You don’t know it yet, but your business is hot garbage, and there’s ONE subtle and simple reason why.
I’m going to tell you what that is, but first, let me tell you a story…
Two young fish are swimming happily along when they encounter an old fish floating by. The old fish asks “Hello there boys. How’s the water?” The young fish say “Fine” and they go along their merry way. Once the old fish has moved on, one of the youngsters turns to the other and asks “Um, okay, so what the heck is water?”
Entrepreneurs are immersed in their business and their current level of success.
They think the things they are doing are necessary to maintain this success, even if those things are wrong, inefficient, expensive or ushering them into an early grave. You can’t see it when you’re in it, which is why someone needs to push you to see the water and evaluate it for what it is.
Most entrepreneurs start their business around a passion or a dream.
That passion and entrepreneurial spirit results in a splash of success, probably more than their friends or family anticipated for them! They think this means they know how to build a business. Worse, they think it means they know how to run a business and even run it well. It doesn’t mean any of that.
“Oh no, Sean, that’s not me. I KNOW I need help.”
Well, this brings us to the second type of entrepreneur; the kind that knows they need help and seeks it out. Endlessly.
They collect courses and coaches like I collect comic books. They take the BEST courses they can find that explain to them how to change small areas of their business and voila, they SEEM to get some lift. There is a massive problem with this, however.
Over the years I have come to realize that businesses are like organisms; they are living, breathing things comprised of systems and processes that are CONNECTED to one another. Just like the human body, when one system or organ is failing, the ENTIRE system is compromised. By building your business ONE PART at a time, you have created a Frankenstein monster. Does it work? Sure. (“IT’S ALIVE!”). Will it have fans? Absolutely, every good monster does. But mostly you will just be scaring children and inciting the villagers to take up pitchforks and torches. Unless you have a model to address your entire business as a complex, interconnected system, you are wasting time, money and resources keeping the monster alive.
“But Sean, I’m too unique and so is my business. How could you know that you could make it better?” Well, every human being on the planet is an incredibly unique, complicated, multi-dimensional system, yet a good doctor can treat each and every one of them. Think of me like a doctor for your business… one with over 20 years of education!
Now, if a living thing is too much of a stretch for you, think of your business like a car. If you have a Ferrari exterior (slick marketing), with a Honda engine, Ford parts and Hyundai seats, well… it WILL run. Just not like a Ferrari. Why? Because a good mechanic CAN make it all work. You have been piecing it all together bit by bit, part by part like a good mechanic. Maybe even an excellent one. But as a business owner? You need to be an ENGINEER.
Welcome to engineering school.
Because…
What if your business could run like a clock that never had to be wound?
What if your business could run while you break new ground?
What if your business could run while you finally get to BE the CEO? (with or without pants. No judgement)
What if you could have access to the same consulting program the Fortune 100 pays $100k+ for a fraction of the investment?
What would your life be like? How would you FEEL about your business, your accomplishments, the business you have finally built? What would you DO now that you have all that TIME back in your life while your business hums along without you?
Welcome to Whadif
Where I provide business owners the perfect blend of cutting-edge business practices and tried-and-true operational excellence tactics that will give you CONTROL over your operations, your income and ultimately your TIME.
Who Am I?
I’m Sean Delaney. I am a business owner coach and consultant who has worked with both the Fortune 100 and entrepreneurs alike for over 20 years. My clients have spanned the gamut from MetLife, Nike, J&J, Uber, Ford, LVMH, Exxon and Disney (just to name a few) along with countless entrepreneurs and small businesses across industries.
Over the years, I have taken everything I’ve learned and created an “operational excellence” system that I now make available to businesses of all sizes. It is truly the most comprehensive business excellence system out there. I also coach business owners on the individual areas of strategic planning, HR excellence, and leadership best practices and disaster planning/recovery.
Why choose my help?
There are a lot of consultants out there. Some focus on large companies and cost a fortune and for a reason. Huge companies expect huge results. I know. I’ve been there. Some focus on entrepreneurs, with a range of success, from big to maybe not-so-big. Some focus on Operations, Marketing, HR, Time Management, etc. Gurus have their niche, their angle, they max the hell out of that ONE thing they know and try to get their customers a big result (the honest ones, at least). They mean well. I really believe that. But no one focusses on ALL of it. The entire business. The complete organism. The whole enchilada.
I do.
I know that piecemealing your business together with random “upgrades” results in an organization that is usually a bright, shiny, time-sucking mess.
The gurus who have just a piece of the pie are selling you Frankenstein’s arm; Strong, mighty, and just might strangle someone if you don’t watch out!
And the high-priced consultants who DO have a more holistic system?
They MAY be worse? Why?
Because they sell you on their revered name and esteemed client list, but they usually don’t have very many successes to show from the last 100 years.
Oh, you can PAY McKinsey (insert any of the Big 5 in here – it’s all the same kick to the groin) a million bucks to “address” your problem, but that means a team of 5 or so 20-somethings carrying a corporate playbook of stock answers to questions no one needs asked under the guidance of a “managing partner” whose job it is to tell you the kids are all over it but just need 3 more weeks and another half a million to get it right. If you have never thrown time and money down this hole, trust me… It has no bottom.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been brought in to fix once and for all some mess that E&Y consultants screwed up for 2 years and millions of dollars without ever really solving the problem. There is a place for overpaid newly minted MBA’s to pitch canned solutions and then stare pie-eyed in confusion when a question is posed to them that they didn’t see in a book in school last year. I’m not sure WHERE that place is, but I know it’s not in your business!
Look, I am NOT every other coach or consultant out there. I constantly push new boundaries, implement new approaches, and smash the old paradigm spread by the old guard consultants. My method is based on asking questions, the most POWERFUL questions, the questions that break down barriers and transform your business at the most fundamental levels. My process is unique, energizing, and it gets results.
Just imagine no longer fighting fires, scrambling to keep up with demands, obsessing about your business to the point that you’re not ever REALLY present anywhere else when you’re not working… Imagine having a well-trained staff, supported and motivated and crushing it for you and the team. Whadif your processes were finally really automated. What would it look like if change only happened for the sake of improvement, more freely and with less disruption? Whadif you had the right team with a motivating mission and clear direction firing on all cylinders… All in ONE methodology, with ONE interconnected system, that while “buttoned up” is still flexible and nimble to navigate whatever tomorrow brings.
Let’s push the boundaries of what is possible.
How good could it get? How amazing could things be? How awesome could you finally feel owning the business you always wanted? If this sounds good, you might just be a great fit for my group coaching program. In it I share the best practices I have learned from some of the most successful companies on the planet tailored for business owners.
Click the button below to set up an appointment to hear more about the path to transforming your business into a well-oiled machine.
“You will never have an answer to the question you are afraid to ask.” - SJD
