As part of my curiosity about social networking for business and pleasure, I have created a LinkedIn group called Business Alaska. I like to post something to the group at least once a week. You can join by typing Business Alaska in the Search Group box. I bet there's a way to connect the two; I'm gonna need to check that out. Until then, here is today's post:

A Quick Fix
Yesterday, I was discussing a current health promotion with a friend and she mentioned a new drug on the market for weight loss. Another one of our friends had been using it for a few months now and had lost 17 pounds by medicating herself to loose weight. As part of the criteria, she had to commit to:

1) exercise thirty minutes a day- seven days a week
2) decrease the intake of carbs and increase her protein diet
3) create a support group

Whatever your opinion is about medication for weight loss, I think there is a business principle to be considered here.

If your business needed to 'shed some pounds' in order to become a better oiled machine, what would be the first thing you did?

Commit to a level of fitness needed to operate?
Decrease a specific aspect of your business diet (like office gossip) and increase a productive aspect (like learning social networks)?
Create a group of people you believe have your businesses' best interests in mind?

Of course! That's because taking these steps is a lifestyle change. It is something that with a little bit of work becomes easier until it is just a part of your successful business make-up.

Are you going to take a pill or patch a band-aide for the rest of your businesses' life? Of course not.

In my experience, businesses too often look to me to create a short term pill they can pop to increase the level of business they are doing. Unfortunately, once the pill begins to work, the foundation tends to crumble because the simple things are not in place, like good customer service, a unified identity, a holistic presence.

In your business, are you relying on a synthetic solution, or are you doing the work it takes to create a solid foundation from which to grow?