Wanna know something cool?

Well… I can show you step-by-step, piece-by-piece, how you can build yourself a successful mini-business.

Whether you’re a coach, a consultant, a stay-at-home-mom, a clown, or you want to sell downloadable stuff on the internet – I can show you simple steps that will almost guarantee you success if you follow them.

I used to think that this made me special.

That was naive.

Anyone can figure that out if they have enough time on their hands. It takes a bit of work to break it down to its constituent parts, but the process is pretty easy:

• Find people who have succeeded in building successful small businesses
• Pay attention to what they did and what they’re still doing
• Figure out the patterns
• Organize into a set of steps / rules / concepts
• Give it all a fancy name like methodology
• Compare and contrast to mainstream business practices
• Make new distinctions, refine, analyze, criticize. (Basically be a bit clever.)
• Ascend to mini business consultancy nirvana.

So yeah. There’s that. 

A set of things that you might want to do to make your business rock.

A methodology, if you will.

But… knowing what would be a good thing to do, and actually doing it are two very different things.

So why would someone not do something that they thought was going to skyrocket the fledging business they’re so worried about into the stratosphere of success, glory and unlimited ice-cream?

…

Answer: Because they’re scared.

Because they’re worried they’re not good enough.

Because they think there are a load of people much better at doing whatever it is they do. So really, what’s the point?

Because doing some of the things that they know they should do are not going to be very comfortable, and are not going to be much fun.

Because they’re worried that, if they become really successful, people will recognize us as the charlatans they fear they might be.

Listen. The fact is that, unless you’re a psychopath, you, too, think you suck sometimes.

And if you agree with this then congratulations!  You’re not crazy. Or certainly no more so than the rest of us. You can stick around. Help yourself to cake.

Let there be cake!

So… you might have the perfect roadmap. The blueprint to assured success and world domination in your field!

But if you believe your business is going to fail, then it probably will.

If you believe you’re not going to be up to the task, then you probably won’t be.

Successful people focus their efforts where it does the most good. They take accountability for themselves.  They ask for help and guidance when they need it. They regularly do things that feel uncomfortable.

All of this takes confidence. 

It takes effort to fail at something. And those who have the confidence to focus their efforts in the right place, will succeed. 

Confidence is the difference between those who dick about on Twitter all day, and those who get out there and make something happen. 

Fine, you say. It’s all very well to write about this from your safe little writing room Mr. Writer Man. But what can we do about it?

Glad you asked.

How about a list? People on the internet love lists, I have heard. Let’s make a list…

• Accept that you’re scared, that you’ll always be scared and that being scared is a totally normal, natural and healthy thing.
• Understand that confidence grows from pushing yourself to do uncomfortable things. 
• Realize that you don’t have to be the best in the world. You just have to be You. 
• Make a plan to grow your confidence in certain key areas, by increasing your exposure to certain experiences in a controlled way. 

Cool.

So what’s the message to take away from all this Mr. Jalopy, Sir? 

It’s to be aware. To be a little more conscious about the decisions you make. To be aware of your beliefs and how they might be holding you back. But always to be kind, understanding and patient with yourself.

And to hire an awesome mentor who can work with you on your beliefs and help you make a simple plan to increase your confidence.

And, finally, to stick around on this wonderful blog for some group therapy on our limiting beliefs, coming to your computer screen very very soon!

Have a great evening. I’ll catch up with you later!

JJ Jalopy.

Just when you think you don’t have to listen to me anymore…

I have a REAL treat for you today.

If you’re struggling to fill your coaching practice with clients then you have to listen to this.

I run through a simple 7 step process that you can use in your free trial coaching sessions to get more people to sign-up for coaching with you on an ongoing basis.

It’s 100% content and value packed. I hit this one out of the park!

The 14 minute podcast is below. Click the Audio MP3 icon to make it play. Or select the link below.

Get Paying Clients from Free Coaching Sessions in 7 Easy Steps

Would you like more cliches? More hyperbole?

Good.

This 14 minute recording is an extreme injection of value packed information into your brain. I go into brain-hemorrhaging detail and define a clear cut strategy to turn your free trial coaching session into a gold mine of happy paying clients.

This time there’s no B.S., no cowboy hats, no larking around – just clear, applicable strategy. I’m really pleased with it, and I hope you will be too.

If you’re a visual person, you might like to look at this as you listen to me explain the process:

The Trial Coaching Session Blueprint

I hope you enjoy it and get as much value from the process as my clients do.

NOTE: In the latter part of this podcast I mention setting up coaching sessions 4 times a week. That’s an awful lot of coaching. I meant 4 times a month. Thanks Mrs. Jalopy!

See you tomorrow!

JJ Jalopy.

P.S. I’ll doubtless post some larking around for you again soon! My buddy Duane and I are planning to do a podcast together. And who knows what might happen…

Hi guys!

This is a repost of my first podcast, featuring my extraordinarily awesome Warm Call Confidence Blaster Visualization.

Podcast 1 – JJ’s Warm Call Confidence Blaster

I’m reposting it:

1. because it’s totally brilliant and…
2. so my shiny new RSS feed that I whined about yesterday will pick it up so that…
3. iTunes users can learn of my magnificence! 

It’s a Podcasting masterstroke. 

I’ll let you know how I get on.

Fingers crossed!!!

JJ Jalopy.

It’s great to see you as always.

I’m stuffed.

Today I treated myself to takeout pizza. It had every kind of meat in the world on it. Delicious!

Mmmmm....

Right… Did you enjoy my first ever newsletter?

Oh, I’m pleased!

But I have a confession to make… 

I was playing around with my shiny new e-mailer system  earlier – marveling at its sleek design, ease of use, and general idiot-proof-ness when…

…I accidentally unsubscribed a load of you.

So, yeah. I suck.

If you get another confirm email in your emailbox today then that’s why. Click the link if you want to get back on my list. Leave it alone to tell me I suck! 

Whoops. Good start JJ! 

Anyway… I wanted to go on a bit of a diversion today because I think what I’m about to ask is really important.

Now, starting your new business involves a lot of work. 

You knew that from the start, of course. And you’ve been working hard. Very hard.

My question to you is this…

Are you having fun?

That’s right. Are you having fun? Are you happy in your work? Are you happy outside of your work?

Are you happy?

Earlier in the blog, I stressed the importance of making a plan to commit to your new business. We talked about getting friends and family onside and we agreed that it was important to schedule regular time to work on your business. 

We said that timekeeping is one of the aspects of a job that you might want to apply to your new business. We said that you’d get to play boss and you’d do well to be a bit strict with yourself.

But there was one thing that we forgot to talk about…

…and that’s to make sure that you enjoy what you’re doing.

Let’s add an extra step to my productivity formula. I contend that to be truly happy and productive in your work you need to: 

1. Understand that you can only be doing one thing at a time
2. Work on the single most important thing in terms of the profitability or growth of your business
3. Feel okay about not doing any of the other 10,000 things you could be doing.
4. And know that you might as well be enjoying the thing you’ve decided to be doing – because it’s the only thing you’re doing!

Okay fine, JJ. That’s nice and everything but some things just suck. How can I enjoy doing my taxes? How can I enjoy trying to get my documents back from a hard drive crash? How can you enjoy writing my first sales letter when I’m feeling totally overwhelmed?

You’re right, of course.

You’re always going to have a crap time trying to get your documents back from a hard drive crash. Even Buddha hated that.

This lady doesn't it like it either,

And you are going to have crises of confidence. You are going to get angry when you accidentally unsubscribe a third of your one-day-old mailing list. 

I just had a little tantrum about half an hour ago in fact. It was rather camp. I’m glad you didn’t see it.

So, as much as I want to find ways to make my work as fun and enjoyable as possible, sometimes it is simply out of my emotional reach! So if I can’t be working and enjoying it, I want to be shutting myself away with no distractions, getting it done, and then winding down when I’m finished.

This is "meditation"

And that’s super important.

If you’re going to be holed up, working like crazy, then you better schedule in some time to smell the flowers. Make it as important as your work time.

Don’t start doing the washing or cleaning the bathroom. You wouldn’t do that in your lunch break at work, would you?

Do something that completely relaxes you. Go and play with the kids. Go and watch some TV. Make a pot of tea. Have a cuddle with your husband or wife.

…

…

…

(Ahhhh…. I should listen to my own advice more often!)

Now let’s think slightly longer term.

I’m going to bet that you threw yourself into your business with enthusiastic abandon. I bet you scheduled time to spend on your new business and then you stayed up ’till 2:00AM because you just had to finish that article. 

You woke up energized because you were excited about your new business. You were having so much fun! You were spending a bit less time with your family, but they understood because you had told them how important this was to you.

Then gradually, after three weeks of consistent hard work, it became a habit. It was easy to switch on the computer and get to work – but you began to feel a little tired. You began to find harder to get excited about working on your business. 

Just...need...to...finish...this...article...

Perhaps you wondered if you’d be able to carry on like this? Perhaps you worried if your relationships would suffer if you carried on like this?

Well, you have two choices.

You either accept that, for the next X weeks you’re shutting yourself away and focusing on getting stuff done. And then you’ll strengthen your commitments to the parts of your life you feel have left behind a little. 

Or you make those other commitments now to create a balanced life you love right now.

Any other option is too rubbish to spend time on. And you know it, don’t you JJ?

(Yes, this post was written entirely for my own benefit!)

Right… I’m off to ask Mrs. Jalopy about her day…

See you tomorrow!

JJ Jalopy.

Oh, hello there!

How lovely to see you again.

Having you drop round like this is fast becoming my favorite part of the day!

Yesterday I got very excited!

I recapped everything we’ve spoken about so far about how to become a coach and how to start your coaching business.

And I introduced an exciting new series.

A new series in which I’ll lay out my secret roadmap to total coaching domination!

I’ll also take off my shirt, save babies from burning buildings, help old people across the road and generally act like the superhero coaching mentor you’d expect.

A coaching mentoring expert keyword-heavy superhero!

Yeah, so I spent most of yesterday hyping the %&$% out of my new series.

(Oh, and half of today now too!)

So I was ready to hit you with the post to end all posts. The blueprint. I was ready to throw so much value in your face that you wouldn’t know what hit you.

Well, lots of value obviously.

I digress.

I wanted to sit down for three and four hours and unleash the post from blogging nirvana.

But something was irking me. 

Back at the start of our relationship I explained that, to be productive and happy with a large list of tasks to do, you need to:

• be working on the single most important thing in terms of the profitability or growth of your business, and…
• feel okay about not doing the other 10,000 things you could be doing.

Well, the thing I most wanted to be doing was writing my post of glory. 

That’s what I’d find most fun. 

That’s what my ego would enjoy the most.

But something was telling me that wasn’t the best use of my time today.

You see, I explained yesterday that I would use my new online venture, this very website www.jjjalopy.com, as an example of the beginning stages of my business blueprint in action.

It was to be a case study. An example of this model in all its glory.

But I know there are certain very important little things that I hadn’t done with the website and the business which would make a very big difference. 

And spending my whole evening writing wasn’t one of them.

Just...need...to...finish...this...post...

So I did some long overdue research. I made some small but very significant changes to the website. (There are more on the way.)

I did the little things I would have done a long time ago if I had been mentoring myself!

It feels great to have that stuff done. And it feels great to be up at 1:00AM talking to you about this, rather than what I’d planned.

So my question to you today is: What’s the important thing that you’re not doing right now?

Let me know if you thought of something useful. There’s a comment box below!

Right. It’s way past my bedtime now. I’ll see you tomorrow.

You can let yourself out!

JJ Jalopy.

P.S. Now go back to the top of the page and enter your name and email to join my Jalopy Gang. It’s great. We have parties with tea and loads of cake.

Well hello again!

Good evening. Come on in.

It’s been a crazy fun day.

It was Mrs. Jalopy’s birthday today. We woke up late, went for a walk in the sunshine, sat in a hot tub for hours and ate lots of chocolate cake when we got home.

There’s still a few slices left. Help yourself. It’s delicious!

Happy Birthday Mrs. Jalopy!

Now… I promised that I’d spend some time talking to you about tactics you can use when running trial coaching sessions.

Well today is the day!

I’m going to introduce you to the JJ Jalopy Trial Coaching Session Roadmap!

But before we do that, I want you to get clear on the outcome you want from your trial sessions.

Have a think about what you would like to achieve in the session for you and for your client. Write down these down now so you can refer to them before your sessions.

Here are some of mine:

• I have gained in experience and confidence.
• I have learned valuable lessons and made new distinctions about coaching.
• I have discovered whether the client is looking for a coach.
• I have discovered whether the client would like an ongoing coaching relationship with me.
• The client understands the role I could play in their life.
• The client understands that I could help them in a particular area of their life or a defined goal or issue.
• The client understands what I do.
• The client has agreed to recommend me to other people or write me a testimonial.

Okay. Now you’re clear on what you want to achieve, allow me to share my roadmap with you…

JJ's Trial Coaching Session Roadmap

Isn’t it a thing of beauty?

Now there’s a lot here. The goal of our discussion today is to give you a brief overview of this process so that you can be a little more deliberate in the way you run your trial sessions as a beginner coach. We’ll be revisiting this roadmap later on in this series when we discuss getting paid clients in more detail. 

For now, let’s blast through it!

Introduce / Deal with Practicalities

You’ll want to take charge of the session right away.

Let the client know how long the session is going to be, how it’s going to work, and what your goals for the session are.

Tell the client that they’ll want to get a pen and paper because they’re going to come up with loads of great ideas!

Then ask them what they would like to achieve in the session.

Find a goal

The client may have a very well defined goal that they want to work on. If this is the case then we don’t need to spend any longer here – scoot on over to the next step!

If they don’t then you’ll want to define a goal to work on for this session. 

Help client see goal as achievable

At this point, you want the client to get a clear and vivid picture of what it would look like to achieve their goal. You want to get them excited and clear about it.

Create roadmap

Use your skill as a coach to help the client to see some of the steps they can take to achieve their goal. 

You don’t have to figure out everything for them in one short trial session. Just let them see that a clear and achievable path towards their goal.

(My work is really about the business of coaching, so I won’t cover the coaching process in great detail in this blog. There are many excellent resources for this. Contact me if you would like some suggestions.)

Allow client to see YOU as part of the roadmap

Now, in order to create an ongoing coaching relationship with the client, you’ll want them to see your coaching as a important and valuable part of the roadmap towards their goal.

I have found that the best way to do this is a four step process.

1. Find out why the client has been unable to achieve this in the past, without you as a coach.
2. Ask what they think will happen if they don’t change their approach.
3. Ask what they think you would give them that they haven’t had before.
4. Ask what they’d find most valuable about working with you.

Uncover objections

If you notice some hesitancy with the client, voice it. Talk any objections through with them. We’ll handle common objections in some detail in the future.

Always ask if there is anything else the client needs to know about you, about coaching, about the way you do business. Make sure they are comfortable.

Close!

Find out if they’re interested in an ongoing coaching relationship. Tell the client what the next steps are, tell them the logistics of your coaching arrangement and ask if it is something they want to go ahead with.

If they are uncertain then I think it’s okay to push a little bit. You might want to ask them if they’re willing to accept not achieving their goal in the immediate future. Or ask them what they think is most likely to happen if they don’t take you up on your coaching offer.

Finish by asking for feedback on how they felt about the session. If they’ve enjoyed the session but don’t want to progress for other reasons then be sure to ask for a testimonial.

And always tell your customers that you appreciate referrals! 

And that’s that. A super brief overview into the JJ Jalopy Trial Coaching Session Roadmap. We’ll be digging into this in more detail as we start to discuss the commercial and logistical details of your coaching practice.

For now, I think the brief framework I’ve given you is more than enough to get you out there, spreading the coaching love and gaining in experience and confidence!

We’re going to have an exciting day tomorrow. I’ll see you then!

JJ Jalopy.

Become a Life Coach

Hey there!

It’s a beautiful sunny day here by the seaside.

I got you a stick of rock.

This is what a stick of rock looks like.

I love being by the seaside. It makes me feel so peaceful.

Which is a weird thing to say when you’re on a batchelor weekend!

Earlier this week I urged you to call ten people and invite them to experience a trial coaching session. Now we’re going to talk about that session itself.

And today you’re in for a treat!

Because Coach Kalpna from www.coachKalpna.com is going to talk to you.

So I’m going to sit back, shut up and enjoy the view as Kalpna fills you in on how she likes to run her trial coaching sessions…

How to run a trial coaching session

Like with any other coaching session, I want to set it up right. For me the underlying objective of the trial session is to make the client feel comfortable and at ease – with me. I want to build strong rapport.

My other objectives are:

-         To find out what has brought them to coaching and what they know about coaching

-         What they expect from me as their coach

-         Give them a brief overview of how coaching works with me e.g. how I structure sessions, what I expect from my clients and what I expect from them in this session etc.

-         To get a clear goal and/or vision from them

-         To coach them into breaking down their goal into bite-sized steps

-         To focus on one bite-sized step and coach them through this

-         To get them to sign up to further coaching sessions with me!

That’s quite a few objectives! Aside from building good rapport, the main objective is to run a effective coaching session so that when the client comes to the end of the session they have real clarity about their vision and even have some actions that they are motivated to do that will bring them that little bit closer to their goal. It’s this bit that the client is interested in – seeing how coaching will work for them personally. And if I run an effective coaching session the client will see the true benefit in coaching for themselves so I won’t have to try and ’sell’ it to them.

I like helping my clients achieve their goals in bite-sized steps. Achieving a little frequently makes them feel good about themselves and makes their goal seem really achievable. It’s important to note that it’s the client who defines these “bite-sized steps” i.e. they are in control of how much they are willing to commit to achieving between sessions. For example, if they commit to spending 40 hours on their goal in a week and this is a realistic bite-sized step for them, then that’s fine with me.

The great thing about using the trial session to help the client break down their goal is that I’ve already helped them define what they could use future coaching sessions for. That’s the first step to getting them to sign up to more coaching with me!

At the end of the trial session I always ask what has been the most helpful thing for them from this trial session and how they think working with me as their coach will benefit them. That’s step two to getting them to sign up to more coaching. Of course, at this point they may still have some concerns or feel that it might not ‘work’. This is my opportunity to clarify what coaching is and how I will support them. If they are hesitant, I ask them how likely it is that they will continue to keep doing what they’ve been doing and therefore not achieve their goal.

Lastly – and most importantly – I always ask if they’d like to continue having coaching sessions with me. That’s the final step – know if they’re going to become my client!

My top tips for running a trial coaching session are:

1)    Set it up right – give the client a brief overview of coaching but concentrate on how YOU provide coaching to them.

2)    Get a clear goal/vision, help the client to break it down and run a strong coaching session that demonstrates the value of coaching to the client.

3)    Ask them what they found the most helpful from the session which can then lead into asking them to sign up for more sessions. Tip within a tip – If they say some strong things about how you helped them in this session, ask if you could use their words in a testimonial for your marketing material!

Wow! That was great, wasn’t it?!

Thanks Mrs. Jalopy. You’re a superstar!

Kalpna made some fantastic points. A great distinction that Kalpna made is that you want to be focused on what coaching with YOU is like. Don’t drone on about the coaching process or whatever coaching model you’re using. That’ll only serve to send them to sleep. Let them know what the experience of coaching with YOU is like. Focus on that.

One thing I would add is that I think there is some value in making it clear what you want out of the trial session.

You’re looking to see whether you can have a future coaching relationship. I would explain this right at the start before I ask about the client’s objectives.

Tomorrow I’ll elaborate on this, and I’ll share some tactics which will help you turn more of your trial sessions into ongoing coaching arrangements. But for now, thanks to the wonderful advice of Coach Kalpna, you have more than enough to get you started.

Remember that the most important thing is to get out there and get started. And HAVE FUN! Coaching is fun. Be sure to enjoy it!

If you’d like to experience what coaching can be like with a truly great coach, then get in touch with Kalpna at her website www.coachKalpna.com. She’s the best I know!

Thanks for all your comments yesterday. I really enjoyed reading about who inspires you.

Right…  I’m off to the pier to go and win a teddy bear!

Until tomorrow!

JJ Jalopy.

Become a Life Coach

Welcome back!

Come on in.

It’s great to see you.

I’ve just sat myself down with cup of orange fruit tea. To be honest, it tastes like colorful hot water.

But I like hot water, so it’s all good.

Would you like anything? I’ll have the maid fetch you anything you like.

Dang. Just remembered – I don’t have a maid. I’ll fix it myself…

Okay… today I want to carry on our series about building a life coaching or business coaching home business.

In Coaching Business Startup 103 – Get practice clients from your network we discussed how the best way to gain experience and confidence was to start coaching right away. We agreed that you would write down a list of everyone you knew and pick ten or so people that you thought would be most receptive to the idea of coaching. You then wrote down the reasons why you thought that person would appreciate an invitation to experience a free coaching session with you.

I then challenged you to call all ten of these people one after another and make those invitations.

Did you do it?

If so then CONGRATULATIONS, you can move on. Go for a walk and get yourself an ice-cream.

If not then, CONGRATULATIONS too! You’ve just qualified for the JJ Jalopy Warm Call Confidence Blaster!

JJ Jalopy's Confidence Blaster!

It’s my first podcast! I had an absolute blast making it! I wonder if you can tell…

Click below to listen. It’ll open in a new window.

JJ Jalopy’s Warm Call Confidence Blaster Podcast Extraordinaire!

See you tomorrow for more fun and games!

JJ Jalopy.

Become a Life Coach

Konnichiwa! 

How has your day been?

I’ve had a busy and productive day today. 

So I’m treating myself to a glass or four of 2004 Domaine Bunan. French. Very nice. Help yourself.

If you pay attention you might notice its effect on my speech as we progress…

Wow… after writing yesterday about how to write an awesome blog post, I’m feeling the pressure to make this one good! Let’s see how it goes…

A couple of days ago I promised that we’d travel to Japan together to learn about a business development system that we can all use to improve our personal and business lives.

Excited?

You should be!

Now, I make no guarantees of the historical accuracy of what I am about to tell you. I hope you’ll agree that it’s the message and the concepts that are important, not the details. Please let me know if I tell any outrageous lies and I’ll do my best to correct them! 

Allow me to take you back in time to Japan following the end of World War II.

It’s a bleak, war-torn country and the economic situation doesn’t look good.

Meet W. Edwards Deming. 

He just loves those stats.

He looks quite serious doesn’t he?

That’s because he’s a statistician. You would look like that if you had his job.

Deming was primarily interested in quality control. The U.S. Government sent him over to Japan because they thought he was just the man to help them revive their economic base.

And by all accounts, he developed quite a reputation over there…

Japan’s business leaders and engineers loved him. He trained many of them in the statistical process control techniques that he enjoyed so much. He developed a quality control philosophy and fourteen key principles. He talked about quality a lot. 

They loved it.

It was the right message at the right time. Many of the large manufacturers started applying his techniques and experienced massive leaps in efficiency, productivity and quality of output.

The prime minister of Japan, acting on behalf of the emperor, was so impressed that he awarded Deming a dragon! Or something.

NOTE: there may be factual inconsistencies in this tale.

Back in the U.S. in the 1980s, Deming would later be responsible for reviving the Ford Motor Company using the very same techniques.

That’s great, JJ. But was his philosophy? What were those techniques?

I’m glad you asked.

Deming summarized his philosophy as follows:

The key is to practice continual improvement and think of manufacturing as a system, not as bits and pieces.

The concept of constant, never-ending improvement is embodied in the Japanese word Kaizen. You’ll find this word in the obnoxious title of this post. It’s what we’re going to talk about today.

The Kaizen philosophy is all-pervasive. Deming was not simply concerned with the quality and efficiency of the end product. He was concerned with the quality of every single decision and every single process within the organization. And he wanted small improvements in every area every single day.

Nowadays his philosophy and techniques are employed by nearly every Japanese manufacturing firm, and many of the most successful businesses around the world.

I think of Kaizen as a commitment to constant and never-ending improvement in all areas of a business and life.

Kaizen Man!

In the weeks to come, we’re going to apply this concept to your business. I’m going to urge you to regularly review the processes in your business and make small, consistent improvements. We’ll also look at a thing called the Shewhart wheel, which is a great tool to apply to the processes in your small business.

But first, let’s see if we can apply this concept immediately to your life.

Now, using Kaizen in the context of personal development is not a new idea. Tony Robbins writes about it in his book Awaken the Giant Within, and Mark Joyner employs Kaizen as one of the key concepts in his excellent productivity system, Simpleology.

My contribution is that I explain it better!

The first thing to realize is that massive, instantaneous change is possible. But, it’s also quite unlikely.

A better approach is to commit to making small, but continuous improvements in defined areas of your life every single day…

…and then back that up with regular, scheduled action.

Think about how you could apply this to: 

• your relationships
• your health
• your finances
• your wealth.

Remember that Kaizen is a true commitment, not something you do when you feel like it. Be sure to schedule your actions to be sure to follow through.

And know that the goal of Kaizen is not perfection, but never-ending improvement.

Let me know how you get on!

Wow… this wine is really starting to go to my head! I think it’s time for a little nap.

I’ve had a great time talking to you today.

Drop by tomorrow. I’ve got a little treat for you!

JJ Jalopy.

Become a Life Coach

Mmm…. It smells good in here, doesn’t it?!

I’ve been cooking.

Mrs. Jalopy has left me to fend for myself for a couple of days whilst she spends some quality post-Easter time with her Mom.

Now, a year ago this seemingly innocuous event would have had a catastrophic impact on my nutritional well-being. After four days time I’d have been unable to move for takeout boxes.

I’ve since been led to believe that this isn’t particularly attractive behavior.

Mmmm.... Dominos!

And nowadays I’m ahead of the game!

I put on the silly white puffy hat and Chef Extraordinaire JJ Jalopé is born!

(Read it again in a comedy French accent, now you know it’s coming! Yann – you can do whatever you like! )

JJ Jalopé is an absolute genius in the kitchen. As long as there’s a detailed set of step-by-step instructions nothing is beyond his grasp!

This afternoon I created a shepherd’s pie and a meatloaf. I divided them up into meal-sized portions and put some of them in the fridge and some of them in the freezer.

Not only that, but the kitchen is spotlessly clean and everything is put away in its place, leaving me the whole evening to shoot the breeze with you lovely people.

As long as I maintain low expectations of variety in my diet, I’m all set for a few days!

Now, why am I telling you all this?

Well, let’s go back in time and think about what would have happened in Jalopyland a year ago…

Imagine a slightly more youthful JJ…

Mrs. Jalopy left a couple of days ago, leaving slightly-more-youthful-JJ alone with the Papa John’s takeout menu.

He’s just finished watching his 50th episode of Friends that day and he’s hungry. He can’t stomach the idea of more pizza, so he heads into the kitchen to find the silly white puffy hat.

Now the silly white puffy hat is on, JJ transmogrifies into Chef Extraordinaire JJ Jalopé!

Bonjour Monsieur!

As we know, JJ Jalopé is an absolute genius in the kitchen. He has his set of step-by-step instructions, so nothing is beyond his grasp!

In no time, he’s rustled up a shepherd’s pie and a meatloaf. He cuts off a slice of the meatloaf, puts it on a plate with some salad and takes it into the living room to eat in front of America’s Top Model.

So far so good, right?

Well now JJ is tired. He leapfrogs the pizza boxes and makes his way to the kitchen to tidy up before he gets ready for bed.

Imagine the horror in his eyes when he returns to that culinary laboratory. Every pot, pan and cooking implement in the house is either on the hob, in the sink or resting on the side!

And every one of them is filthy!

The prospect of tidying this mess is too much. JJ shuts the kitchen door and goes to bed.

Oh dear.

Now JJ discovers important things to do, and the kitchen door stays closed for a few more days.

When he finally braves the kitchen to get a piece of shepherd’s pie, he sees that he forgot to put the food in the fridge.

Whoops.

Food goes in trash. JJ phones for pizza.

Now Mrs. Jalopy is coming home tomorrow! It’s officially PANIC TIME!

Don't press! Don't press!

JJ drafts in a crack team of (un)willing friends to clean the house from top to toe. It’s a monstrous and unpleasant job but it’s just gotta get done…

Phew. It’s done. It’s okay. There’s some residual mess that Mrs. Jalopy will probably notice, but we did it. She’ll appreciate the effort, even if she disapproves of the process!

Now when Mrs. Jalopy returns and life returns to normal, JJ reflects on his time alone…

The result of this reflection is the difference between today’s cooking and cleaning efforts and the horrid fictitious scenario of yesteryear.

Pour yourself a drink as I explain…

As a business consultant I think in terms of systems and processes.

At the most macroscopic level, the business can be thought of as one big machine. Money, time and effort go in one end; some processing happens in the middle; and (hopefully) more money comes out the other end.

Sure, that’s a massive simplification, but it’s also a very helpful one.

Each task that happens within that machine can be thought of as belonging to a process with well-defined inputs and outputs. There are many of these processes within the business machine. Some are connected, others are not. There is no real objectivity to these processes. They are defined by you, the business owner, in the way that best suits your needs.

Identifying, describing and optimizing the processes in the middle of the business machine is the key to maximizing the amount of money that comes out the other end.

Oooh look - A money machine!

Yeah fine, JJ, but give me something I can work with here.

Okay.

Let’s look at the process of making shepherd’s pie.

The inputs are:

• ingredients (the output of the shopping process)
• JJ’s time and effort

The output is:

• Umm… Pie.

In slightly-more-youthful-JJ’s case the pie-making process is far from optimal.

It created a lot of mess, which had to be tidied up later in a time-consuming clean-a-thon. Also, most of the output was lost because it went off. So in our little efficiency equation…

Efficiency = Output (stuff, money) – Input (money, time, effort, stuff etc.)

…I wasn’t doing very well. The output was minimal because I had spoiled the pie. The input was massive because I had to get a load of friends to help me tidy up!

So, in my time of reflection, I looked at the pie-making process and split it into 3 different sub-processes.

1. The food-making process (turning ingredients into pie)
2. The tidying process
3. Storing the food

The actual food-making process went pretty well. I successfully turned ingredients into pie. And it should have gone well because I had a recipe – step-by-step instructions.

I had already identified and described the process. (Or at least someone else had!)  So it’s no surprise that this bit worked out okay.

The tidying process, on the other hand, didn’t go quite so well. Up to this point, I hadn’t actually identified this as a process at all. Now, just because I hadn’t identified the need for a tidying process, it doesn’t mean that I didn’t have one. I did. It was just a bad one.

My process was to leave all the kitchen implements, pots and pans wherever I was last using them. And then tidy them all up in one massive cleaning session when I’m done cooking.

Every boy scout knows that this isn’t the best way to do things.

And in analyzing my cooking processes in this nerdy way that I enjoy so much, I too was able to figure out a better way!

The monumental realization I came to was to was this:

When I’ve finished using a pan, I’m going to have to put it somewhere… so I may as well put it straight in the dishwasher!

(You truly are getting cutting edge knowledge in this blog! )

So, after I’d identified the process, described it and realized how silly it was, I consciously crafted a new, optimized process.

Now, when I’m about to put down a pan or a wooden spoon I will ask myself if it’s the last time I’m going to use it. If it is, it goes straight in the dishwasher. If not then it stays on the side ready for the next time I need it.

Now I realize that most rational people do not need to map out their cooking processes to figure out that they’d save time by putting the spatula straight in the dishwasher! I’m sure, for example, that my Mom is shaking her head in bewilderment if she’s reading this right now!

What can I say? I’m strange. But this really has revolutionized my cooking!

Similarly, slightly-more-youthful-JJ had not recognized the need for a storing food process. Now I do.

I have meal-sized pieces of pie and meatloaf stored away in my fridge and freezer to prove it!

All packed up...

And I’m happily chatting to you in the knowledge that everything is working out well at Casa Jalopy!

In telling you that story I wanted to introduce you to the powerful world of systems- and process-based thinking.

It is key to a lot of what I do and much of what we’re going to discuss here as we work together.

I’d encourage you to have a think about the processes that run in your business and personal life. As you’ve seen, the mere act of identifying some of these processes can be very beneficial to you.

Tomorrow we’ll be visiting Japan to talk about the KEY to all personal and business development: Kaizen!

Stick around a while if you like. I’m going to take a nap!

Goodnight!

JJ Jalopy.

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