"How do I grow my business to the next level? "
"I'm constantly fighting fires. Where is the time to think about the next steps?"
"AI seems to be everywhere, except in my business. I am worried I will miss the boat. I want help, but from someone who really understands my business, my everyday challenges."
"How to grow my business to the next level" is the one question all business owners ask themselves almost every day. You want to spend more time on strategic tasks, but between managing customers, accounting, suppliers, and dozens of other competing asks, there's no time.
Process automation using AI will not help you answer the first question, but can help you find time to think about it.
You can use AI to automate many of the routine tasks.
AI can significantly reduce the time required for regular, repetitive work, reduce errors, and the costs attached to them.
It can significantly improve efficiencies, customer satisfaction, and your bottom line.
With over two decades of experience in business management, sales and marketing, and AI Automation across countries and domains, Dennis works with clients to help build, scale, and lead their business better.
He has a postgraduate degree in business management, an accounting degree, and additional certifications in cost accounting, data analytics, and life coaching.
Well, at least till you start seeing the benefits. Dennis has been working with businesses and their owners across North Texas for close to a decade now. He has helped them find innovative solutions to some of their most vexing business problems, charting out growth trajectories and navigating challenges.
Send an email to denniskoshy@marketglocal.com to schedule a call. You don't pay anything until you are convinced Dennis is adding real, tangible value.
“Bad. The last four days have been bad.” That was the response to a casual how are you doing question on a call this morning.
It took me a bit aback because most clients like to project calm confidence even when things are not going too well. The business might be burning cash, high-cost credit card debts through the roof, never-ending labor shortages and multiple sleepless nights, but in my experience, none of these are usually sufficient to elicit such a blunt response. The typical business owner in Texas is like the proverbial duck swimming in the placid pool – calm and serene on top while furiously paddling below the surface.
The winter storm that just pummeled most of the nation’s south and east seems to have been the last straw. No customers don’t mean the overheads meter pauses. Rent still has to be paid, heating expenses go through the roof, and you have to try extra hard to keep staff happy. Yes, you can try to pause that wages clock, but they too have rents to pay and groceries to buy, and in a tight labor market, things get ugly fast.
All of this is known. But for the next 20 minutes, Kimberly spoke nonstop about her troubles. It was like a dam had burst, and the only thing I could do was keep nodding. There were no easy solutions.
But talking about it with a person who understood her challenges was cathartic. And I could point out there’s a silver lining to every cloud. Her customers too have been stuck at home, and nails don’t stop growing just because you are not stepping out. Nor do eyebrows, or hair roots that need touching up. Past trends have shown a 30-40% spike in customer footfall post a significant weather event like this. While it might not be enough to cover all lost business, it is sufficient to cushion the impact.
A small piece of information like this can keep hope alive.
I have always advised my clients to set SMART goals. Clichéd as it might sound, the simplicity of the specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound structure/model worked. No one could argue with its logic.
But what if the person, or business, is driven more by the HEART? Purpose-driven, rooted in a passion, value, or emotion?
Is it one vs the other, or can the two co-exist? Will the inherent tension between the two get too corrosive? Often, when the two do manage to coexist, the SMART goals end up being a compromise - too micro to really matter, or not aligned with the overarching purpose.
In my experience, it's easier if you start with the HEART and build SMART around it. For eg, if your HEART goal is to create a workplace where people can thrive, followed by the SMART goal of increasing employee engagement score by 20% or reducing attrition by 10 % over the next 12 months. Or, eliminate hunger from my community, followed by an increase in donations to the county food bank by 20% over the next 6 months, or raise 20% more from the three neighboring churches for the Title 1 elementary school next door in the next 12 months.
So yes, the SMART and HEART can coexist. In fact, when the two are aligned, they create something that's both strategic and touches the heart. Literally.
Entrepreneurship isn’t just about building something.
It is about enduring the emotional rollercoaster that comes with it. The self-doubt, the constant decision-making without a safety net, and above all, the loneliness. Especially the loneliness.
And that’s why it helps to have someone to talk to. An unbiased mentor who will provide you with honest feedback, someone you can trust.
A good mentor acts like the driver-assist feature in a modern car. They:
~ Keep you aligned with your vision when self-doubt and distractions creep in.
~ Show your blind spots so you grow faster, smarter, safer.
~ Hold you accountable not just to goals, but to your values.
~ Offer perspective when you're too close to the problem to see clearly. Remember the adage about missing the woods for the trees?
~ Remind you you're not alone, even when it feels like you are.
Want to talk?
Send an email to denniskoshy@marketglocal.com to schedule a call.