Hi Friends!

So excited to share this with you all today! I look forward to every time I am allowed to share insight with you as the Times & Seasons unfold. I don’t know about you, but I am noticing lots of changes happening rapidly and drastically in our world. In recent events, as I’ve traveled the last couple of weeks, there are a few things that have stood out to me more so in recent times like workplace morale and customer service. I can remember the days of walking into a place of business without having a clue or indication problems were going on behind the scenes. There were also times that I’ve walked into business establishments and said to myself, “this would be a nice place to work” because the atmosphere was contagious with motivation and inspiration. For instance, everyone loves the Chick-fil-A experience and the happy faces that often say, “My Pleasure”. This attitude towards customer service sells, as we can see from the fact that the lines are consistently and constantly wrapped around the buildings waiting for the experience on a daily basis. Over these past couple of weeks, I’ve had many encounters with private business owners, public employees, and many others. I’ve paid attention to every encounter because I’ve personally been affected by them all, and what I’ve gathered is that people are experiencing a wide range of pressure from various situations.

Unique problems and positions are being presented at an all-time high with little to no solutions on how to navigate through them. In my time of reflecting, I gathered that every presented problem does have a solution, but the question to be asked is, Who will have the endurance to work the solutions through?

Today’s Business principle is “Your Problem is the Strategy”. 

Your Problem is the Strategy that will lead to your solution in this upcoming season. This principle is derived from Matthew 25:14-15. This scripture tells the parable of a man who was about to take a long journey, and he called his servants together and entrusted them with his property. To each of the men, he gave talents that were in proportion to their own personal ability. The talents were given to these men with the intention that they would produce according to their ability. In relation to this story, we all have been entrusted with gifts, talents, and abilities to produce as well – but that doesn’t always come with ease.

We will all encounter seasons in which; things just don’t seem to line up, unforeseen circumstances seem to take precedence, loss is more than profit, more problems than joy, and the list goes on. However, whatever problem or dilemma you are facing although it may be overwhelming, it is according to your ability to solve it. Use your problem as the strategy to bring the solutions that will, (1) Set you apart from the rest in unprecedented times, (2) Allow you to be Innovative by creating more unconventional ways of doing things, and (3) Increase your clientele and profits in times where it shouldn’t be realistically possible.

 Here are 3 Strategies & Solutions on How To Use Your Problem as the Strategy. 

1. Contribute to the Solution according to your own personal ability. Bring your problem and strategy to the discussion table along with others who can contribute to the solution. If the people who are within your reach are not willing to help, it’s time to cast your net. There have been many times I’ve had to do this. Through time and patience, I decided to cast my net many times and still do to this day! The result of stepping outside of my comfort zone to help bring about solutions I’ve faced in my personal life and business has been overwhelmingly rewarding! Meeting new people, contributing to new causes, and extending your reach can be just a few of the benefits your problem can bring.

 2. Do Not Settle because of limitations. It’s easy to be prone to excuses. Problems solicit answers, not excuses. There is nothing worse than hearing someone say, “I can’t because…….”, and the dots all lead to someone else. If you offer a service and you don’t have the means to provide the service, don’t advertise for it until you are capable. If the service has to be revamped because of distribution or lack of third-party fulfillment, then provide an alternative that is just as good to meet the need. In addition, talk with your clients and customers individually to explain and provide them the opportunity to make an alternative decision. When limitation hits your business, make sure that you are serving your customers in the spirit of Excellence at all times.

 3. Maintain the morale of your environment and provide exceptional customer service. When problems arise, they allow you to access things that you haven’t paid attention to before, or to view things from another perspective. If any of you watch Undercover Boss, we can see this happen a lot. The CEO gets to see what it’s like through the eyes of the employee. However, oftentimes, we can get into the mindset of people needing us and what we have and we treat them as such. However, there are two sides to this coin, we all need each other. Businesses need consumers, and consumers need the products and services they buy. In understanding this, it’s easier to understand the importance of taking time to get to know your customers and understand their views so that you can serve them better during a time when your business is facing unforeseen circumstances. Your customers may be the very ones to provide insight on how to contribute to the problems you’re facing. Maintain a positive environment during times of crisis, because this also will affect your consumers, your employees, and the overall climate of your business. How you view your problem will always determine the outcome of how successful you are in solving it. During these times of uncertainty, allow any problem you encounter to be the strategy for your success!

Until next time Friends,

I pray for the Best in Your Life, Business, & Success!

– Sherron