© 2009 Vinny Ribas

For as many years as I can remember, I have chosen to play the role of supporting actor in many people’s lives. For example, I was the assistant director of a nonprofit for 4 years, and was greatly instrumental in moving that company from literally having no income at all to having a $1M annual budget. There, my job was to make the executive director look great! I have played drums and keyboards and been the bandleader for many amazingly talented singers. Of course, my job was to make them look and sound like superstars. I have been an advisor to numerous CEOs. My job has always been to help each one of them be successful in their own right. I took great pride in every one of these roles because I love making other people shine, and I’ve been pretty good at it!

Some people live their entire lives playing those support roles, and are very content in doing so. However, there comes a time for some people when they feel that they’ve proven themselves enough times to believe that they too can play the lead, with other people playing the supporting roles. That is exactly where I find myself right now. I am running as hard as I can with an idea that I believe I have the ability, the passion and the work ethic to grow into a transformational organization that will benefit musicians and music fans worldwide (see www.indieconnect.net)!

I know that to many, that sounds egotistical. Others also might think it’s an unattainable pipedream rather than a realistic vision. But not to me. And the reason I know that it is achievable is not because of my own self-confidence. It is because of all of the amazing ‘supporting actors’ who have seen and believe in my vision. It seems like every time I realize that I need to fill a specific role, someone with the exact qualifications, skills, talent or connections that I need shows up! I could never accomplish something of this magnitude alone. But together, I know we will be more successful than even I can imagine at this point.

I don’t know how to express my unending gratitude to everyone who is supporting me in so many ways right now. It is truly quite overwhelming. I know, and I believe that they know, that I will do everything in my power to bring them each a hundred-fold return on the time, mentorship, encouragement and resources that they have and continue to invest in me.

Every one of us has people around us whose job it is to make us shine. For them to do their work willingly and to the best of their ability, they simply need to feel appreciated. We also have people who voluntarily go out of their way to help us be successful. It is not their job or responsibility, but they do it anyway because they believe in us, care about us and want to see us reach the top. They don’t ask for anything – they just give. But one thing that I am certain of is that they will disappear into thin air the second they feel that they are just being taken for granted. It is OUR responsibility to make sure that they get their share of our spotlight. 

Look around. Who has been there holding you up when you fall? Who encourages you when life throws you curves? Who willingly works overtime to insure that you have everything you need to achieve your dreams? Who goes the extra mile to make you shine? Let them know that you know how much they have helped you. Acknowledge how big a role they’ve played in any success you’ve achieved or will achieve. And just as importantly, recognize that they too may someday feel the need to step into their own leading role. Let them know that you would be there to support them 110% should they ever make that decision, just as they have been there for you. None of us are self-made. It takes a large and dedicated team to make even just one person a star!

© 2009 Vinny Ribas

Last Sunday afternoon I spent 3 hours with from Tony Bodoh, a brilliant business consultant in his own right, who I have been coaching on launching his own businesses. One of the major things that I have helped him with is sequencing his steps. I have done this for hundreds of other businesses over the past 5 years. But this time, I went to HIM for sequencing help!

I have worked hard for months on the plans for my new business. I know where I am going, how I am going to get there, who and what I need to get me there, and what I am going to do once I’ve “arrived!” Still, it is amazing how beneficial, motivating and spirit-freeing it was to have someone else evaluate, sometimes constructively critique, sometimes honestly agree with and overall help me to perfect my plans!

The world’s greatest athletes look to their own coaches and trainers to watch and correct them all of the time. The greatest and most respected singers around the globe have vocal coaches that help them protect and continually improve their voices. The reason for this is that both the athletes and the singers need someone to see or listen to what they are doing from an outside perspective. Things always look, feel and/or sound differently from the outside than what they seem like from the inside! That is why it is also difficult for a physician to heal himself!

Why would it be any different for business owners? No matter how much you know about your  business or the field your business is in, you cannot possibly be completely objective with every move or decision you make. In fact, the more brilliant you are (or people tell you that you are), the more important it is to have someone (or more than one person) to bounce that brilliance off of.

Coaches, consultants and mastermind groups can all play valuable rolls in insuring the integrity of your decisions. They each have their own role in this process. Coaches help us keep things in perspective and keep our priorities straight. Consultants can help us with the operational details of the business, such as strategic, financial and/or marketing planning. A mastermind group is a group of 3 or more people who agree to brainstorm ways to solve each other’s challenges.

There are several reasons why having a coach , consultant, and/or a mastermind group to bounce your ideas and plans off of is important:

• When you are personally affected by the outcomes of your decisions, your personal feelings and emotions (e.g. pride, desire for approval, need to appear in control etc.) are all reflected in them. This can sometimes cause problems that you can’t see from your  internal perspective. A good coach can help you make decisions based on fact, not strictly emotions.
• Your personal needs (e.g. attaining or maintaining  a certain level of income, working at home etc.) can also color or cloud your decisions.  A coach can help you keep the proper perspective. 
• There is always someone smarter than you! You might be an expert in certain areas of your business. In other areas you may also be a very good generalist. But the devil is in the details, and sometimes it takes a number of experts (consultants) in various different areas to develop and perfect a plan.
• You never end up second-guessing yourself because you have someone else to do it for you! Third party confirmations instill confidence.
• Two heads are always better than one. When 2 or more minds feed off each other, the resulting ideas and plans can be amazingly creative and operationally impeccable.
• Sometimes it is just impossible to see the forest from the tree! Just because we like something doesn’t mean the masses will. An outside perspective can bring new, vitally important information and opinions to the picture.
• Sometimes you just need someone to help unclutter your brain so that you can think more clearly. A coach can help you sort through the masses of information that you have to prioritize and keep straight on a daily basis.

Personally, I feel much smarter every time I wrap up a session with one of my coaches, consultants or mastermind groups. We always come up with improved concrete plans, answers and solutions. Additionally, I watch how they process things, how they come up with the right questions to ask me, and how they teach me rather than do everything for me. That in itself is an education that was never not taught in any school that I ever attended!

© 2009 Vinny Ribas

People love to be a part of or own anything that is new and exciting. They come out of the woodwork to buy the latest fashions or gadgets. They climb on board any trend that makes them appear or feel ‘hip’. They chat incessantly in person and online about the latest software, music, products etc. that come out.

People are also inclined to clamor around a strong CEO or business owner who is launching or growing a different, innovative or somehow-intriguing business. They offer to help in any way that they can, often on their own dime or time. They enjoy being along for the voyage. They like being around someone who is creating a stir or making things happen. They look forward to being able to say, “I was there when that company was just…” It makes them feel like they are partially responsible for that person’s and that company’s success.

It is never too late for any business owner to create this kind of buzz and develop this kind of loyalty and volunteer support! It doesn’t matter if the business is still in the concept stage or already hugely successful. The secret is get people involved and/or excited! How do you do that? Here are some suggestions:

• Ask for help or support. Don’t be shy. Ask your friends, colleagues, business associates etc. Post your requests on websites like LinkedIn. You’ll be amazed who and how many people will step up to the plate for you.
• Be excited! Excitement is contagious! People love to be around someone who is passionate about what they are doing. They want something to be excited about too!
• Stay positive and confident. Nothing turns people off more than constant negativity. Nothing attracts them more than someone who inspires them with his or her great attitude.
• Ask for input from your customers, employees, vendors etc. Truly pay attention to what they have to say. Let them know that you value their thoughts, opinions and ideas! Remember, they want to be part of your success!
• Communicate often. Utilize blogs, RSS feeds, social networks and other forms of social media. Keep it interactive. Constantly thank all of your supporters, customers etc.
• Never take anyone for granted. Be sure to sincerely thank and reward everyone! Surprise them with small gifts, important discounts etc. If they know you’re not out just to take as much as you can from them, they’ll be much more inclined to help you whenever you need them to.
• Keep it fresh. New products, new colors, new designs, new advertising (how many Geiko commercials are there?), innovative changes etc. all keep everyone interested and curious about what you’ll surprise them with next.
• Provide exceptional service. Go above and beyond the call of duty to please your customers, vendors, employees etc. They will tell everyone about you!
• Be teachable. Wiser or more experienced people will be glad to mentor you if they know you are anxious to learn.
• Be honest and ethical. Let people know what you can and can’t do based on your current situation. Most people will be flexible in their terms, schedule etc. in order to help you.

The greatest resource that you can develop is a strong, able and willing team of supporters. They will carry you through every adversity just so that they can celebrate every victory with you!

© 2009 Vinny Ribas

This past week, something came up in my business that led to a serious branding question. I needed to know whether taking advantage of a new-found opportunity would affect the reputation of my company and cause damage to the brand identity that I am trying to build. Taking advantage of the opportunity would mean a relatively quick infusion of badly needed cash into the company.

Thanks to the vast network of people and resources that I have developed (this is a hint), I knew I had direct access to a Fortune 500 branding expert who is also a very critical thinker (Patrick Smyth). I knew that talking to him was my first move. Fortunately, I caught him on IM (instant messenger). I asked him my simple 2-sentence question. To my surprise, his answer had nothing to do with branding! He pointed out how much time this opportunity would take to develop, and how much it would take me away from my core responsibilities as CEO – raising capital, building a team, developing the vision, proving the concept etc. He also pointed out that I don’t have employees who would implement this idea, so it would all rest on my shoulders. His answer was immediate, brief and directly to the point. I understood and agreed with his perception and wise advice.

In less than one minute, I learned several very important lessons:

• Develop a strong team that can help you think through and analyze any situations that pop up, good or bad.

• Develop a deep network of people in various industries and with areas of expertise other than your own. Then use those contacts wisely to insure that you are staying on track.
• Always tap into the expertise of others when there is question at all as to what to do next. In fact, tap into them to confirm that your thinking is on the mark. This one-minute online exchange probably saved me 6 months of going down the wrong track!
• Always refer to someone who is a critical thinker. Critical thinkers see the situation not only for what it is, but also for what it can or will become. They see the other issues that run deeper than what is on the surface. In this case, I thought I had a branding challenge. Instead, it was pointed out that I had a leadership, and to some extent, an operational challenge. My mind hadn’t even drifted in that direction!
• Be very aware of anything that might try to take you away from your core duties and responsibilities. Temptations are everywhere. People will always come up with ideas on how you can expand or speed up your business. Listen attentively, but weigh the short and long term consequences. Look at all of the ramifications regarding the time it will take, the real cost involved, the effect it will have on your focus, the resources it will require, and yes, how it will affect your brand!

Wisdom comes from experience and the ability to see the big and small picture simultaneously. Surround yourself with wise people, tap into their skills and knowledge, and you will avoid making many costly mistakes along your journey.

Copyright 2008 Vinny Ribas

It is impossible for one person to know and do everything necessary to build a strong and profitable business. That is why wise business leaders assemble a strong team of advisors, including a knowledgeable and experienced Board of Directors. All too often, however, the wrong people somehow end up on the team. By ‘wrong people’ I am referring to people who perhaps do not bring enough to the table, do not have the necessary expertise or skills, or are duplicating the skills and expertise of another board member. 

The truth is that developing the right Board of Directors and the right Board of Advisors is a skill in its own right. Choosing the right players needs to be deliberate and calculated. Each member needs to fill a previously identified, critical role. They all need to speak the same business language and be able to work together like a well-oiled machine. Their integrity, morals, work ethics and vision must all be identical to that of the CEO.

The wrong people, on the other hand, can cause resentment from those team members who are truly qualified. They can bog down the governing and decision-making processes by their need to always play ‘catch-up’ or have things explained to them. They might cause harmful decisions to be made. Since they represent the Company, they can reflect negatively on it. They do not fill a necessary role on the board, so their level of responsibility is not balanced with the rest of the team.

How do you avoid putting the ‘wrong people’ on your team? Here are some suggestions:

• Understand the difference between a Board of Directors and a Board of Advisors. Your Board of Directors are most-often long term members of your team who are given responsibility for overseeing a specific area, field or operation of the business. Sometimes they are also officers in the company. They most often receive some kind of compensation, such as a monthly stipend, stock options, stock etc. Your Board of Advisors can be long or short term, and are there to provide advice and guidance without having being held directly responsible for any portion of the company. Advisors are also compensated, though not as much as your Board of Directors. Often their compensation is tied directly to work that they perform for the company (writing the business plan, making introductions to investors or strategic alliances etc.)
• Define the exact roles that you need to fill on your Board of Directors before you recruit the first person. Be sure that you have outlined what you expect from them, what their responsibilities will be and what experience, knowledge or skills they need to demonstrate. Depending on the nature of your business, the most common board positions you may want to fill include experts in the fields of strategic planning (sequencing), finances, marketing, technology, operations and often someone from your industry. In essence, determine which areas of your company need one person who can guide and direct it and create a director or advisory position for that purpose.   
• Limit your team to those key people who can work together seamlessly. Don’t offer positions to everyone who wants to be a part of the company or who ‘gets the vision’. It is not only possible, but sometimes fatal to have a team that is too big. The result is often an unmanageable, unorganized group that doesn’t work well together.
• Qualify everyone. Don’t recruit friends, relatives or people who have simply ‘been there’ for you without checking their qualifications. Each person on the board should have responsibility over a particular division or function of the company. You need competent and experienced team members to fill those roles, without compromise.
• Stick with your outline of what positions you need to fill on your team. Don’t let anyone bully you into putting them on your team. For example, don’t offer positions to relatively small investors unless they bring more to the table than just their money. Some investors want to ‘guard’ their investment, and that can take the control of running the company away from you. Also, don’t offer positions in return for favors or support. You can find other ways to pay people back for their kindness.
• Be patient in finding the right people. Don’t offer positions just because you don’t want to tackle the project alone. Keep searching until you find the ideal candidate.
• Do complete background checks on your key players. Never offer a board position without knowing if something in their past is going to come back and haunt you. Check all of their employment history and references. Be sure that they have demonstrated success in the field that you want them to take responsibility for. Remember that someone can have 25 years experience in an industry without ever having been successful at it. Pick demonstrated leaders. Don’t set yourself up for unwanted surprises somewhere down the road.
• Interview your prospects thoroughly. Never offer a position to someone without knowing whether he or she is a team player. Be positive they share your vision and your passion. Make certain it is someone you can work with for at least 3 years.

Your team is the driving force behind your company’s success. It is impossible to keep forward motion if the team is not pulling its weight. You need to be 100% confident in your team at all times. The only way that you can accomplish this is to pick the right people to fill all of the roles that need to be filled. You may end up going through quite a few personnel changes to get there, but you will know when it’s right. You will feel so much weight taken off of your shoulders, and you will lead the company with passion and confidence!

On Sunday, I leave the beautiful hills and rocking sounds of Nashville TN to attend a week long CEO conference called the Free Enterprise Forum, produced by CEO Space. This organization provides the most powerful business launch and growth training in the world. I have attended this conference t least 10 times, and I learn more every time I go. The faculty are all Fortune 500 trainers or executives. This coming week, some of the faculty will include Mark Victor Hansen, Jack Canfield, John Grey, Bob Proctor, Harv Eker, Lisa Nichols, Bob Circosta and many more, all of whom got their start in this organization! During the course of the week, the faculty remain completely accessible to coach any CEOs who need help with their businesses, or who might need doors opened for them.

If that weren’t enough, there will be about 1000 CEOs on site, helping each other find whatever customers, capital, resources, contacts, strategic alliances or professional support they might need to move their businesses into hyper-growth mode!

This is where I learned all of the information that is in my book, “CEO Secrets”. If you’d like more info about the book or CEO Space, please contact me at vinny@ceospacetn.com.

I am writing this article on a Pentium II laptop that I bought used 4 years ago for $300. It has no memory left. It has an obsolete operating system. It can’t record to a CD, only a 3.5-inch floppy disk. This week it stopped letting me access the Internet. And yet I am still using it. I haven’t bought a new one, even though they are so inexpensive these days. I complain about it, but I haven’t made a move to change my evil ways. Why?

A great mentor of mine used to tell the story about a man whose dog was lying down in one spot in the yard and just whining a little every now and then. When a neighbor asked him why the dog was whimpering, the man replied, “He is lying on a nail.” The neighbor inquired, “Why doesn’t he just get up and go lay somewhere else?” to which the man replied, “Because it doesn’t hurt THAT much!”

How often in our daily lives do we get so used to a less-than-ideal situation that we become dull or oblivious to the pain? Sometimes we force ourselves to just accept the discomfort and learn to live with it. Other times we simply hesitate to change our situation because it means getting out of what has become our comfort zone. Sometimes we are just so close to the pain or the problem that we just don’t see it anymore. We might even internalize it and make ourselves out to be silent martyrs. Then again, as in my case, it just doesn’t hurt enough for us to do something about it!

Businesses face the same challenge. A small business may be losing customers to a new ‘big box store’, and slowly bleed to death because neglects to change and find a way to be competitive. Managers often keep employees on who are less productive than most or who don’t fit in with the team or the culture of the company, simply because they don’t want to create waves, make extra paperwork, take the time to find a replacement or pay unemployment-related costs.

No matter what stage your business is at, you will come across situations that are not or are no longer in the best interest of the company. Times inevitably change, and our methods of doing things need to change with them. Technology is probably the most prominent pacesetter that requires constant updating. Here are some tips for checking for situations in which you may have either consciously or unconsciously compromised your own or your business’s quality of life.

• Every 3 months, take an informal inventory of all of your equipment (not just hi-tech). Check to see if newer, improved, different or more efficient models exist that would save you time, money or both. Maybe there is something on the market that would enable you to provide a better quality of service or product. There may be something that cuts your production or delivery time. Do the same kinds of checks on your processes as well. Be sure that you are getting the most return on your equipment investments. Stay informed and cutting edge. After all, your competitors are.

• Have valid employee evaluations, with goals and benchmarks. Replace or reassign anyone who is not carrying his or her weight. If you don’t stay true to this, you not only cheat your company, but you will lose the respect of any of your employees who are making the effort to do what is expected of them. They know who the weakest links are, and are watching to see how you handle them.

• Once every 3 months, take a complete day or weekend off, far away from work. Take that time to reevaluate your personal and business goals and your progress towards them. Do the same with your mission statement. Are you still on target? Are there distractions in your life that you can eliminate to make you better focused? It takes constant and conscious analysis of everything you do to really find and pull out the “nails” that you might be sitting on.

• Ask others, from your executive team down to your customers, for suggestions on making things better, more efficient, easier to work with, less costly, safer etc. Maintain an open door, no repercussions policy regarding any suggestions for improvements or changes that would make the company a better, more pleasant place to work. Minor pains in a lot of different areas can be as damaging to your business as a major catastrophe.

• One a year, hire consultants in operations, business management etc. to review and analyze your company from top to bottom to identify and offer suggestions for fixing both major and minor flaws or challenges.

It takes discipline, but it would well worth your effort to train yourself to be consciously aware of any time you have or hear a complaint. Never pass it off as just an unnecessary evil or minor inconvenience, especially if it is a reoccurring problem. Innovation and improvement are both direct products of relieving pain, no matter what form it is in! It is to your advantage to find a way to effectively eliminate the source of a problem. Who knows, you may just stumble upon a solution that no one else has thought of yet. It might even be something that you can market to others with the same challenges!