Metalworking Solutions in Chattanooga, TN continues to grow their company in this difficult economy.  Metalworking Solutions has doubled their business in the five months that we have been privileged to have them as our client.

CEO Bill Hewgly has a young executive team that is eager to learn and lead the way in their industry.  Under Bill’s leadership, this team has learned that there is no recession for innovators.  Expect to hear more from this company as they are truly building a company that will last.

Click here to read the article: Growing in a Recession.

By: Terry L. Massey

Filed under: Blog, News by admin
No Comments »

Terry Massey, Partner at AmeriStride will be conducting a business growth workshop for the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce this Wednesday in the Chamber Board Room.  This workshop is part of the Business Building Block Series that the Chamber puts on each year. Details on the event and how to register are listed below:

Chattanooga Area Chamber
2010 BUSINESS BUILDING BLOCKS
Seminar Series

“How to Build a High-Impact Company”

Preparing for Growth in the Wake of Volkswagen

Wednesday, August 11
12 p.m. - 4 p.m.
811 Broad St
Chattanooga, TN 37402

Cost is $30
Includes Lunch and Parking

Change has come to our area with Volkswagen, Alstom and other major companies investing in our local area economy.  Is your organization readying itself to thrive in this new decade of opportunity?

In this seminar Terry Massey will offer a common sense approach to preparing your business to excel in the wake of the good fortune our city and state leaders worked so hard to bring our way.

“It takes about three quarterly cycles for an organization to learn and instill the disciplines that bring about higher collaboration, more focused decision-making, more productive meetings and professionals with greater respect for management and new-found company loyalty.”

Terry L. Massey

Register Online

or call the Chattanooga Area Chamber events hotline at
423.763.4366 or e-mail events@chattanoogachamber.com.

Click here for additional seminar information,
pricing and directions to validated parking locations.

Hosted by:
Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce
Chattanooga/Hamilton County Business Development Center
Southeast Women’s Business Center
Tennessee Small Business Development Center

Filed under: Blog, News by admin
No Comments »

This economy has produced a myriad of Solopreneurs.  Unfortunately many have joined this new business journey unwillingly.   In my speaking circuit I have had various discussions with these new business owners finding that they have very few avenues of assistance.  While there are several well meaning non-profit organizations that they can turn to, it appears that the quality of service is hit or miss in many circumstances.

AmeriStride aims to change that, while our services are not free, we are willing to work with these Solopreneurs to aid them in getting started on solid ground.  We have a network of complimentary business associates of like mind that realize this market is under served and needs the same quality assistance that larger organizations receive from companies such as ours.

Here is a link to such a firm in Chattanooga, J. Edward Nanney, Attorney at Law’s latest blog post, “To be or Not to Be -  Picking a Structure for Your Business (part 1)”. If you are a Solopreneur you’ll find this information helpful as you start out.

By: Terry L. Massey

Filed under: Uncategorized by admin
No Comments »

I recently had the pleasure of hearing David Altig, Senior Vice President and Director of Research, for the Federal Reserve Bank in Atlanta speak on the economy.  He put forth two very intriguing hypotheses on the current job situation.

1.  Corporate America kicks their employees to the curb having transferred an unfair amount of risk to their employees.

2.  Americans work smarter being able to do more with less.

He based his hypotheses on research he had conducted of other industrialized nations during this recession and noted that the U.S. economy had suffered the least and at the same time incurred the highest unemployment rate. During the same period U.S. production had accelerated where in every other instance, production had dropped with the drop in labor force.

His conclusion is that we are seeing a faster than normal transition in the U.S. in skilled versus unskilled labor pools. The labor force in America is going to look very different in this recovery than in past history. While I agree with this statement, I am not so quick to dismiss his first hypothesis.

I believe we have seen a dehumanizing of the labor force over the past 15 years. I believe both sides are to blame.  Executives in their pursuit of short term gains, in some cases pure greed, have looked at the labor force as just another tool on the line, one that can quickly be trimmed if need be. The labor force on the other hand has become somewhat complacent and allowed attitudes of entitlement to creep in to their performance levels.   Gone are the days of my father and grandfather where they worked over 30 years for the same company and took pride in their work, craftsmanship and employer. Right, wrong or indifferent, much of their identity came from who they worked for.

We have found a new market of solopreneurs that we are helping to get started in new business ventures.  Helping them build businesses for the first time.  Many of these men and women are in their late 40’s to early 50’s.  We are committed to helping them succeed and build companies that deliver great services and products with integrity.  At the same time I can’t help but think it didn’t have to be this way. Opening up a new business should be out of choice not a forced survival endeavor.

At AmeriStride we are striving to help small and medium businesses capitalize on this oversight by corporate America.  Today’s available talented work force is looking for balance.  They want to join a company that is on a mission, that holds similar values to what they value.  A company that stands for something greater than the almighty dollar, where responsibility is shared throughout the ranks, where rewards are shared proportionately to the risk taken and no one goes unaccountable.

By: Terry L. Massey

Filed under: Blog by admin
No Comments »

(Contributed by Matt Lauth, Certified Six Disciplines Business Coach)

It’s May already, and here you are in the middle of Q2.  Two questions you need to ask yourself:  1. Are you on track?  2. If not, what are you going to do about it?

By “change initiatives” we’re referring to those few key projects (some call them  “big rocks” or “vital few objectives”) that you identified as part of your strategic plan – the few cross-functional initiatives across your organization that will produce the most important changes for your organization.

The reason why change initiatives are so important? They should drive as much as 70+% of the planned effort and aligned activity of each person in your organization – every day!

If you’re new to the concept of change initiatives, here’s a quick 4-step checklist to get you started:

• Decide on the list of the key initiatives for your business by answering “What are the most important projects we can undertake as a company that will have the most important impact on the way we do business?” Keep the list to an absolute minimum (3-5 initiatives).
• Document each initiative with a name, short description, a single person who’s responsible for the initiative and its outcome, a single measure (“For this initiative to be successful, what needs to occur?”), and an expected completion date.
• Measure progress toward each of the initiatives. We suggest the list be reviewed weekly, with group reviews every two-weeks.  This will bring the focus that this is important to the organization and the accountability to seeing that it gets done.
• Create a “stop doing” list of the projects you’ve decided not to do (you HAVE decided to stop doing some things, right?) Reassign these valuable resources (time, people, and dollars) to your most important change initiatives.

KEY ACTION TO TAKE: By focusing your planning and daily activities on the most important initiatives, you’ll develop a concise view of what’s most important (and what’s not), and you can begin to establish the habit of disciplined strategy execution.  Need help with your change initiatives? Contact us, and we’ll have a Six Disciplines AmeriStride business coach get in touch with you.

Filed under: Blog by admin
No Comments »

Organization learning occurs when the following takes place:

• A belief that your ultimate core competence is based on the “master process” – the ability to execute strategy.
• You use a shared repeatable methodology that helps you organize your efforts so you can learn to execute better and speak the same language.
• You utilize Strategy execution coaches who are experts in the same repeatable methodology.
• The daily use of strategy execution software to integrate planning and activity alignment throughout your organization.

Of all the four components of AmeriStride’s use of the Six Disciplines’ complete strategy execution program (methodology, coaching, software, and a learning community)  the learning community has the potential to be the most transforming component of all, using the other three components as leverage.

If you would like to understand and learn more please give me a call at (423) 240-0267 or email me at terry.massey@AmeriStride.com.

By: Terry L. Massey

Filed under: Blog by admin
No Comments »

The Six Disciplines Methodology is made up of a series of annual, quarterly, weekly and daily repeatable cycles which, with each successive pass, helps you and your team learn how to communicate, collaborate, and perform better.

If you would like to understand and learn more please give me a call at (423) 240-0267 or email me at terry.massey@AmeriStride.com.

By: Terry L. Massey

Filed under: Blog by admin
No Comments »

Recently, I have had several business associates ask to learn more about Six Disciplines. The Six Disciplines for Excellence is a book written by best selling author Gary Harpst, former CEO of Solomon Software and current CEO of Six Disciplines, LLC.  In this book Gary identifies the Six Disciplines for building companies that learn, lead and last.

It is all about effectively executing company strategy. Gary relates these Six Disciplines to the ingredients of a cake. The ingredients of a cake do not taste much like a cake but mixed together and properly baked you have a wonderfully tasting dessert. In other words it is hard to piecemeal strategy and execution. It takes a complete program to build an organization whereby executives can sustain growth and achieve consistent predictable outcomes.

Take a brief listen and then visit us again tomorrow to begin learning more about each necessary discipline.

If you would like to understand more please give me a call at (423) 240-0267 or email me at terry.massey@AmeriStride.com.

By: Terry L. Massey

Filed under: Blog by admin
No Comments »

My entire career has been spent in either direct sales or sales management. Even as I climbed the ladder to executive positions, sales has always fallen under my purview. Therefore, I tend to be a tad bit partial to the old adage “that nothing happens until someone sells something,” which I know is not entirely true but it sure helps when dollars are coming in the door.

So how do we get a beleaguered sales team performing again after 18 months of a difficult economy at best. Here are some suggestions:

By: Terry L. Massey

Filed under: Blog by admin
No Comments »

Chattanooga has the good fortune of several marquee companies making significant investments in our local economy. Is your company poised to take advantage of the inevitable growth coming to our area?

Business leaders of smaller companies face significant challenges. Most are having to work with less resources. The resources that are available are stretched nearly to the break point. Competition is fierce and the likelihood of new competitors is imminent as new companies move to the area.

AmeriStride in cooperation with The Concierge Level is providing the opportunity for Chattanooga’s small business leaders to meet and learn with and from their peers. A forum to elevate above the day to day doldrums and determine what is truly important for their businesses to move forward, producing the desired outcomes to sustain growth for years to come.

Gain New Perspective

Fresh ideas and perspective fuel innovation that spurs a company’s continued growth. The Chattanooga Executive Roundtable facilitated by AmeriStride’s Certified Business Coaches in the comfort of The Concierge Office Suites, inspire discussion among business leaders that challenges the status quo and provides insight into improvements that can be placed into action now.

Improved Decision Making

This executive roundtable provides an effective forum for difficult decisions that small business leaders must make. What better means to test decisions with a jury of peers before trying to implement in an unforgiving marketplace.

Benefit from the Counsel of Your Peers

Small business leaders have few trusted advisers. Who can you turn to that has no agenda other than to contribute to the success of your business? Who will tell you the truth even though they know it is not what you want to hear? Members of The Chattanooga Executive Roundtable and AmeriStride business coaches work together to uncover opportunities, determine initiatives and test assumptions in a confidential environment.

Carpe Diem

The Chattanooga Executive Roundtable is about growing your business by driving positive outcomes. This forum provides small business leaders with peers to hold themselves accountable for taking action on initiatives determined and tested during the monthly meetings. It is about learning how to stay focused, hit targets and not allow the urgent to trump the important.

The Roundtable Experience

Groups of 5 to 8 peers engage in frank and challenging discussions under the facilitation of a trained and experienced AmeriStride business coach. The Chattanooga Executive Roundtable consists of a monthly problem-solving meeting with up to 8 C-level executives or business owners, facilitated by an AmeriStride business coach. Each meeting will last between 3-4 hours.

Fees—Through the sponsorship of The Concierge Level this service is being provided for a low monthly fee of $150. Memberships are limited.

Meetings are scheduled to begin the 2nd and 3rd Monday of May. Sessions are held 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM and 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM. Contact us today.

Filed under: Blog, News by admin
No Comments »