Turn on the TV most nights and you're likely to see someone
or something undergoing a transformation. Whether it's an
individual, an entire home (or just a room in a home), a backyard
or merely a flower bed, it seems nearly everyone or everything is
in need of a redo. Obviously, makeover mania is sweeping the
nation. For the uninitiated, this current obsession with the before
and after may seem a bit surprising. But the many of us (mostly
women) who have been captivated by makeover stories in fashion and
decorating magazines for years think it's about time the rest
of you caught up.
While we at Entrepreneur usually prefer (like most
entrepreneurs) to lead the pack, we're not opposed to
occasionally jumping on the bandwagon. Months ago, in preparation
for our first makeover issue, we picked five entrepreneurs who
needed to update at least some portion of their businesses. We then
came up with our own team of pros who applied their expertise and
tried to turn these businesses, as the cover states, from
"drab to fab." As you'll find out, starting on page
64, the transformation worked—in most cases.
Is your business in need of a makeover? If you're like most
entrepreneurs, of course it is. That's not to say your whole
business is a mess, but almost every entrepreneurial enterprise has
at least one area where it could use a shot in the arm. For most
entrepreneurs, the hardest part is to figure out what that is and
how to tackle it. This takes a bit of introspection, and
unfortunately, introspection does not come easily to many of you.
You're generally so busy concentrating on one part of your
business (most often increasing your sales) that you neglect the
other parts. But to put a twist on an old saying, the whole of your
business is the sum of its parts. Many of you will discover that
you only need a tweak here and there to get back on track. Others
will learn that there's more amiss than you ever suspected.
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So do yourself a favor—take some time out, and look at
your company. If you can't be objective, ask a respected friend
or colleague to give you a hand. Or try a business coach. I've
run into more and more entrepreneurs who swear hiring a business
coach gave them and their companies a much needed boost.
Remember, though, unless you're in danger of losing your
business, this isn't the entrepreneur's version of
Extreme Makeover—don't try to change too many
things at once. That too easily can lead to chaos.
The good news is you don't have to do this alone. Or at
least you won't if you're one of the winners in a new
contest we're sponsoring with Xerox. See the box above for more
info.
In the women's magazines, the women most in need of a
makeover generally are not a total mess; they just tend to be stuck
in a rut—reliving some past glory. The same can be said about
most businesses. Stop living in the past; stop relying on what got
you to where you are. You may need new people, new technologies or
new thinking to take you where you want to be today—and
tomorrow.