How to Keep Your Business from FAILING with Jim Robinson

Quotes:

“If you’re going to be an entrepreneur, you better be planned and you better be ready to hire people. So you’ve got to like people, you gotta care about people. You gotta be willing to serve people.” (3:11) – Jim Robinson

“Communication has to be so different for everyone’s communication style to keep that, to help them because that’s how you’re serving them.” (19:29) – Shawn Black

“One piece of advice: Like what you do.” (25:25) – Jim Robinson

How to Keep Your Business From FAILING with Jim Robinson

This installation of FM Evolution brings on a familiar face and good friend, Jim Robinson. Jim is the CEO of CGP Maintenance and Construction Services and wears many hats such as author, business coach, speaker, and chairman of a nonprofit. He is a leader in this industry for facility maintenance. This week we sat down at RFMA to discuss what it takes to keep a business from failing.

Starting a business is challenging. We know that an integral part of business growth is being a good communicator within your team. That being said, we gathered the most frequently asked questions around the topic, and Jim responded with the lessons and advice he lives by.

1. What are the most important actions to take when starting a business?
2. What are the most common mistakes entrepreneurs make?
3. How could DISC and other assessments help communication?

Building Your Business

The essential actions to take when building your business begin with understanding why you are trying to get into business. This critical component will help you assess what your craft is and what type of business model you are running.

Companies have success in the beginning because the founder is the number one salesman, but the business declines if they do not bring the right people alongside them. Recruiting people to sell with you, hold company values, and add to a healthy culture will directly impact the trajectory of your growth.

“If you’re going to be an entrepreneur, you better be planned and you better be ready to hire people. So you’ve got to like people, you gotta care about people. You gotta be willing to serve people.” (3:11) — Jim Robinson

Entrepreneurial Flops

An inability to trust others will crush you. Although entrepreneurship often begins as a solo act, it will go down in flames without building a network and extending loyalty.

“You have to let things go, and you kind of have to do that in faith or belief that things are going to be executed at a high level.” (3:51) — Jim Robinson

People often go into an entrepreneurial endeavor for the freedom it offers. Failure occurs when one does not take into consideration that freedom and finances have an opposite correlation. The more money you want to make, the more time you will give to this company, and the less time you give, the less you will make.

Addressing Strengths and Weaknesses

Some teach to double down on strengths while others believe that tackling the weaknesses is the key to success, but Jim believes it all comes down to discipline. Without disciplining yourself to build structure, educate yourself, and push yourself to grow, your strengths will eventually become weaknesses as well. No one is beyond learning, and no weakness cannot be improved upon.

Personal assessment, when used correctly, can help employees grow in their professional roles. This will require honesty, peer review, and humility. Jim enjoys the DISC method, which stands for Dominance (D), Influence (I), Steadiness (S), and Conscientiousness (C). The DISC’s main purpose is to help you understand the differences in how each person communicates. Within your team, this can help with things ranging from conference meetings, conflict resolutions, speaking events, or even sales.

All in all, if you know why you are building your business, bring people in who share your values, and take time to develop healthy communication with your team, you can be sure to see growth and victories no matter what challenges are thrown at you.