Successful business development strategies include scores of specific disciplines.  Although college graduates with doctoral degrees in business administration (DBA) have broad and deep knowledge of business administration, no one person can possibly be an expert in all of these disciplines--especially in today’s complex world.  There is just too much to learn in such little time.  That’s why business consultants with specific areas of expertise can be of great value to an organization.  They can help reduce the time it takes to learn how to operate a business successfully.  A consultant can teach in a few weeks or months what would take years to learn by costly trial and error.  A number of consultants could be engaged for assistance in their particular niche areas of expertise.

 Here is a partial list of specific management disciplines required to successfully operate a business today:

1. Personal time management
2. Telephone time management
3. Telephone courtesy and customer service
4. Telemarketing
5. Calming upset customers
6. Customer satisfaction
7. Workspace organizing
8. Office management
9. Self-management
10. Human relations
11. Coaching, counseling, and mentoring
12. Business etiquette and professionalism
13. Reading
14. Ethics in business
15. Positive assertiveness
16. Effective networking
17. Stress management to prevent burnout
18. Anger management
19. Balancing home and career
20. Creative decision making
21. Supervising employees
22. Managing negative people
23. Managing employee performance
24. Increasing employee productivity
25. Managing the technical professional
26. Goal setting
27. Negotiating
28. Delegation
29. Project management
30. Team building
31. Team problem solving
32. Motivating people
33. Building trust
34. Purchasing
35. Accounting
36. Budgeting
37. Financial analysis
38. Understanding financial statements
39. Understanding taxes
40. Customer service and customer focus
41. Quality management
42. Decision economics
43. Forecasting
44. Human resources management
45. Process improvement
46. Developing organizational vision, values, and mission
47. Organizational design and development
48. Strategic planning
49. Competitive strategy design
50. Systematic succession planning
51. Leadership
52. Technical presentations
53. Public speaking
54. Communicating with employees
55. Thinking on your feet
56. Conducting effective meetings
57. Being an effective listener
58. Writing business letters, proposals, and reports
59. Writing effective e-mail
60. Using the internet smarter and faster
61. Doing business on the world-wide web
62. Effective videoconferencing
63. Managing differences
64. Inventory management
65. Coping with workplace change
66. Getting your organization to change
67. Direct mail marketing
68. Exhibiting at tradeshows
69. Writing and implementing a marketing plan
70. Using publicity to market your business
71. Dealing effectively with the media
72. Using direct marketing techniques
73. Professional selling
74. Closing sales
75. Effective sales management
76. Prospecting for customers
77. Training managers to train
78. Developing instructional design
79. Delivering effective training sessions
80. Using effective recruiting strategies
81. Writing a human resources manual
82. High performance hiring
83. Quality interviewing
84. Dealing with sexual harassment issues in the workplace
85. Understanding the Americans with Disabilities Act
86. Avoiding litigation with rightful termination
87. Understanding affirmative action
88. Understanding an employer’s rights and responsibilities under OSHA
89. Preventing workplace violence
90. Being prepared for disasters
91. Understanding the dynamics of diversity and succeeding in a multicultural organization
92. Knowing business math
93. Developing a business vocabulary
94. Understanding and using business statistics
95. Knowing building cleaning procedures
96. Knowing resilient floor maintenance procedures
97. Knowing carpet cleaning procedures
98. Knowing glass and window cleaning procedures
99. Knowing wall and ceiling cleaning
100.   Knowing rest room sanitation
101.   And many other business disciplines 

It’s clear why a business plan cannot be written and implemented in a few days,  weeks, or months.  There is just too much to know.  It requires one to three years to address all of these issues, and even then a business owner is not going to know these subjects completely.  Many years of business experience is needed to become proficient in any of these areas. 

If you are a person who enjoys reading and learning, within a few years you can become a successful business owner.  When you reach the point where you can bring others into your business with specific expertise—such as human resources management, sales management, operations management, office management, and accounting—you will grow and prosper much faster.

Your business plan should include a time frame for bringing key officers into your  business, including a Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Human Resources Officer (HRO), Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), Director of Operations (DOO), and Risk Management Officer (RMO).

For help in getting your business on track and for management assistance, contact CPI today.
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Article written by:
Forrest L. Farmer
Clean-Pro Industries, Inc.
Portland, Oregon

E-mail:  FLFarmer@clean-pro-industries.com

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