Running a business isn’t easy — and Tom Jakobek knows that as well as anyone.
The CEO of KBNJ Consulting has honed his business management skills over the course of 20-plus years working in both the public sector for the City of Toronto and as an entrepreneur in the private sector.
Tom learned crucial leadership strategies as Budget Chair and City Councilor for the City of Toronto, and in his vice president role with Toronto East General Hospital. As the head of Romlek Enterprises Inc. and now KBNJ Consulting Inc., Tom must juggle many projects, deadlines and meetings. Although KBNJ Consulting is relatively new, the company already has more than 40 projects with aggregate land values of more than $1 billion.
It took Tom a lot of learning through trial and error to become an efficient and successful entrepreneur. Here are a few tips from Tom about how to level up your business management game.
Exercise
Exercise is important to keep the body alert and the mind sharp. Tom, for example, runs every other morning at 6:00 a.m. On his off days, that’s the same time he starts his work for the day.
This strategy can make you incredibly productive in the early morning, and prepares you for whatever you may have to tackle for the rest of the day. Exercise has arguably become even more important during the pandemic, when workers and business owners have lost the routine of their commutes and the structure of the workplace.
Remote work requires a different approach for achieving maximum productivity, but exercise can often bring balance back to your schedule.
Reading
Tom says: “Read everything you can!”
Many famous entrepreneurs have said that consistent reading is a big part of their success, and that books, like exercise, are an essential part of keeping the mind agile and able. And while there’s nothing wrong with reading the seemingly endless supply of new self-help books for entrepreneurs and business professionals, it’s important to bring diversity to your reading list — even for things that might seem completely irrelevant to your business or career.
The other benefit of reading is simply gaining new knowledge. It’s vital that entrepreneurs and business owners be as knowledgeable as anyone else in the room. But if you’re an entrepreneur, then ideally you should know more.
For example, Tom recommends “Mind Over Matter: A Comprehensive Guide to Discovering Your Psychic Powers,” by Loyd Auerbach.
Staying Connected
It’s always been critical for business leaders to maintain close relationships with their clients, but that idea has become imperative during the pandemic, when remote communication became the norm.
That’s why smart business leaders spend a lot of time managing these relationships and maintaining that connection while simultaneously observing the rules of quarantine and the client’s personal preferences for interaction.
That being said, there’s no replacement for in-person interactions with clients, and many of us look forward to the return of more personal meetings.
Organization & Risk
While delegation is necessary for any business leader, good managers are always part of the process and making the final decisions.
If you have time to do the task yourself, then you should. That will help maintain the project’s quality and timeliness.
Keeping yourself personally involved also lets the client know that you have a vested interest in their project. Clients want to feel you are sharing the risk with them. The project’s success depends on a healthy partnership, and clients want to know you have “skin in the game.”
While all these things are important, nothing beats hard work. In life and business, there are no shortcuts to success.
If you put in the hours and stay available for your clients, then the business opportunities will keep coming.