Backyard Business Secrets

There’s a house down the street from my own that has undergone a major transformation in the past 2 years. The owners began an overhaul and created a nice porch, raised yard with a retaining wall and even slate finishing around the garage.

And yet, every time I drive past I cringe because, once you turn the corner, you can see that the siding hasn’t been completed around the side and back of the house. It’s still covered in Tyvek which doesn’t protect from the high winds we get and without siding can lead to water damage of the structure.

They may think it’s a secret that the backyard is unfinished and messy but anyone driving by who looks, knows.

It got me thinking about how many entrepreneurs focus all their attention on the forward facing appearance. Our websites and graphics, business cards and booths, even our own appearance is given top priority. But it’s all a facade if the backend of our businesses are falling apart and rotting away.

While it may seem silly to think about, I wonder if this homeowner lost steam, that once he put so much work into the front yard (I used to see him working out there daily), he lost the energy for the back. Or maybe they ran out of money and other things in life became more important.

It happens, life happens. But at the end of the day, if you halfway build an asset then you’re always going to struggle. For my neighbor he’ll struggle to sell a house that isn’t complete or damaged from years of missing siding. And in the meantime he sees every day what isn’t done and it probably weighs on him. Especially if the rest of the family is prone to nagging. For your business it may mean losing customers because your systems are not complete and they leave you disappointed, hurting your reputation and your income. Or it’s just that same nagging feeling that things have not been done right and you’re waiting to be found out.

The good news is that to fix this you don’t have to build like William Randolph Hurst and have a mansion with gold tiled swimming pools. Start small. If you don’t have financial systems, meet with a few planners to find out what you need and sign up with a merchant account. If you need better scheduling and management of your private clients begin working with an assistant who is well organized.

No matter what your backyard secret is now is the time to take action because like my neighbor you don’t know when the storm will blow or when you’ll be host to a large party. Knowing that your entire business, front to back, is well maintained, running smoothly and up to date is comforting and enables you to move forward with confidence.