The Four Pillars of Guaranteed Business SuccessThe Five Pillars of Guaranteed Business Success – Preview ... It was a finalist in the international Indie ... The Five Pillars of

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The Five Pillars of Guaranteed Business Success ndash Preview Edition

wwwempowersolutionscomau 2

Empower Business Solutions Telephone 1300 76 35 45

Suite 22 738 Burke Road Camberwell Victoria 3124 Email infoempowersolutionscomau

THE FIVE PILLARS OF GUARANTEED BUSINESS SUCCESS

or

How to Make More Money From Your Business by Working Less

Preface

This edition of The FivePillars of Guaranteed Business Success is a preview of the

best selling book

ldquoThe Five Pillars of Guaranteed Business Successrdquo

By Dr Greg Chapman

The retail version of this book is a step-by-step guide on how to grow your business

includes a small business case study and comes with a $100 of downloadable business

tools It was a finalist in the international Indie Business Book Awards

Options you can choose that will Multiply Your Profits and Make Your Business Run

Without You include

bull Order the complete hardcopy edition of this best selling book

bull Check out the Small Business Success Club

bull Request a Complementary Business Evaluation

Even if you choose not to take any of these options donrsquot let this be another eBook on

your hard drive that you never read This preview on its own provides you with the key

concepts to transforming your business but knowledge is only of value when it is used

May You Business be as You Plan It

Dr Greg Chapman

CEO- The Empower Business Solutions amp The Australian Business Coaching Club





Introduction

To have a successful business you need to address the underlying business problems

that cause ALL business failures The cause of business failure is ALWAYS one or

more of the following hellip

bull No business structure in place

bull No achievable dividend (profit) objective

bull No sales and marketing systems or procedures for achieving the dividend objective

bull Running the business tactically not strategically

bull No staff training program in place

Unless you eliminate all these causes you will never have control and your business

will never set you free It will imprison you and eventually it will die So these are the

areas of your business you must address to prosper in good times and bad

In order to succeed in business you must first understand what makes successful

businesses work Successful businesses donrsquot just happen They are MADE to

happen All effective and profitable businesses share three basic strengths

bull They are totally sales and profit oriented

bull They use effective people systems and methods

bull They sell quality products and services that someone actually wants to buy

Your profit will depend on FOUR things

bull Your available marketplace (potential customers)

bull Your ability to create selling opportunities from that market

bull Your and your staffrsquos business sales and marketing skills

bull Your ability to contain costs and increase margins

In 99 of businesses there is no lack of marketplace opportunity but there is a lack

of system method and developed skills (habits) As your skills systems and methods

improve Your work decreases and your results will increase The Four Pillars of

your business success are

bull Business Plan

bull Marketing Plan

bull Business Systems

bull People Systems





However most business owners donrsquot have a good understanding of where there

business is and what are the priorities In an ideal world you would attack all four

Pillars together but owners usually donrsquot have the time (or patience) to do that So if

you can only do one at a time understanding which you should tackle first is essential

Business Growth Where is Your Business

Business growth is essential for survival If your business is not growing it is in

decline The chart above shows what happens to every business big and small The

years might be longer for some and the turnover will vary but all businesses follow a

growth curve like an upside-down bowl

Where is your business on this curve At different times you will have different

business needs When you understand where your business is in its life you will

understand its development needs





Start-up Businesses

Prior to Start-up the focus of the Business Owner should prepare a Business Plan A

detailed plan will ensure that the owner will understand the risks of their new venture

and have strategies to manage them to make sure that their business has a flying start

Empower Business Solutions provides a Business Consulting service to prepare

business plans or you can do it yourself with our Business Plan Template

Once the business has commenced operations the owner has two big areas of concern

bull Survival

bull How to get more Customers

From the owners perspective the best chance of survival is by bringing in more

customers Empower Business Solutions has a number of programs designed for Start-

up Businesses

bull Marketing Audit

bull Business Success Made Easy (Retail)

bull How to Get More Customers (Business-to-Business)

These low cost programs are guaranteed to produce quick results utilising smart

marketing strategies which require little outlay

Young Businesses

Businesses enter this phase when the owner no longer needs to look over their shoulder

all the time The business is not just surviving it is growing They know the business

of basics that no degree will prepare you for But now they are impatient

The owners ask

bull How can I accelerate my sales growth

bull How can I make my business more efficient

At this stage of a business life the owner understands not everyone can be their

customer And even more importantly they dont want everyone to be their customer

But how to choose The answer is to have a Marketing System- not just ads that get

the phone to ring And they are now starting to look at how they can improve the

operational aspects of their business In the past this was not an issue as they werent

that busy with customers But it is an issue now

The business is growing quickly even if somewhat erratically Year on year business

is good although there seem little consistency and predictability of profit Marketing





efforts produce good results but are volatile What is missing is a systematic approach

to producing and managing sales

Empower Business Solutions has a number of programs designed for Young

Businesses

bull The Small Business Profit Driver Program

bull The Small Business Success Program

These programs are longer term programs but are designed to change the way you do

business The focus in these programs is working on your business not in it

Businesses with Growing Pains

All business reach a stage where they are victims of their success They dont want any

more customers They are struggling to handle the customers they have Until this time

inefficiencies in their business could be handled because they had spare capacity But

now they are operating flat out The owner is working extra hours just to cover the

gaps Customer service is starting to suffer They are making a lot of money but not

that much profit

At this time growth slows The focus now is on business systems that will allow the

owner to take back control of their business They need to be able to delegate to others

or outsource non-core parts of their business But without business systems they would

be unable to do this and maintain quality

Empower Business Solutions has a number of programs designed for Businesses with

Growing Pains

bull Small Business Systems amp Strategies Program




Business Maturity

Maturity is a very dangerous time for a business This is the point at which the owner

is comfortable with their achievements Their business is running smoothly While

sales have started to plateau their profits may still be increasing because they are

getting better at doing what they do The owner has decided that their business is at the

right size they dont want it to grow larger The owner is in their comfort zone They

see opportunities to increase their profits incrementally but they see no need to make

significant changes in their business





The reason this is a dangerous time is that the owner has taken their foot off the

accelerator and is starting to coast You can never coast in business The success of

your business is dependent on constant renewal New products and services new

customers new ways of delivering your service If you dont invest in constantly

rejuvenating your business your business will be in decline At first it might still appear

to grow (from the momentum of earlier efforts) But after a time the sales start to

plateau You start to lose some of your older customers It becomes more difficult to

get new customers

But in your sector some seem to survive and prosper- what have they done They have

made a commitment to take make their business survive This does not necessarily

mean to grow But if they do nothing they would decline They are looking at ways of

keeping their business fresh and replenishing their assets

Empower Business Solutions has a number of programs designed for Businesses at

Maturity

bull The Business Success Program

bull Business Coaching Program

The focus in these programs is working on your business not in it

Business Decay

Businesses start to decay while they appear to be on plateau However at some point

significant and consistent falls in sales start to occur due to the owner ceasing to invest

in the renewal of their business

At some point the business starts to lay off staff and reduce their services until they

only have a few customers and staff remaining Friends really They may even continue

for some time while making losses out of habit and perhaps pride The owner may

start to look for someone to buy their business but there is nothing to sell They are

their business

They start to blame the economy the government imports staff even customers

Turnaround at this point is rare Although not impossible Business Coaching can help

but the type of changes necessary are radical and can be costly Such changes require

a commitment that most owners at this stage no longer have After all if you believe

someone else is to blame you also believe that its up to someone else to do something

not you So all their efforts are focused on the impossible task of making everyone else

change rather than the simpler (if not easy) task of changing themselves

Empower Business Solutions advice is to recognise the symptoms at Maturity before

reaching this phase





The Moment of Truth

Once a business has overcome its Growing Pains and started to implement systems

that take out some of the stress the business owner reaches a zone of comfort Their

business is running smoothly and is generating reasonable profit They have reached

the cusp of their comfort zone and a Moment of Truth They can continue as they are

(My business is just the right size for me I dont want it to grow any larger) or they

may choose after consolidating their business to take their business to the next level

in size and profitability

If they choose to keep things as they are they move into the so called Maturity phase

(see above) of their business which has its own risks

When seeking a Second Youth for their business significant changes in strategy are

required Although they have achieved much just in reaching this stage the business

has started to plateau and different approaches and skills become necessary What has

worked in the past will only deliver more of the same at best At this stage the owner

is looking for advice in driving their business forward The plateau has become a

ceiling

Empower Business Solutions recognises this is a critical point in the life of any

business and works with many owners at this stage The areas of our focus for owners

at the Moment of Truth are

bull the development of a new marketing strategy that will refocus their business and

bull management systems that enable the business to run without the owner an

essential step for an exit strategy

At the Moment of Truth Business Coaching for skill development in all aspects of

business but with a particular focus on business strategy and management

systems provides the right solution The owner understands the business fundamentals

at this stage and wants to learn what businesses they admire have already learnt

At the Moment of Truth business strategy is more important than at any other time of

a business life apart from business start-up Empower Business Solutions tailors

programs for this specific stage in the life of a business To find out more about these

programs please contact us for a Free Consultation on your business needs

Second Youth

For business owners who have decided to continue to grow and acted to obtain the

knowledge to break through the ceiling their business achieves a Second Youth This

is an exciting time for any business Profits start to soar But the owner is now playing





in a whole new league Major industry players will start to notice the emergence of a

new competitor and start to take appropriate market action

The investment is now at a higher level and there are more stakeholders in the business

The owner in this phase is also aware the business cycle will repeat itself as the Second

Youth gives way to new Growing Pains and approaches a higher Moment of Truth

Owners in their Second Youth dont claim to know everything but they now know

what they dont know And they know the importance of advice From mentoring to

specialist advice as their business expands into new areas As the value of your business

grows so does what is at stake The need to protect this investment becomes critical

Empower Business Solutions provides advice and support to owners who have reached

this stage However we dont claim to know everything and will readily refer you to

our network of specialist advisors when necessary Please contact us for a

complimentary Business Evaluation on how we can help your business continue to

grow

Where is Your Business

Once you know where you are in the business cycle you can set your priorities for

developing the Five Pillars of Guaranteed Business Success In this Preview edition

we focus on the first 4 of The Five Pillars of Guaranteed Business Success The fifth

is revealed in the hardcopy version of this best selling book which can be ordered at

wwwFivePillarsBusinessSuccesscom





Business Plans

Almost all small businesses do NOT have a business plan It is no coincidence that as

a consequence 80 of businesses fail in the first five years of operation and 80 of

those that survive fail in the next five years Most Business Owners believe that

Business Plans are an academic exercise and dont have one And how many times

have we heard that yes I do have a business plan- its in my head When we call them

later and they tell us that they cant spend any time fixing up their business with new

strategies systems and marketing plans because they have these other problems (they

are still waiting on some great deal that is going to happen next month- or they need to

take the cat to the vet) we know that they are trapped within their business and will

not take action until there is an external threat impossible to ignore

The reason most small business owners donrsquot have a current Business Plan is due to a

lack of understanding of their purpose or value They may have developed one once as

they started the business but as things began to grow they never looked at the plan

again as they were too busy in the day-to-day operations of their business That is until

something changed This may have been a change they initiated or one outside of their

control At that point their business is no longer operating within their control and

problems start to emerge Even then they will not understand how a Business Plan may

have helped avoid the situation in which they now find themselves When we talk to

such owners the fault always lies somewhere else

If the change is from the external environment it may be due to a recession or high

inflation making them uncompetitive demand decline due to a change in their

customersrsquo market changes in regulation or one of a hundred other things that may

occur Most Business owners say that you canrsquot plan for such events but good

businesses do so continually- and they survive the bad times and prosper in the good

It is all about having sufficient resource capacity and prepared mitigation strategies to

cope with such changes

Change can also be as a result of the business ownerrsquos plans This may be changing

their product or service focus changing their operations or trying to grow their

business In these circumstances it is no longer business as usual and if the change is

not well planned doing things the old way may get them into deep trouble Especially

if they have not properly considered the risks involved to all aspects of their business

Many businesses fail just when they look like they have finally made it when they

launch on an ill considered expansion

A business owner who is steering a steady course and does not have a Business Plan is

merely being negligent in risking exposure of their business and employees to changes

in the external environment A business owner who is making significant changes in

their business particularly seeking to grow it substantially and who does not have an

updated Business Plan for these changes is being grossly negligent





So what will a Business Plan do for you and how can you put one together that is not

going to cost you an arm and a leg A good business plan will allow you to

bull Test different scenarios for your business

bull Test the robustness of your assumptions

bull Manage external risk

bull Determine the risks for different courses of action

bull Develop mitigation plans for the largest risks

bull Develop step-by-step plans for growth or other changes

bull Determine resource requirements (human physical financial)

for different scenarios and at different times

bull Synchronise short and long term plans- your budget is the first year of the plan

bull Define milestones and Key Performance Indicators (KPIrsquos) so you can measure

your progress towards your long term objective in the same way you measure

your progress to budget

bull Synchronise all other plans in your business- so that there is full alignment of

your marketing operating staffing and financial plans (amongst others) even

when circumstances change

bull Roll out of KPIrsquos into every part of your business and allow you to develop

incentive plans truly aligned with your goals

A Business Plan ultimately ensures the Prosperity of Your Business

So how do you put one together

The first step in a Business Plan is setting your goals This is a process of defining

specific objectives rather than the vague aspirations that most Business Owners have

in their minds Unless your goals are specific it is most unlikely they will ever be

achieved

When creating your goals start with your vision five fears from now Make it as

detailed as possible For example answer the following questions

bull What will be my turnover

bull What will be my profit

bull How many sales will I have to make to achieve this level of profit

bull How many staff will I require to achieve this profit

bull What productsservices will I be selling then

bull What other resources will I require

bull Where will I be located

bull Who will be my customers

Then consider what the goals will be three years from now and then what they will be

this year





The next step is to undertake a SWOT (strengths-weakness-opportunity-threats)

analysis This is a most challenging process Many times we hear that a key strength is

Quality of Service but when we ask why their service is of greater quality than Joes

down the street all we hear is a shuffling of feet Many Business Owners are unable to

be objective in this analysis If you name something as a strength identify what an

outsider could see that would make this strength obvious to them It must be something

that they can identify by one or more of their five senses or else it is not real

Market Analysis and Strategy development is the next stage The objective here is to

truly understand the customers needs and to understand how you can satisfy them and

in particular what is it that differentiates your service from that of your competitors

and why your competitors customers should prefer your service In this way you

define your Market Position and your Unique Selling Points This strategic analysis

will enable you to properly identify your best customers and how you should promote

your business to them

Create a detailed description of your customers Do you have a particular niche And

describe the benefits of your service to your customers Examine your competitors

What do they do and how can you be different (better) than them in your niche What

marketing strategy are you going to use to communicate with your customers and

entice them to buy There are really only four types of marketing All marketing falls

into one of the following categories or is a combination of them

1 Advertising

2 Public Relations

3 Word of Mouth

4 Cold Calling

Develop a marketing strategy to target your customers This should later be turned into

a plan (the second Pillar)

Once you have defined your goals and your market it is possible to develop a step-by

step plan to achieve your business goals It is essential when you do this that you

consider the impact of the changes that will occur to your business through every

aspect of your organisation As your business grows there will be supplier impacts

changes in your organisation structure staff and the need for more effective operating

systems- as well as many other changes you need to consider Many businesses as they

grow pay too little attention to their systems (the third Pillar) Where organisational

redundancy was able to cover for lack of efficiency at lower demand levels as sales

increase the inefficiency starts to impact on customer service as the slack in your

business disappears





An integral part of any Business Plan is a risk analysis This is a stress test for your

business for changes business within and outside your control- a what-if analysis

When putting together an Investment Plan this becomes an extremely detailed

and technical analysis In a Business Plan this is somewhat more qualitative But in

both mitigation plans for the largest risks are developed

The last step of the Business Plan is a cashflow projection for 3-5 years This is

developed from forecasts of your overheads operating costs and marketing costs as

well as sales projections A good Business Plan will do this for more than one scenario

Once you have completed your Business Plan dont make the mistake that the majority

of the minority of Business Owners who actually prepare a plan make- dont put it in

the bottom drawer never to see the light of day again Your Business Plan is a living

document- to be updated at least annually and reviewed quarterly It is there to keep

you on track- and to make you accountable to the one person who will not accept

excuses- YOU There is nothing like a written promise to yourself that will keep you

focused on your goals (In Appendix A more detail can be found in our article- The

Real Truth about Business Plans- What the Consultants Donrsquot tell You)

If you would like to find out more about Business Planning and how we can help you

prepare one go to our website at httpwwwempowersolutionscomau and request

information on our Business Plans that Really work You can either do it yourself with

our Business Plan Template or we will show you how to do it while we transform your

business





Marketing Plans

Your Marketing Plan should be developed once you have defined you Marketing

Strategy Why do you need a Market Strategy The average consumer receives up to

2800 commercial messages every day- 1000 more than just 10 years ago You must

rise above the commercial clutter to attract your customers attention Your objective

is to create Top of Mind Awareness so that anytime anyone in your market place

needs or wants your product or service- they call you first

The second major reason a Marketing Strategy is essential is that because of increased

competition the cost to get in front of a buyer has tripled in the last ten years and when

you do meet one the results are half what they were As a consequence it now costs

twice as much to get half the result in the 90s Unless you have an effective Marketing

Strategy your business will not be successful Although it is possible to develop a

standalone Marketing Strategy for best results one should be developed as part of a

Business Plan

Your Marketing Strategy provides the context for your Marketing Plan Having

identified your target market and your Unique Selling Points it is time to develop your

offer to your marketplace This will be built around the identified customer needs of

your target market and your points of difference

A good Marketing Plan will focus on the Five Profit Drivers

bull Increasing the number of Enquiries

bull Increasing the conversion rate of Enquiries to Sales

bull Increasing the Average Value per Sale

bull Increasing the number of Times a Customers Buys from You

bull Increasing the Profit per Sale

Increasing Enquiries or Lead Generation for many Business Owners is the most

difficult part of their Sales Pipeline Successful businesses use all 4 of the strategic

marketing channels- Direct Mail Customer Education Advertising Public Relations

Personal Contact Company Brochures and Website The Marketing Plan will define

the right mix and ensure that each channel supports and is linked in some way to every

other channel and that they all focus on your Unique Selling Points and are targeted

towards your identified market

The mistake many businesses make is to equate Advertising with Marketing While

advertising can be beneficial for small business it can be one of the most expensive

ways to market it This is discussed in greater depth in Appendix B in our article- Donrsquot

Advertise Your Business- Market It





Your offer to the marketplace needs to be defined within the context developed in your

Market Strategy This should be built around your points of difference and entirely

benefit driven This is essential not just for Lead Generation but also for Sales

Conversion Increasing the conversion rate from Enquiries to Sales is not only about

having the right offer but also about sales scripts and training of sales staff Good

businesses will have ways of turning Lookers into Buyers Training in the complete

sales process from establishing rapport to close is essential to increase the conversion

rate This is covered in more detail in Appendix C in our paper How Leaky is Your

Sales Pipeline

Part of your offer to your customer will be in the way you package your services to

increase the average value per sale For Example- three for the price of two a higher

specification model or a complete meal rather than a single course Successful

businesses have already planned how they will package their products and services and

will actively seek opportunities to increase the average sale value

It is six times easier to sell to an existing customer than to a new customer Having

made a sale to a customer you have a relationship and have increased their trust in

your ability to satisfy their needs All businesses should seek ways to increase the

number of times a customer buys from them This is the lowest cost of marketing there

is

When you have established your Unique Selling Proposition by definition you have

diminished the competition in your marketplace By increasing the perceived value of

your product it is no longer a commodity and you can increase your profit per sale

through your pricing A recent survey showed that price is the fifthed ranked reason

people buy The top five reasons people buy are

1 Confidence that your products and services will meet their needs

2 Quality of the product and service

3 The level of service that is provided

4 Selection or range of offers

5 Price

The last point in your Marketing Plan is to measure everything and Test Test Test

When you focus on the Five Profit Drivers you will massively increase your business

profitability You will also be able to control the flow of activity in your business by

managing your Sales Pipeline Once you have a predictable flow of sales it is possible

to streamline your operating systems

If you would like to find out more about Marketing Plans and how we can help you

prepare one go to our website at httpwwwempowersolutionscomau





Business Systems

Many studies have shown that businesses with weak systems seldom achieve

efficiencies above 66 While 100 efficiency is impossible to achieve a good system

can easily increase efficiency by up to 30 The financial cost of not having a good

business system is obvious What is not so obvious is the impact of poor systems on

your customers The total profit lost can easily be double this amount when you

account for the loss of sales

Without a good Business System the Business Owner does not own a Business just a

job with overheads Without a Business System you will never have a business that

runs without you This is further discussed in Appendix D- Business Owners - Do You

Own a Business or a Job

A good system is logical and simple to use and ensures that your customer service

levels are always consistent Some of the other key benefits of a business system are

bull Systems enable your business to operate without you and turn it into a money

making machine

bull Systems increase the effectiveness and efficiency of a business

bull Systems allow you to develop a saleable asset

bull Systems take out some if not most of the risk for you as a business owner by

stabilising your business with proven methods of carrying out your business

activities

bull Systems allow you to employ staff with lower levels of skills

bull Systems ease the burden of training staff and speed up the time for them to

become productive and ldquoprofitablerdquo employees

bull Systems make you rich They enable you to leverage your time your effort your

knowledge and your money

A good system guides companies to manage and monitor their activity It will produce

a consistent and predictable dividend return for the money time and effort invested

This system will give you control of your business even if you are not there Your

system will be based around policies planning and procedures in every part of your

business that you and your staff will apply every day

A Business System does not have to be complex- good ones arent They are also

essential if you want to grow your business Many businesses fail as they expand or

change their focus because their systems are inadequate and quality declines as they

try to service more customers

In order to build your Business System you first need to develop an organisation chart

which presents your business as a series of job positions which are accountable for

particular tasks Even if you are a sole trader this is important as it may give you





ideas on what you can outsource The next step is to undertake a Workflow Process

Analysis from the time a customer phones your business until you bank their cheque

This will allow you to understand where you add most value to your business

In Appendix E this is explored further in the Article- Become a Business Brain

Surgeon

The next step is to identify your major business systems For example these will

include Financial Administration Operations People Marketing and Risk

Management systems Each of these systems will be broken down into subsystems For

example your Financial System is likely to include the following subsystems-

Purchase Orders Invoices and Financial Reports In each subsystem a procedure

should be set-up that you will use again and again This can be in the form of templates

or a recipe for the activity

The next step in your system is to teach your staff to use it If the system is not followed

you donrsquot have one Your staff need to own the systems and part of their role will be

to continually update and improve them

The way you get your business to run without you is to create a business management

system that allows you to run your business by reports When you set up such a system

you donrsquot need to be involved in every part of your business In Appendix F we explore

this further in our article- How Many Gauges do You Watch in the Cockpit of Your

Business

Once your system is implemented your work will decrease and your results will

increase You will also have created a valuable asset that can operate without you

When you have a Business System you have an Exit Strategy

But what if your staff feel threatened by this The answer to this question is to show

them whatrsquos in it for them This is covered in the next section- People Systems

If you would like to find out more about Business Systems and how we can help you






People Systems

People are the number one reason for long-term business success or failure So this is

the most important part of your Business System Business Owners are often concerned

about how their staff will react when they implement a system And there are plenty of

examples where it hasnrsquot worked However the primary reasons for this failure are that

the staff have not been involved in the development of the systems they feel that their

jobs might be threatened and no-one has explained whatrsquos in it for them

Staff benefits from the implementation of systems include

bull Additional training and skill development

bull Increased pay from higher productivity

bull Increased security as their company becomes financially stronger

bull Greater opportunities in a dynamic organisation

bull Improved and less stressful work environment

bull A happier boss

However we still hear some bosses say ldquoif I train my staff they will leave and I will

have wasted my time and moneyrdquo Well what if you donrsquot train them and they stay

The truth is good people are actually more likely to stay when you have great People

Systems

We also hear ldquoyou just canrsquot get good people these daysrdquo Nowadays potential

employees are just as fussy about who they work for as employers are about who they

hire And if you donrsquot have good people systems the best people wonrsquot join your firm

or wonrsquot stay This is not just about money In fact people will work for less pay if

there are good people systems in a business Key elements of your people system are

bull Define your Organisation now and in the future

bull Define the roles in your organisation

bull Identify the required skills for each role

bull Determine Performance Benchmarks

bull Review Performance

bull Develop training programs for your people

bull Develop Performance Reward Programs

By formalising your organisation and the roles of each of your employees there is

much better understanding and accountability of the tasks for which they are

responsible It is also much easier to define training needs for each employee

When Performance Benchmarks are established there is also a better understanding

of the difference between good and poor performance and an objective basis from





which to review performance It is also possible to reward good performance and put

in place development plans where the performance does not reach the benchmark

Your people systems will also contain a range of other policies such as staff induction

overtime annual leave etc In this way your staff have a clear understanding of their

entitlements and you will avoid the pitfalls of inconsistent application of your policies-

often a source of workplace tension And the most important reason to have People

Systems is

Good People Systems attract Good People

And if you ever want your business to run without you you must have good people

If you would like to find out more about People Systems and how we can help you






Conclusion

The major benefit of building the first Four of the Five Pillars for Your business is that

you are prepared (If you are wondering about the Fifth Pillar you will need to order a

copy of the complete 5 Pillars) Many of the risks that a business faces are beyond the

Ownerrsquos control but are largely predictable Good planning and systems ensure that

you will survive the worst times avoid the opportunities which will hinder or hurt your

business and allow you to be positioned to recognise and exploit the opportunities that

will ensure your business success None of this is easy If it was everyone would be

doing it

One successful entrepreneur was asked how much luck was behind his success His

reply was ldquoI guess you could say I was lucky but you know the harder I worked the

luckier I gotrdquo

Empower Business Solutions offers Complimentary Business Evaluations where you

can find out more about the Five Pillars of Guaranteed Business Success During

Your Business Evaluation we will

bull Review Your Business Goals

bull Look at your business as it is today

bull Discuss the biggest issues in your business

bull Recommend strategies for Your Business that will enable you to achieve

Your Goals

To finish- just two more quotes

A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity an optimist sees the opportunity in

every difficulty- W Churchill

Opportunities multiply as they are seized- Sun Tzu

copy Copyright 2011 Empower Business Solutions

Order the complete version of

ldquoThe Five Pillars of Guaranteed Business Successrdquo at

wwwfivepillarsbusinesssuccesscom

or use the form at the end of this eBook





Find out by answering the following questions

bull Are you converting at least 80 of in-coming enquiries or walk in traffic into profitable

sales

bull Have you maximised the response from your ads and sales letters for the dollars you have

spent

bull Are you happy with the returns youre getting for the time and effort you are putting into

your business If you are not consistently receiving at least 25 return after your salary the

answer to this question should be NO

bull Do you have 1-2 hours a week to develop your business or are you so busy that you that you

dont have the time

If the answer to any of the above questions is no will you continue using out-dated ineffective

marketing and sales techniques and suffer because of inadequate business systems or will you do

something about it

Discover the secrets to effective marketing that top marketeers use to generate new business

quickly In many cases these methods may cost far less than what you may be spending right now

And find out how you can double your profits in 12 months by applying the Five Profit Drivers

And how to make Your Business run without You

We are currently offering a Complimentary Business Evaluation to the value of $285 to business

owners who qualify

We will personally identify key areas in your business in which you can increase your

profitability by up to 35 in the next three months

We will cover all the areas of your current marketing strategies within the 45 minutes we spend in

the consultation We will suggest improvements that will increase your sales within your existing

advertising budget

Other areas we may cover according to your needs include how to

bull Protect and Grow Your Business with Business Planning

bull Save time and reduce costs with Business Systems

bull Get the most from your staff with People Systems

bull Get Your Business to operate without you

Plus you will receive as a BONUS the Goal Achievement Blueprint Manual valued at $35

absolutely FREE as a special gift with your no obligation consultation To book Your

Complimentary Business Evaluation now just contact Empower Business Solutions today

httpempowersolutionscomauconsultation_programs_formhtm

Now there is no excuse to hang on and hope your business problems just go away by

themselves

Yours in Success

Dr Greg Chapman

Remember Success may start with a dream but only happens with action

Is Your Business giving You the Profit YOU deserve









Appendix A

Multiplying Your Profits amp Making Your Business Run Without You

The Real Truth about Business Plans- What the Consultants Donrsquot tell You

By Dr Greg Chapman MBA

Director- Empower Business Solutions

Do you have a Business Plan Congratulations but you are in a small minority And if

you have a plan is it integral to your business and instrumental to its growth If the

answer to this question is yes then you need to read no further However in Empower

Business Solutions experience even if they have a plan most business owners leave it

languishing on their bottom shelf gathering dust

Our dirty little secret is this most business consultants are only interested in selling

their time or their lsquoBusiness Plan in a Boxrsquo but know that for a business plan to be

useful it has to be part of a Business Management System But this is a much harder

proposition for the consultant to sell particularly to small business owners who are just

looking for a quick fix So most consultants just sell a quick fix solution Once owners

have prepared their ldquofill in the blanksrdquo plan they expect it to transform their business

overnight just by its mere existence And because this does not happen it ends up on

the bottom shelf

Business Plans do work but you have to make them work It is not a one-off exercise

If you buy a lsquoBusiness Plan in a Boxrsquo you need to understand that you are responsible

for maintaining the plan You also need to satisfy yourself that the product you buy is

not just a fill in the blanks product These plans always end up on the bottom shelf

They donrsquot show you how to do your strategic analysis (which is never a fill in the

blanks exercise- no matter what someone tells you)

Business Planning is a real soul searching exercise for the business owner You have

to be brutally honest with yourself Even if you prepare your plan yourself (without a

coach) get someone else involved to keep you honest Looking at examples of what

others have done can help but your business will have different strengths and

weaknesses and will operate in a different marketplace And lastly make sure the off-

the-shelf product you choose will show you how to implement your plan into your

business

When a good consultant prepares a Business Plan they will

undertake a rigorous (and challenging) review of the strengths amp weaknesses of

your business





show you how the plan should be implemented into your business process

give you at least one review of your performance against your plan six months

after the plan has been delivered

While this will require a larger investment than a lsquoBusiness Plan in a Boxrsquo and is a

harder sell for a consultant this will ensure that your plan does not end up on the bottom

shelf and that your investment is not wasted

Business Planning is not an easy process It takes time and commitment You donrsquot just

do it once This is not what business owners want to hear and what most consultants

wonrsquot tell you because it might cost them a sale But the rewards from a well

implemented business plan are worth many times your investment To find out more

about how a business plan can help your business visit our website

httpwwwempowersolutionscomau






Appendix B


Donrsquot Advertise Your Business- Market It



Too many business owners believe that marketing their business means just paying for

a few ads What few understand is that Advertising is not the same as Marketing Too

many clients have come to us only after they have wasted large sums of money by

copying their competitors with ldquome toordquo advertising And the media and advertising

agencies love it When you approach an advertising agency their mission will be to

convince you to spend your entire marketing budget with them not to help you devise

a marketing strategy for your business which will look at all available marketing

options not just advertising

When developing a marketing strategy for your business you must consider a number

of aspects of your marketplace before even thinking of your business You need to

answer the following questions

Who are your competitors

Who are your customers

Can you segment your marketplace

How do your customers make a buying decision

Who else has customers who could be your customers

Once you understand your marketplace you should then consider your business At this

point of the marketing process you would ask the following questions

What is the ultimate benefit of my products and services for my

customers

Why should people buy from me

What is my offer (Product Service Price Support Guarantee etc)

How do I define My Marketplace (Who What Where When and

How)

And only once you have answered these questions ask the one that most businesses

ask first rather than last

How will I promote my business





When answering this question consider all the promotional options not just

advertising Some of the marketing options available to you are

Networking newsletters cold calls special offers public relations referrals

joint ventures trade shows seminars workshops website sponsorship media

advertising yellow pages direct mail and brochures

All of these methods are in one form or another lead generation strategies You are

buying customers and the bottom line for everyone of them is the cost per qualified

lead And thatrsquos how you decide how to spend your promotional dollar When you

approach an advertising agency you must already know how much want to spend on

that marketing channel While they may give you good advice on how to spend your

money in their channel they will not consider alternatives which may be better for your

business

It is also essential to consider whether the selected channel is capable of generating

qualified leads at a reasonable price For example if your product is upmarket

generating leads from the budget market is of no value to you And there is also false

economy in choosing low rating media which often generate no leads at all

Whichever marketing channel you choose it is absolutely essential you measure the

results from each promotion Over a period of time you will learn which ones work

best for you However this can be a lengthy experience Using a marketing consultant

can greatly reduce the painful and often costly learning curve and can save you many

thousands of dollars in your marketing costs and even more importantly in the

opportunity cost of lost time

To find out more about a marketing systems approach for your business visit







Appendix C


How Leaky is Your Sales Pipeline



Does your Sales Pipeline leak If you answered no you donrsquot even understand the

question Every businessrsquo Sales Pipeline leaks to some extent The question is Have

you done everything you can to ensure that it does not leak excessively Do you even

know what your Sales Pipeline looks like

Very simply a Sales Pipeline starts with an initial enquiry and ends with a sale While

the Sales Pipeline looks different in each business there are still some similarities

between them In all businesses there is a need to generate enquiries This can be done

through advertising cold calling public relations or word of mouth This enquiry may

be a phone call in response to an ad Or in retail a customer may walk in your front

door attracted by your shopfront marketing This is the first step of the Sales Pipeline

for any business However there are usually a number of steps from receiving an

enquiry to generating a sale

The next step might be getting an appointment with the prospect to establish their

needs In a retail situation the sales staff will ask Can I help you Once need is

established a second appointment may be made to present a proposal or a quote may

be provided The final step in this generic Sales Pipeline would be to close the sale

It is essential that every business owner understands their Sales Pipeline and where it

leaks Using the generic pipeline above what percentage of enquirers agrees to an

initial appointment How many of those agree to receive a formal proposal or ask for

a quote And finally how many who receive a formal proposal or quote are converted

to sales By understanding each step in your Sales Pipeline you can measure the

success in moving prospects along the pipeline and spot where your sales process

needs to be improved

No Sales Pipeline is leak proof In fact there are some people who you donrsquot wish to

become your customers They may be the bargain hunters the time wasters or people

who are poor credit risks So there should be a screening process to remove people who

are not qualified to become your customers To be effective this screening





process should remove unqualified prospects early in the pipeline before you have

invested too much time with them But if you are turning away a high number of

unqualified prospects you should be looking at your enquiry generation strategy If

you sell luxury cruises advertising in a tabloid newspaper will probably produce

mostly unqualified enquiries

All other prospects however are by definition qualified And their loss is one that you

wish to minimise If there is a large loss in getting that initial appointment perhaps a

script needs to be developed for staff to turn that initial enquiry into an appointment If

the losses are large in getting a request for a proposal or quotation sales training on

establishing rapport and need creating desire and building value should be considered

If proposals (or quotations) have a low rate of acceptance there could be a problem

with the offer or the way the sales person tried to close

Put in place monitoring systems to measure the movements of prospects through your

Sales Pipeline Analyse the losses at each stage By understanding your Sales Pipeline

you will understand what you are doing well and where your pipeline leaks Only then

can you start plugging those leaks








Appendix D


Business Owners- Do you actually own a Job



How many hours do you work a week When was the last time you took an

uninterrupted holiday Do your staff have a better job than you Now ask yourself Do

I Own a Business or a Job- with Overheads Are you happy about the answers to these

questions If not read on

In Empower Business Solutions experience too many owners after investing their

time and money have not got a fair return from their business Sure they are making

ends meet (well some are) But are they getting what they deserve for the effort they

make Think about it this way Take the money you have put into your business and

take the time you have put in as well If you had invested those funds wisely and got

a nine-to-five job would you be better or worse off And what about the hassle factor

So what should be a reasonable return on your business After you pay yourself a wage

you should be returning at least 25 of your asset value Another way of saying this is

that if you were to sell your business today you should get at least 4 times its annual

profit But too often the business owner is their business and if he or she were to leave

it for even a short time there would be a sharp decline in its profits And no-one will

pay them for what is a personal business

If you are in this situation here are some steps you can take to increase your business

efficiency and make your business operate without you

Firstly recognise that if you change nothing- nothing will change

Make a commitment to yourself that you will act now to make a difference

to your business and your life

Start to separate yourself from your business

Set goals for your business create a business plan

Set in place a regular formal review of your progress against your goals

Map your workflow process and seek opportunities to make it more

efficient





Re-organise your business to reflect your processes

Look for ways to outsource parts of your business

Manage your business by reports

And lastly- get help Everyone who has achieved success in their business or their life

will freely admit that somewhere along the way they have received assistance from

someone else It may have been from a relative a friend a colleague a mentor or a

business coach like Empower Business Solutions

These steps are about creating a Business System By systematising your business you

make your business more efficient reduce your costs and ultimately make your

business run without you Even if you are a one-man-band there is still a lot you can

do to separate yourself from your business by creating passive income streams and

leveraging your knowledge

Business Owners who own a job already know they do (Donrsquot you) They know they

spend all their time working in their business not on their business And their reason

for not doing anything about this is that they say they are too busy However if they

saw an opportunity to double their income they would find the time So it is actually

about whether the rewards that come from their business running on auto-pilot are

sufficiently attractive to them to find the time If they still canrsquot find the time they

should never again complain about their business running their lives as it is clearly not

that important

To find out more about developing Business Systems and How to Make Your

Business Run without You visit our website at







Appendix E


Become a Business Brain Surgeon

by Dr Greg Chapman MBA


Are you working longer and taking home less than your staff Are you working all

hours of the day and night and still barely managing to keep your customers happy

Are you unable to delegate or outsource work to give you more time to work on your

business If the answer to any of these questions is yes maybe its time you learnt what

Brain Surgeons do

Most business owners we talk to believe almost everything they do in their business

only they can do They have learnt from experience if they give work to someone else

they mess it up And then they spend twice as long fixing things But this is not what

Brain Surgeons do When they operate on a patient they are not in charge of the

theatre- the theatre nurse is They donrsquot open up the patient or close They leave that

to a junior surgeon Everything is prepared for them and someone else mops up the

blood later All they do is the brain surgery And some marketing before hand (client

needs) and afterwards (client satisfaction)

How is this possible

Hospitals have very sophisticated systems and everyone is highly trained in their use

There are checks and counter-checks Nothing is left to chance And the very expensive

surgeon the most highly trained person in the theatre only does what he or she has

been trained to do They donrsquot waste their time doing jobs others can do In other words

they donrsquot spend dollar time on penny jobs So the brain surgeon only does the brain

surgery and a bit of marketing

This is of course a rather simplistic description of a brain surgeonrsquos job And I hasten

to add an apology to any brain surgeons reading this if they feel insulted (after all you

never know I might need their services in the future- some might argue my need is

immediate) The point of this for business owners is to understand where the real brain

surgery is in their business The part of their job that is most valuable to the business

The part only they can do which for most business owners is only a very small part

of their time





Examples of brain surgery are the marketing of your business the relationships with

your key customers or if you are a consultant the analysis of the problem you have

been asked to solve Not data entry or possibly even data collection And not the

bookkeeping So the challenge for business owners is to identify what part of their role

is brain surgery Theoretically everything else can and should be delegated or

outsourced So you can spend more time on what generates your business income

A great theory but how can you make this happen in the real world

Business Systems When you delegate or outsource you need to document what the

person who is doing the work will receive and what they will return to you complete

with standards and the form in which they will provide it to you Then all involved

need training in the system This takes some work but for a small investment in your

time the dividends are huge

The theatre nurse does not know how to do brain surgery but they know before the

operation what equipment the surgeon will need and when they will need it They will

also know how the theatre and patient are to be prepared Detailed procedures will have

been developed so everyone in the theatre will know their role and the brain surgeon

will have optimised his or her time doing what they have been specifically trained to

do

When you know where the brain surgery is in your business you will be able to

leverage your time You will spend more time with your customers and more time

working on your business rather than in it Ultimately you will have a business that

runs without you

To find out more about making money with business systems visit


Multiplying Your Profits amp Making Your Business Run without You






Appendix F


How Many Gauges Do You Watch in the Cockpit of Your Business



As a business grows the more moving parts it has And the more difficult it is to keep

an eye on everything that is happening Then the balls start to drop Does your business

have as many moving parts as a Jumbo Jet How do 747 pilots manage

When a business starts-up because of the risk of failure the owner has to watch

everything Fortunately when you start-up there is not a lot to watch But it is hard to

get out of the habit which is why so many business owners continue to micromanage

the business as it gets larger Now if you could keep your eye on every ball in the air

that might be ok But at some point it becomes impossible to maintain with owners

focussing on where they feel most comfortable rather than on what is most important

Studies have shown that there are limits to how many different things a human being

can monitor and react to This of course varies from person to person but everyone

has their limit For example only the most skilled jugglers can keep more than six balls

in the air The world record is 12 So when we try to keep our eye on everything we

will start dropping balls

So how does a Jumbo Jet pilot keep an eye on everything Funnily enough they have

six gauges in the cockpit representing the key areas of the planersquos performance Or in

business speak the planersquos Key Performance Indicators These are the most vital to

keeping the plane in the air So if the seat 57D does not fully recline or the airline logo

paint is starting to flake on the body of the plane they do not know about it They have

the flight attendants and the maintenance engineers to worry about such problems

However these personnel are highly trained to notify the pilots if there is something

they should worry about The pilot trusts these personnel to do their job and follow

their procedures and only let him or her know about things that affect the planersquos

safety So the pilots can concentrate on flying the plane

But what if there is an engine problem The planersquos flight management system is set

up so that any problem with a key part in the flight system will be evident on the high

level gauges So if there is a drop in airspeed the pilot will query the system to





determine which of the many causes may be responsible They are able to drill down

from the high level gauge which has moved from the safe area to investigate which of

the planersquos subsystems may be a fault In almost all cases the pilot is able to identify

and either correct the problem or take action that will enable the plane to land safety

If they worried about every little non-critical problem on the plane the chances are

they might only notice the big ones when it is too late to do anything about them

In business the owner might identify that their cash reserves are declining (Cash at

Hand is one of the biggest Key Performance Indicators for any business) Having seen

this the owner might ask the accountant to look at their detailed reports to identify the

cause Is it due to slow sales overdue payments by debtors cost blow-outs or

overinvestment in inventory

Having identified cost blowouts as the cause the accountant might ask the operations

manager why costs have gone up She might advise that a maintenance problem has

caused the over-run When the operations manager speaks to the maintenance

superintendent she may discover the problem was caused by poor quality feedstock

In other words a cash problem was caused by supplier quality control problem Further

analysis is of course possible The owner has therefore uncovered a critical supplier

problem by interrogating staff after a key performance indicator has moved from the

safe zone

By having a small number of Key Performance Indicators which define the health of a

business and which are linked to other more detailed reports the owner can fly their

business using just few gauges So if there is a deeper problem in the business it will

become visible Because an owner with an excellent Business Management System is

confident that they will identify problems in a timely fashion they can focus on flying

their business towards their ultimate objective which is their real job

To find out more about making money with business management systems visit







About Empower Business Solutions

Empower Business Solutions was created by Dr Greg Chapman after returning from

overseas He has lived and worked for eight years in the US and UK He wanted an

opportunity to pass on the international best practice business management expertise

he had acquired throughout his 25 year career to businesses who would otherwise

have had no access to experience at this level

Dr Greg Chapman is a leading advisor of Micro and Small Emerging Business Dr Greg

Chapmanrsquos first book

The Five Pillars of Guaranteed Business Success was a finalist in the

International Indie Business Book Awards

Gregs new book is Price How You Can Charge More Without Losing Sales

Find out more at wwwIncreaseYourPricescomau

Greg is also the publisher of the Small Business Achiever Apart from coaching

private clients he is the director of the Australian Business Coaching Club which

provides a low cost alternative to private coaching

Greg also teaches business at the University of Melbourne where his book (The 5 Pillars) is on the

prescribed reading list He was selected for this role because of his extensive practical experience with

small business operators something with which few business academics have experience He has also

presented for such organisations as the Housing Industry Association the Royal Australian Institute of

Architects Engineers Australia CPA Australia as well as at industry events around the world

His qualifications and memberships include

bull PhD from Melbourne University

bull MBA from Deakin University

bull Certified Master Coach from Behavioral Coaching Institute

bull Diploma Australian Institute of Company Directors

bull Council of Small Business of Australia

bull International Coaching Council

Dr Greg Chapman is the creator and editor of the Australian Small Business Blog He is also a Telstra

Business Awards and Marketing Communications Executives International Awards judge

Gregs business experience has involved assignments in seven countries He has been responsible for the

management of businesses and projects ranging from the micro scale to billion dollar businesses Greg

lives and breathes a wide range of business solutions from experience





As a result of his direct knowledge amp experience in running businesses Gregrsquos approach is not like

that of an accountant a sales person or a bank manager He thinks and acts like a business owner The

advice he gives is based on his own knowledge- not from a manual written by someone else So he is

able to tailor his programs for the needs of individual business owners

Gregrsquos successes include the doubling of the return of capital from one business for which he was

personally responsible increasing sales by 400 for one of his clients and increasing productivity by

30 for another

Empower Business Solutions is dedicated to assisting Australian business owners with the Right Kind of

Help in maximising their investment and in realising their goals through ongoing training that addresses

the need for acquiring knowledge and then support while taking action to achieve goals in taking their

business to the next level The approach in all programs is extremely practical meeting the needs of

owners of micro and small business

In Gregs words my personal objective is to see business owners realising the dreams they had when

they first went into business dreams that may have been buried in the day-to-day pressures of running

their business

The Right Kind of Help

When working with new clients Empower believes it is essential to understand the lifestyle goals that

they wish to achieve from their business The goal may be retirement at a certain age or to be able to

take more time off to be with the family to work fewer hours more (or even some) vacation time or it

may be a financial goal This is the starting point for Empowerrsquos Business Coaching

The advantage of owning a business is that the owner gets to design the business around their own

personal needs When you work for someone else you have to work around your bossrsquo needs So

although Empowerrsquos coaching focus is on business outcomes it starts with the ownerrsquos life choices Unlike

many lsquobusiness coachesrsquo who are actually life coaches Empower is strictly bottom line focused ndash our

slogan is

Multiply Your Profits and Make Your Business Run Without You

but our solutions are tailored to suit YOUR lifestyle choices not what we think they should be Once these

personal goals which may define the direction and priority of the advice are understood these are

translated into hard business goals which define targets and reveal the underlying gaps and root causes

of the issues in the current business performance

Only with this approach can the coaching program be focussed with the right priorities in addressing the

underlying issues (often not the obvious ones) and achieving the desired business outcomes

Husband and Wife (and other couple) Business Owners

Empower regularly works with husband and wife business owners (and other owners in a personal

relationship) and finds it highly enjoyable and rewarding to see their development as a team

Their business relationship is quite different from the relationships of other joint owners due to their

personal relationship the joint lifestyle goals that they want to achieve and the importance they place on

the personal needs of their partner Dr Chapman has written about such a relationship as a case study in





this internationally recognised top selling book The Five Pillars of Guaranteed Business Success

One business owner wife told Dr Chapman

When I read your book I thought you were writing about us At some points I laughed pointing out to

my husband - this is what you do and other times I felt like crying I finally understood what was

happening in our business and what we needed to do Sally and Michael Small Business Owners

Each of the partners bring something different to the business Often one is more the technician in the

business that is heshe has a particular skill or may be more creative and the other will have the

businessfinancial focus This is not a malefemale split in a particular stereotype as Empower has

observed these preferences shared in just about every way imaginable

The complimentary sharing of skills seems to be more pronounced with business owners in a personal

relationship perhaps because lsquoopposites attractrsquo where in strictly business relationships owners may be

more alike in their preferences and too often try to share roles An understanding of these differences is

critical in business coaching

So why Empower Business Solutions

The key is getting the right kind of help So what should you look for from a business coach or

consultant Well when you talk to one you need to ask them four things

bull First whats so good about your programs

Empower Business Solutions Answer Our programs are based on the principles of Dr Greg

Chapmans internationally recognised top selling book The Five Pillars of Guaranteed Business

Success The coaching programs are designed to show business owners how to implement the

Five Pillars - Planning Marketing Systems Staff Motivation and Discipline into their business

with customised structured advice that produces the business results owners seek

Empower avoids the mistake of jumping to a solution such as a new website or an expensive

marketing campaign without analysing the underlying strategy Without that analysis expensive

mistakes can be made such as campaigns that produce no results or websites that generate the

wrong kind of enquiries In fact there are many strategies we recommend that cost very little

to implement The most successful tactics are fully aligned with business strategy and are linked

to provide maximum leverage

Our programs are designed to take into account all parts of your business whether the focus is

on Business Strategy Business Systems or Marketing By taking the time to understand the

fundamentals of your business we can ensure that our advice not only connects directly to all

your business drivers but it also leverages them for maximum impact Empower Business

Solutions has provided advice to hundreds of businesses in Australia (See our Testimonials)

bull Second will I get support for this program or am I just going to get a box of manuals

Empower Business Solutions Answer All our coaching programs come with support- some

with 12 months of support This support includes





o One-on-one workshops tailored to meet your individual needs

o Monthly progress reviews to ensure you achieve your goals

o On-call phonefaxemail support for the program duration

Many Business Coaches particularly from franchises are really just selling someone elses

manuals with a bit of their time thrown in to call it coaching While we will supplement our

coaching with materials developed exclusively by Dr Greg Chapman as appropriate the real

value we add to every business we work with is through the advice and education we directly

provide based on a deep understanding of the issues in your business

We donrsquot rely on a formula solution which is necessarily the franchise approach (A Big Mac

always tastes the same whichever McDonalds franchise you go to- great for hamburgers but not

so great for business coaching)

bull Third who is going to support me - am I going to get someone who has actually successfully run

businesses themselves or am I going to just get a salesman

Empower Business Solutions Answer All support is from someone with extensive business

experience Someone who has actually run businesses Someone who is not only highly qualified

but has faced many of the same problems that you have faced and dealt with them personally

We are not a member of any franchise We dont need to be The advice we give is built on our

own experience not someone elses

bull Fourth how objective are your solutions

Empower Business Solutions Answer Unlike many marketing companies who provide

inhouse implementation solutions for such things as branding advertising website design and

other marketing collateral we are independent We may recommend such solutions if they are

appropriate but do not provide them ourselves so we can be objective about your needs in this

area Our focus will be on those solutions that will provide the biggest bang for your buck It is

like having an accountant you can rely on to determine which type of finance is right for you

rather than receiving advice from someone who may try to steer you towards

implementation solutions that make them most money

bull And finally do you guarantee your program

Empower Business Solutions Answer When you select a Business Coach they may look

great on paper But the only way you can be certain they are right for you is to see them in

action- with You Thats why all of our programs come with a trial period Within the trial period-

not only are our programs on trial- but we are too If for any reason you are unhappy with the

program support within our trial period you can cancel our agreement and obtain a full refund of

your investment Of course any bonuses you have received are yours to keep

In addition to the trial period all our longer term programs come with performance guarantees

This ensures that you can have full confidence with our products and services





What others say about Empower Business Solutions Coaching Programs

In just two months since meeting with Dr Greg Chapman of Empower Business Solutions I have

increased my sales in the slow section of my business by a whopping 400 Initially I was sceptical that

such results were possible But Gregrsquos approach to marketing and business planning has totally

transformed my business as a whole I particularly liked the fact that the strategies he created were

designed specifically for my business and not some generic ideas from a manual They were low cost and

easy to implement one step at a time At the end of my final consultation he left me with an action plan

that will probably take me a year to implement fully But if the remaining strategies work even half as

well as the ones I have already put in place I will never be short of customers again I STRONGLY

RECOMMEND HIS ASSISTANCE TO ANY BUSINESS

Des Kennedy PhotoFinish

Before working with Dr Greg Chapman I had ideas I did not know how to implement and objectives I

could not achieve I had been running my own business for eight years with a staff of 15 and had hit a

plateau Since I started working with Greg a few months ago we have doubled our sales conversion rate

and have built sales and marketing systems I wish I had in place years ago We have a detailed

marketing strategy and plan with both short and long term goals that gives me the confidence that we

will double our sales next year I feel really empowered and in control for the first time because of the

knowledge and support Greg has given me If you are serious about making a difference in your

business you must get Greg to show you how

Lilly Kukuljan Six Degrees South Health amp Fitness Centre

Greg What a year I have done a profit analysis for the two calendar halves of the year 100 increase

in GPRevenue in line with forecast Hired two new staff The big improvement has been the ability for me

to know where my money is and how best to spend it Thanks for all your help

Ray Verati - Verve Project Management Pty Ltd

As the owner of a professional services business I was finding my business was depending mostly on me

in spite of having administrative support But after working with Dr Chapman I have been able to

increase my capacity by 30 simply by implementing the business systems that Greg suggested I am

now able to increase my billable hours and spend more time working on my business as I choose I

found the monthly updates between our workshops good discipline I also liked being able to get Gregrsquos

opinion on new initiatives as I developed them or being able to contact him when I needed to and

address issues as they arose I highly recommend Gregrsquos service for other business owners looking to

make their business less dependent on them

Steve Grimes Plan Cost Australia





Since starting to work with Dr Greg Chapman as my Business Coach my eyes have been opened to the

wider business community and how business should be done and strategies I hadnrsquot even considered

before For example I had a website for 2 years that was invisible and after following Gregrsquos advice I

was on the front page of Google in a week in all my key areas The ideas Greg has for promoting my

business are just fantastic and I have no hesitation in recommending him to anyone who is serious in

growing their business

Scott Ellis Ausdraft

Before working with Empower Business Solutions I thought I had a business But now I realise it was

more of a job with staff and overheads and it was unsustainable in its previous form My business was

not producing the results to justify all my hard work Dr Greg Chapman showed me how to focus on

business principles to make it a successful business and how to make it grow I was able to put in place

systems that allowed me to focus on what was most important in the business leaving to others work

that they could do I have rethought my relationships with my employees who now are more focussed on

the things that will take my business to where I want it to go I now know where my business is going

and how I am going to get there If you are working too many hours and not achieving the results you

know you deserve get Greg to show you how to turn your business around

Martin Speller Speller Construction

Book Your Complimentary Business Evaluation contact

Empower Business Solutions today

Multiply Your Profits amp Make Your Business Run Without You





THE FIVE PILLARS OF GUARANTEED BUSINESS SUCCESS

or

How to Make More Money From Your Business by Working Less

Preface

This edition of The FivePillars of Guaranteed Business Success is a preview of the

best selling book

ldquoThe Five Pillars of Guaranteed Business Successrdquo

By Dr Greg Chapman

The retail version of this book is a step-by-step guide on how to grow your business

includes a small business case study and comes with a $100 of downloadable business

tools It was a finalist in the international Indie Business Book Awards

Options you can choose that will Multiply Your Profits and Make Your Business Run

Without You include

bull Order the complete hardcopy edition of this best selling book

bull Check out the Small Business Success Club

bull Request a Complementary Business Evaluation

Even if you choose not to take any of these options donrsquot let this be another eBook on

your hard drive that you never read This preview on its own provides you with the key

concepts to transforming your business but knowledge is only of value when it is used

May You Business be as You Plan It

Dr Greg Chapman

CEO- The Empower Business Solutions amp The Australian Business Coaching Club





Introduction



























bull Business Plan

bull Marketing Plan


bull People Systems





















Start-up Businesses







bull Survival




up Businesses






Young Businesses




The owners ask


















Businesses











that much profit






Growing Pains





Business Maturity



















get new customers






Maturity




Business Decay








their business









reaching this phase





The Moment of Truth















ceiling















Second Youth





















grow











Business Plans



































































achieved












this year

























1 Advertising

2 Public Relations

3 Word of Mouth

4 Cold Calling












business disappears

























business





Marketing Plans













Business Plan


































Sales Pipeline










is










5 Price












Business Systems














making machine





activities


























Surgeon















Business












People Systems













bull A happier boss




Systems




























Systems is









Conclusion








doing it



luckier I gotrdquo








Your Goals
















sales


spent





dont have the time



something about it






owners who qualify





advertising budget











themselves

Yours in Success

Dr Greg Chapman











Appendix A

















the bottom shelf













business



your business






















Appendix B
























customers




How)



















business


















Appendix C



























































Appendix D






























efficient
























that important









Appendix E









Brain Surgeons do






















of their time






















do




runs without you









Appendix F






















































safe zone
























































30 for another








their business










slogan is































































































































































Introduction



























bull Business Plan

bull Marketing Plan


bull People Systems





















Start-up Businesses







bull Survival




up Businesses






Young Businesses




The owners ask


















Businesses











that much profit






Growing Pains





Business Maturity



















get new customers






Maturity




Business Decay








their business









reaching this phase





The Moment of Truth















ceiling















Second Youth





















grow











Business Plans



































































achieved












this year

























1 Advertising

2 Public Relations

3 Word of Mouth

4 Cold Calling












business disappears

























business





Marketing Plans













Business Plan


































Sales Pipeline










is










5 Price












Business Systems














making machine





activities


























Surgeon















Business












People Systems













bull A happier boss




Systems




























Systems is









Conclusion








doing it



luckier I gotrdquo








Your Goals
















sales


spent





dont have the time



something about it






owners who qualify





advertising budget











themselves

Yours in Success

Dr Greg Chapman











Appendix A

















the bottom shelf













business



your business






















Appendix B
























customers




How)



















business


















Appendix C



























































Appendix D






























efficient
























that important









Appendix E









Brain Surgeons do






















of their time






















do




runs without you









Appendix F






















































safe zone
























































30 for another








their business










slogan is















































































































































































Start-up Businesses







bull Survival




up Businesses






Young Businesses




The owners ask


















Businesses











that much profit






Growing Pains





Business Maturity



















get new customers






Maturity




Business Decay








their business









reaching this phase





The Moment of Truth















ceiling















Second Youth





















grow











Business Plans



































































achieved












this year

























1 Advertising

2 Public Relations

3 Word of Mouth

4 Cold Calling












business disappears

























business





Marketing Plans













Business Plan


































Sales Pipeline










is










5 Price












Business Systems














making machine





activities


























Surgeon















Business












People Systems













bull A happier boss




Systems




























Systems is









Conclusion








doing it



luckier I gotrdquo








Your Goals
















sales


spent





dont have the time



something about it






owners who qualify





advertising budget











themselves

Yours in Success

Dr Greg Chapman











Appendix A

















the bottom shelf













business



your business






















Appendix B
























customers




How)



















business


















Appendix C



























































Appendix D






























efficient
























that important









Appendix E









Brain Surgeons do






















of their time






















do




runs without you









Appendix F






















































safe zone
























































30 for another








their business










slogan is































































































































































Start-up Businesses







bull Survival




up Businesses






Young Businesses




The owners ask


















Businesses











that much profit






Growing Pains





Business Maturity



















get new customers






Maturity




Business Decay








their business









reaching this phase





The Moment of Truth















ceiling















Second Youth





















grow











Business Plans



































































achieved












this year

























1 Advertising

2 Public Relations

3 Word of Mouth

4 Cold Calling












business disappears

























business





Marketing Plans













Business Plan


































Sales Pipeline










is










5 Price












Business Systems














making machine





activities


























Surgeon















Business












People Systems













bull A happier boss




Systems




























Systems is









Conclusion








doing it



luckier I gotrdquo








Your Goals
















sales


spent





dont have the time



something about it






owners who qualify





advertising budget











themselves

Yours in Success

Dr Greg Chapman











Appendix A

















the bottom shelf













business



your business






















Appendix B
























customers




How)



















business


















Appendix C



























































Appendix D






























efficient
























that important









Appendix E









Brain Surgeons do






















of their time






















do




runs without you









Appendix F






















































safe zone
























































30 for another








their business










slogan is


































































































































































Businesses











that much profit






Growing Pains





Business Maturity



















get new customers






Maturity




Business Decay








their business









reaching this phase





The Moment of Truth















ceiling















Second Youth





















grow











Business Plans



































































achieved












this year

























1 Advertising

2 Public Relations

3 Word of Mouth

4 Cold Calling












business disappears

























business





Marketing Plans













Business Plan


































Sales Pipeline










is










5 Price












Business Systems














making machine





activities


























Surgeon















Business












People Systems













bull A happier boss




Systems




























Systems is









Conclusion








doing it



luckier I gotrdquo








Your Goals
















sales


spent





dont have the time



something about it






owners who qualify





advertising budget











themselves

Yours in Success

Dr Greg Chapman











Appendix A

















the bottom shelf













business



your business






















Appendix B
























customers




How)



















business


















Appendix C



























































Appendix D






























efficient
























that important









Appendix E









Brain Surgeons do






















of their time






















do




runs without you









Appendix F






















































safe zone
























































30 for another








their business










slogan is






































































































































































get new customers






Maturity




Business Decay








their business









reaching this phase





The Moment of Truth















ceiling















Second Youth





















grow











Business Plans



































































achieved












this year

























1 Advertising

2 Public Relations

3 Word of Mouth

4 Cold Calling












business disappears

























business





Marketing Plans













Business Plan


































Sales Pipeline










is










5 Price












Business Systems














making machine





activities


























Surgeon















Business












People Systems













bull A happier boss




Systems




























Systems is









Conclusion








doing it



luckier I gotrdquo








Your Goals
















sales


spent





dont have the time



something about it






owners who qualify





advertising budget











themselves

Yours in Success

Dr Greg Chapman











Appendix A

















the bottom shelf













business



your business






















Appendix B
























customers




How)



















business


















Appendix C



























































Appendix D






























efficient
























that important









Appendix E









Brain Surgeons do






















of their time






















do




runs without you









Appendix F






















































safe zone
























































30 for another








their business










slogan is































































































































































The Moment of Truth















ceiling















Second Youth





















grow











Business Plans



































































achieved












this year

























1 Advertising

2 Public Relations

3 Word of Mouth

4 Cold Calling












business disappears

























business





Marketing Plans













Business Plan


































Sales Pipeline










is










5 Price












Business Systems














making machine





activities


























Surgeon















Business












People Systems













bull A happier boss




Systems




























Systems is









Conclusion








doing it



luckier I gotrdquo








Your Goals
















sales


spent





dont have the time



something about it






owners who qualify





advertising budget











themselves

Yours in Success

Dr Greg Chapman











Appendix A

















the bottom shelf













business



your business






















Appendix B
























customers




How)



















business


















Appendix C



























































Appendix D






























efficient
























that important









Appendix E









Brain Surgeons do






















of their time






















do




runs without you









Appendix F






















































safe zone
























































30 for another








their business










slogan is












































































































































































grow











Business Plans



































































achieved












this year

























1 Advertising

2 Public Relations

3 Word of Mouth

4 Cold Calling












business disappears

























business





Marketing Plans













Business Plan


































Sales Pipeline










is










5 Price












Business Systems














making machine





activities


























Surgeon















Business












People Systems













bull A happier boss




Systems




























Systems is









Conclusion








doing it



luckier I gotrdquo








Your Goals
















sales


spent





dont have the time



something about it






owners who qualify





advertising budget











themselves

Yours in Success

Dr Greg Chapman











Appendix A

















the bottom shelf













business



your business






















Appendix B
























customers




How)



















business


















Appendix C



























































Appendix D






























efficient
























that important









Appendix E









Brain Surgeons do






















of their time






















do




runs without you









Appendix F






















































safe zone
























































30 for another








their business










slogan is































































































































































Business Plans



































































achieved












this year

























1 Advertising

2 Public Relations

3 Word of Mouth

4 Cold Calling












business disappears

























business





Marketing Plans













Business Plan


































Sales Pipeline










is










5 Price












Business Systems














making machine





activities


























Surgeon















Business












People Systems













bull A happier boss




Systems




























Systems is









Conclusion








doing it



luckier I gotrdquo








Your Goals
















sales


spent





dont have the time



something about it






owners who qualify





advertising budget











themselves

Yours in Success

Dr Greg Chapman











Appendix A

















the bottom shelf













business



your business






















Appendix B
























customers




How)



















business


















Appendix C



























































Appendix D






























efficient
























that important









Appendix E









Brain Surgeons do






















of their time






















do




runs without you









Appendix F






















































safe zone
























































30 for another








their business










slogan is























































































































































































achieved












this year

























1 Advertising

2 Public Relations

3 Word of Mouth

4 Cold Calling












business disappears

























business





Marketing Plans













Business Plan


































Sales Pipeline










is










5 Price












Business Systems














making machine





activities


























Surgeon















Business












People Systems













bull A happier boss




Systems




























Systems is









Conclusion








doing it



luckier I gotrdquo








Your Goals
















sales


spent





dont have the time



something about it






owners who qualify





advertising budget











themselves

Yours in Success

Dr Greg Chapman











Appendix A

















the bottom shelf













business



your business






















Appendix B
























customers




How)



















business


















Appendix C



























































Appendix D






























efficient
























that important









Appendix E









Brain Surgeons do






















of their time






















do




runs without you









Appendix F






















































safe zone
























































30 for another








their business










slogan is



















































































































































































1 Advertising

2 Public Relations

3 Word of Mouth

4 Cold Calling












business disappears

























business





Marketing Plans













Business Plan


































Sales Pipeline










is










5 Price












Business Systems














making machine





activities


























Surgeon















Business












People Systems













bull A happier boss




Systems




























Systems is









Conclusion








doing it



luckier I gotrdquo








Your Goals
















sales


spent





dont have the time



something about it






owners who qualify





advertising budget











themselves

Yours in Success

Dr Greg Chapman











Appendix A

















the bottom shelf













business



your business






















Appendix B
























customers




How)



















business


















Appendix C



























































Appendix D






























efficient
























that important









Appendix E









Brain Surgeons do






















of their time






















do




runs without you









Appendix F






















































safe zone
























































30 for another








their business










slogan is



















































































































































































business





Marketing Plans













Business Plan


































Sales Pipeline










is










5 Price












Business Systems














making machine





activities


























Surgeon















Business












People Systems













bull A happier boss




Systems




























Systems is









Conclusion








doing it



luckier I gotrdquo








Your Goals
















sales


spent





dont have the time



something about it






owners who qualify





advertising budget











themselves

Yours in Success

Dr Greg Chapman











Appendix A

















the bottom shelf













business



your business






















Appendix B
























customers




How)



















business


















Appendix C



























































Appendix D






























efficient
























that important









Appendix E









Brain Surgeons do






















of their time






















do




runs without you









Appendix F






















































safe zone
























































30 for another








their business










slogan is































































































































































Marketing Plans













Business Plan


































Sales Pipeline










is










5 Price












Business Systems














making machine





activities


























Surgeon















Business












People Systems













bull A happier boss




Systems




























Systems is









Conclusion








doing it



luckier I gotrdquo








Your Goals
















sales


spent





dont have the time



something about it






owners who qualify





advertising budget











themselves

Yours in Success

Dr Greg Chapman











Appendix A

















the bottom shelf













business



your business






















Appendix B
























customers




How)



















business


















Appendix C



























































Appendix D






























efficient
























that important









Appendix E









Brain Surgeons do






















of their time






















do




runs without you









Appendix F






















































safe zone
























































30 for another








their business










slogan is







































































































































































Sales Pipeline










is










5 Price












Business Systems














making machine





activities


























Surgeon















Business












People Systems













bull A happier boss




Systems




























Systems is









Conclusion








doing it



luckier I gotrdquo








Your Goals
















sales


spent





dont have the time



something about it






owners who qualify





advertising budget











themselves

Yours in Success

Dr Greg Chapman











Appendix A

















the bottom shelf













business



your business






















Appendix B
























customers




How)



















business


















Appendix C



























































Appendix D






























efficient
























that important









Appendix E









Brain Surgeons do






















of their time






















do




runs without you









Appendix F






















































safe zone
























































30 for another








their business










slogan is































































































































































Business Systems














making machine





activities


























Surgeon















Business












People Systems













bull A happier boss




Systems




























Systems is









Conclusion








doing it



luckier I gotrdquo








Your Goals
















sales


spent





dont have the time



something about it






owners who qualify





advertising budget











themselves

Yours in Success

Dr Greg Chapman











Appendix A

















the bottom shelf













business



your business






















Appendix B
























customers




How)



















business


















Appendix C



























































Appendix D






























efficient
























that important









Appendix E









Brain Surgeons do






















of their time






















do




runs without you









Appendix F






















































safe zone
























































30 for another








their business










slogan is



































































































































































Surgeon















Business












People Systems













bull A happier boss




Systems




























Systems is









Conclusion








doing it



luckier I gotrdquo








Your Goals
















sales


spent





dont have the time



something about it






owners who qualify





advertising budget











themselves

Yours in Success

Dr Greg Chapman











Appendix A

















the bottom shelf













business



your business






















Appendix B
























customers




How)



















business


















Appendix C



























































Appendix D






























efficient
























that important









Appendix E









Brain Surgeons do






















of their time






















do




runs without you









Appendix F






















































safe zone
























































30 for another








their business










slogan is































































































































































People Systems













bull A happier boss




Systems




























Systems is









Conclusion








doing it



luckier I gotrdquo








Your Goals
















sales


spent





dont have the time



something about it






owners who qualify





advertising budget











themselves

Yours in Success

Dr Greg Chapman











Appendix A

















the bottom shelf













business



your business






















Appendix B
























customers




How)



















business


















Appendix C



























































Appendix D






























efficient
























that important









Appendix E









Brain Surgeons do






















of their time






















do




runs without you









Appendix F






















































safe zone
























































30 for another








their business










slogan is





































































































































































Systems is









Conclusion








doing it



luckier I gotrdquo








Your Goals
















sales


spent





dont have the time



something about it






owners who qualify





advertising budget











themselves

Yours in Success

Dr Greg Chapman











Appendix A

















the bottom shelf













business



your business






















Appendix B
























customers




How)



















business


















Appendix C



























































Appendix D






























efficient
























that important









Appendix E









Brain Surgeons do






















of their time






















do




runs without you









Appendix F






















































safe zone
























































30 for another








their business










slogan is































































































































































Conclusion








doing it



luckier I gotrdquo








Your Goals
















sales


spent





dont have the time



something about it






owners who qualify





advertising budget











themselves

Yours in Success

Dr Greg Chapman











Appendix A

















the bottom shelf













business



your business






















Appendix B
























customers




How)



















business


















Appendix C



























































Appendix D






























efficient
























that important









Appendix E









Brain Surgeons do






















of their time






















do




runs without you









Appendix F






















































safe zone
























































30 for another








their business










slogan is

































































































































































sales


spent





dont have the time



something about it






owners who qualify





advertising budget











themselves

Yours in Success

Dr Greg Chapman











Appendix A

















the bottom shelf













business



your business






















Appendix B
























customers




How)



















business


















Appendix C



























































Appendix D






























efficient
























that important









Appendix E









Brain Surgeons do






















of their time






















do




runs without you









Appendix F






















































safe zone
























































30 for another








their business










slogan is



































































































































































Appendix A

















the bottom shelf













business



your business






















Appendix B
























customers




How)



















business


















Appendix C



























































Appendix D






























efficient
























that important









Appendix E









Brain Surgeons do






















of their time






















do




runs without you









Appendix F






















































safe zone
























































30 for another








their business










slogan is































































































































































Appendix A

















the bottom shelf













business



your business






















Appendix B
























customers




How)



















business


















Appendix C



























































Appendix D






























efficient
























that important









Appendix E









Brain Surgeons do






















of their time






















do




runs without you









Appendix F






















































safe zone
























































30 for another








their business










slogan is
















































































































































































Appendix B
























customers




How)



















business


















Appendix C



























































Appendix D






























efficient
























that important









Appendix E









Brain Surgeons do






















of their time






















do




runs without you









Appendix F






















































safe zone
























































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their business










slogan is































































































































































Appendix B
























customers




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business


















Appendix C



























































Appendix D






























efficient
























that important









Appendix E









Brain Surgeons do






















of their time






















do




runs without you









Appendix F






















































safe zone
























































30 for another








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slogan is










































































































































































business


















Appendix C



























































Appendix D






























efficient
























that important









Appendix E









Brain Surgeons do






















of their time






















do




runs without you









Appendix F






















































safe zone
























































30 for another








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Appendix C



























































Appendix D






























efficient
























that important









Appendix E









Brain Surgeons do






















of their time






















do




runs without you









Appendix F






















































safe zone
























































30 for another








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slogan is






















































































































































































Appendix D






























efficient
























that important









Appendix E









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of their time






















do




runs without you









Appendix F






















































safe zone
























































30 for another








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Appendix D






























efficient
























that important









Appendix E









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of their time






















do




runs without you









Appendix F






















































safe zone
























































30 for another








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that important









Appendix E









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of their time






















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Appendix F






















































safe zone
























































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Appendix E









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Appendix F






















































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do




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Appendix F






















































safe zone
























































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Appendix F






















































safe zone
























































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safe zone
























































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30 for another








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slogan is





































































































































































30 for another








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Documents

The Four Pillars of Guaranteed Business SuccessThe Five Pillars of Guaranteed Business Success – Preview ... It was a finalist in the international Indie ... The Five Pillars of