that now provides her tremendous joy.

The same success is possible for your small business. Figure out what it is you want to accomplish, communicate that vision to your team members, motivate them to achieve their goals and help them overcome their roadblocks along the way. Before you know it, all of you will be cheering loudly for the victories you're enjoying together.

The Coach, David Handler, is the founder of Success Handler, (http://www.successhandler.com), and specializes in helping small business leaders, franchisees and franchisors find clarity and take action. He understands the challenges of running a business, because he's been there ? as a small business owner, franchisee, franchisor, corporate leader and trainer. Much like sports coaches, his coaching will show you how to compete on a level playing field in your industry.

experienced cleaning professionals Northbrook ..

In The News:

Cybersecurity experts warn about one of the largest credential compilations ever found, urging users to check "Have I Been Pwned" and change passwords immediately.

Quick iPhone and Android battery optimization techniques help your device stay powered all day by turning off hidden features that secretly drain power in the background.

Kodiak Driver autonomous truck achieves perfect 98 safety score, matching top human fleets in groundbreaking AI evaluation by Nauto's VERA system.

New 401k catch-up contribution rules in 2026 will change taxes for high earners over 50. Learn how scammers exploit these changes and protect your retirement savings.

Kurt Knutsson's guide covers social media privacy protection through location settings, account privacy controls and two-factor authentication to prevent scams and data breaches.

Revolutionary retinal implant restores central vision in 80% of patients with advanced macular degeneration, offering hope where treatments once only slowed blindness.

Learn how to use passkeys on Windows and Mac computers without cameras or fingerprint readers. Discover secure authentication methods that replace passwords.

Tesla's FSD v14.1.2 update reintroduces Mad Max mode, enabling higher speeds and more frequent lane changes than the standard Hurry profile setting.

A phishing email scam targeting American Express customers shows how cybercriminals use fake urgent messages to steal personal and financial information.

Facebook's new Meta AI feature analyzes your camera roll photos to create polished collages automatically, but requires cloud processing and raises privacy concerns.

A New Jersey teenager filed a major lawsuit against AI/Robotics Venture Strategy 3 Ltd. over ClothOff, an AI tool that created fake nude images from her social media photos.

Microsoft reports Storm-2657 cybercriminals sent phishing emails to 6,000 addresses at 25 universities to steal payroll credentials and redirect funds.

Astronomers have discovered asteroid 2025 SC79, a skyscraper-sized space rock orbiting the sun in just 128 days. the second-fastest known.

The Fox News AI Newsletter delivers the latest developments form the world of artificial intelligence, including the technology's challenges and opportunities.

A cyberattack on SimonMed Imaging exposed personal information of 1.2 million patients, including medical records, financial details and identity papers.

Spotify's managed accounts for kids under 13 now available in at least seven countries, allowing parents to filter and block explicit content and songs.

Friendly text conversations about BBQs and social events can lead to WEEX gold trading scams that target older adults with fake investment opportunities.

California company Skyeports creates self-healing glass spheres from Moon regolith that generate solar power and support plant growth for sustainable lunar living.

Cleafy researchers discover fake VPN streaming app Mobdro Pro that installs Klopatra banking Trojan, giving attackers full control over Android devices.

Police departments across the U.S. and Canada are adopting virtual reality training to better prepare officers for high-pressure, real-world situations.

House Bill 469 would prevent AI systems from owning property, serving as executives, or gaining legal personhood in Ohio under Representative Thaddeus Claggett's proposal.

Public voter records expose retirees' personal details to election scammers who create targeted cons using names, addresses, and voting history data.

Instead of fearing what comes next with artificial intelligence, think outside the box. Here are high-earning AI jobs that don't require a computer science degree.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman says polite words like "please" and "thank you" cost millions annually, while direct prompts may improve ChatGPT accuracy by several points.

Chattee Chat and GiMe Chat exposed intimate conversations and photos, revealing users spent up to $18,000 on AI companions before the breach.