by MHolland | May 5, 2025 | Business Tips, Systems
Let us be honest — most businesses do not fail because of bad ideas.
They fail because of bad execution. Clever ideas are a dime a dozen, as the saying goes…
And behind every strong execution?
Three boring but unbeatable forces: discipline, consistency, and habits.
I have a good habit of writing a Blog every single week. And…then…I forgot…to write a blog last week. I really hate that! 😊
So, what am I going to do? Write 2 blogs this week. This one for Monday morning, and then I will get back on track for my weekly Friday blog.
In business, consistency is everything! We never miss a monthly Controller’s meeting with our clients, no matter what. (**NOTE** exception for a small few who are very, very busy, and often on the road. In these cases, I record the highlights of the Results of Operations from the month prior).
Discipline – Doing What Needs to Be Done
Discipline is your ability to stick to the tough tasks even when you do not feel like it.
It is calling that customer back, reviewing the cash flow, or tightening expenses before they become a problem.
In business, discipline means:
✅ Saying no to distractions.
✅ Sticking to the priorities that matter.
✅ Keeping your team accountable, even when it is uncomfortable.
Without discipline, you drift. With it, you grow.
Consistency – The Power of Small, Repeated Actions
Anyone can have a good day.
But can you have five good days in a row?
Or fifty?
Consistency compounds.
That means:
- Regularly reviewing your numbers.
- Routinely improving your processes.
- Constantly communicating with your team.
It is not about giant leaps; it is about steady steps in the right direction.
Habits – Your Autopilot Advantage
Habits are your secret weapon.
Why? Because once something becomes a habit, it takes less energy and willpower.
It is not about Massive Action. That is grossly overrated. Habits beat Massive Action every time. Because Massive Action equals burnout.
Habits equal CANI – Constant and Never-Ending Improvement.
Examples of winning business habits:
🔹 Daily huddles or check-ins.
🔹 Weekly financial reviews.
🔹 Monthly customer feedback loops.
🔹 Regular training or upskilling sessions.
Build good habits, and your business starts running smoother — on autopilot.
Final Word – Small Wins Equals Big Impact
Discipline, consistency, and habits do not sound glamorous.
But they separate the businesses that just survive from those that thrive.
Start small:
✔ Pick one habit to improve this week.
✔ Commit to one consistent process.
✔ Strengthen one area of discipline.
Over time, you will see the difference — in your numbers, your team, and your own leadership.
Thanks, as always, for reading…
by MHolland | Apr 24, 2025 | Business Tips, Systems
Today I am writing about productivity…
What does this have to do with accounting or business?
Everything!
Today in a blog I will share shortly, they talk about Doom Scrolling and how it is purposely designed to distract, addict you, and destroy your ability to focus.
I remember when my dear Irish mother would call me during the week to share the latest disasters and crimes with me. She used to watch the network news every night before bed. It was a ritual for my mom and dad.
I told her it was not a good idea to take all that negative energy into sleep! She didn’t listen. She was addicted to the news.
In a way, she was my Doom Scroller. She would call me the next day at times, ask me, “did you hear about that train wreck in Missouri?” “The famine in Bangladesh?” “The murder in Toronto?”
No mom, I did not. Thanks for informing of this wonderful news! LOL
Anyway, here is this really stunning Blog on Doom Scrolling:
Doom Scrolling
Thanks for reading…
by MHolland | Apr 2, 2025 | Business Tips, Systems
You have heard the phrase “take massive action” more times than you can count. It is the rally cry of entrepreneurs and their coaches. Push harder. Go bigger. Move faster.
And there is a time and place for that.
But if you are running a $3 to $20 million business, especially a family-owned one, “massive action” might not be the magic pill it once was. In fact, it could be exactly what is holding you back.
Let us talk about what really drives consistent, low-stress growth.
🚀 When Massive Action Works (and When It Does not)
Massive action can be a powerful tool. It is how you:
- Launch a new service line or product.
- Make a bold marketing move.
- Rapidly pivot in a crisis.
But it is also:
- Hard to sustain.
- Risky without a solid financial foundation.
- Draining for your team (and yourself).
We see this a lot with high-growth businesses—especially in industries like construction, property management, and even cross-border logistics. There is a sudden burst of growth… and then a scramble to catch up on systems, staff, and cash flow.
You are “winning”, but it does not feel like winning.
🎯 The Power of Precision – Rifle Shots + Daily Habits
What separates thriving $10M businesses from the ones that stall at $5M?
Not hustle.
Discipline. Systems. Focused execution.
We call this the “rifle shot” approach—making smart, well-aimed moves backed by rock-solid daily and weekly habits.
🛠️ What You Can Do This Quarter
You do not need to burn out to grow. Try this instead:
- Pick one high-leverage improvement. (Pricing, collections, margin, etc.)
- Set up a repeatable habit. (Weekly review, monthly scorecard.)
- Use the tools. (Xero + HubDoc + ApprovalMax + Plooto = less stress.)
- Avoid “growth at any cost” mindset. Target profitable, aligned growth.
Thanks for reading…
by MHolland | Mar 28, 2025 | Business Tips, Cash Flow, Systems
The following is a reprint of a Four-Part series of Blogs I wrote in 2028.
In the previous 3 Blogs I wrote about the first 3 ways to grow a business, any business.
Way number 1 is to increase the number of customers/clients (of the type you want)
Way number 2 is to increase the transaction frequency (or in business terms, the number of times they buy)
Way number 3 is to increase the average value of each sale.
And, way number 4 is to increase the efficiency of how you do the first 3.
The measurements of the first 3 ways to grow your business are a breakdown of what is in your total sales figure:
Number of active customers
X
Number of times they shop/buy
X
The average sale per transaction
=
Total revenue
All 3 of the above can be measured and when you increase each one as an independent strategy you can achieve some explosive growth!
So, you may be wondering….
How Do You Measure Increasing the Efficiency of Your Systems?
The measurement for the efficiency of your systems is the cost per transaction.
For your variable costs it is your gross profit margin.
For your fixed expenses it is the total fixed costs divided by the number of transactions.
And, this is where it can get very slippery!
Because we all know that Profit is equal to Revenue less Expenses, then it would seem that the way to increase profit is to reduce expenses!
And this is a huge mistake, if applied without further thinking …
Even Huge Companies Really Get This Wrong
I read the other day that stock repurchases (something that was illegal under SEC rules in the past) are all the fashion in the public company world.
In other words, large companies increase stock value by using internally generated cash to buy their own stock back.
This increases the share value, and then the Executive stock options are worth more, which they cash in on.
Do you see a motivation here?
All this is done at the expense of the people who are generating the bulk of the share value – the people who work there.
So, am I saying that a business should not reduce its costs?
No, I am not. What I am saying is that a company must use a different way of thinking when they examine each cost of the business…
Before Axing a Cost, You Must Ask These 3 Questions
As I mentioned above, because revenue – expenses = net profit, it would seem logical to think that reducing expenses will increase net profit.
And, this would (in most cases) be totally wrong.
Why?
Because costs drive value.
I will repeat that – costs drive value.
And if you reduce them willy nilly, you will end up cutting the heart out of the business, and revenues will eventually, sometimes quickly, decline with the cost-cutting.
There are 3 Vital Questions to Ask Before Eliminating or Reducing any Expense
They are:
- Does this expense help to increase sales?
- Does this expense help to increase Return on Investment?
- Does this expense help to increase cash flow?
If the answer is “no” to any of those questions, then either cut it, or replace it with a lower cost alternative.
Let’s look at some simple examples. Take rent – perhaps you are in a high-traffic location for a retail store and you are paying $500 a square foot. You find another location for $250/ square foot.
If the high-traffic location can generate more than twice the sales per square foot, then it is a better investment than the lower cost alternative.
Coming back to my example of the share re-purchase schemes by public companies. Imagine that they – instead of buying back their own shares – invested in better infra-structure, team training, and higher wages. Perhaps those drivers of value can result in higher sales and thus higher net profit.
From the higher profit, dividends could be paid to the shareholders, and everyone wins.
The Best Way to Create Effectiveness and Efficiency is Systems
As Michael Gerber said in his underground bestseller, The E-Myth, the systems are your business.
Put another way, without good systems, there is just you, “doing it, doing it, doing it”. You may be good at the technical work of the business, but that is not what is required to create a sustainable business. For that you need systems!
Your systems must revolve around what your customers truly value so that you can deliver a consistently awesome product or service in a manner that has people feel cared for and appreciated.
Start by flow-charting every vital customer-centric function of your business, and eliminate steps that add no value, and add steps that do.
One way to find out what your customers value is to run a Client Advisory Board, where you meet (or rather someone else meets with them rather than you as owner, so they will be more honest) with a select group of your best customers and ask them what is working and what is not working in your business.
It takes guts to do that, yet most good(A) customers will not trash your service offerings – they will offer constructive feedback that will help you run a better(and hence more profitable) business in service to them.
Thanks for reading….
by MHolland | Mar 21, 2025 | Business Tips, Selling Tips, Systems
Micro-habits work…
What are micro-habits, you ask? They are tiny ways to get started on setting new habits versus setting Big Goals that never happen. As in, put on your jogging shoes and run in place for 2 minutes versus 30 minutes of exercise as a goal. Or, in business, call one customer a week for 3 minutes.
I use two apps that help me develop habits and fulfill on my goals.
Habit Loop tracker is a terrific app that you use on your phone (funny that we call it a phone, when it so much more than that, right?).
You simply create a habit you want to track, set notifications, and, then, well, track it! For me, a simple personal example is stretching with bands. I set the habit for daily tracking and for 10 minutes.
I know I can do 10 minutes! Maybe 20. Thirty minutes – maybe. Yet every day, that starts to seem like a grind and no fun. I also do 15 minutes of stretching. I would never do 30. You get the idea.
Start small. Because the habit is King. The habit is the goal. It will either be enough, or stretch out beyond the micro habit.
In business, I am singing a tune more and more with my clients of improving only 1%. In four areas. The effect can be wildly powerful.
Here is what I am saying – 1% price increase, 1% savings in Cost of Goods Sold, 1% volume increase, and 1% savings on fixed costs.
For example, a business with $10 million in sales implementing a 1% price increase adds $100,000 to the bottom line. We have not even started on the other 1% improvements yet! The leverage effect is incredible.
Here is a great article from the Freedom App people talking more about Micro-Habits: Micro-Habits With Freedom.
(PS – that is the 2nd app I use daily – the Freedom app. I block websites to avoid distractions and stay focused on – you guessed it – my habits. Habits are King).
Capital Gains Exemption
Here is a good article on recent changes to the Capital Gains exemption for small businesses in Canada: Capital Gains.
Marketing on LinkedIn
Here is a good article on increasing your profile on LinkedIn, a global network with one billion members – Linkedin-7 Tips To Improve Your Company Profile
Have a great weekend, and thanks for reading…
by MHolland | Feb 28, 2025 | Business Tips, Systems
The last two weeks I have been writing about the first two leverage points in growing a business – any business!
Leverage Point Number One is getting more customers/clients of the type you want.
Leverage Point Number Two is getting your customers/clients to come back more often. To buy more from you. In accounting terms – to increase your transaction frequency.
This week we will take a break before going through Leverage Point Number Three, and talk about eating the frog.
Nice image, right?
We live is a hyper distracted world. Smart phones, iPads, and laptops are feeding you news, emails, notifications. In other words, distractions.
I use an app called Freedom to block social media, notifications and newsfeeds when I need to focus for long blocks of time.
This month’s Freedom newsletter blogs were great! The first one is, as my title of this blog indicates is – Eat That Frog Productivity Hack
The second blog worth reading is about doing nothing. Doing nothing as a productivity hack to – be more productive. A seeming paradox, yet true. Doing nothing for blocks of time can increase your overall productivity.
Think, less is more.
You can read this great blog here – Art of doing Nothing Productivity Hack
Thanks for reading…
