The Invisible Mentor

How Did They Do That? An Interview With Dan White

Dan White, Founder & President, WNBC Business Solutions

Challenge: I allowed a contract employee to have too much control over one aspect of my business. The contract employee ran the tax business and did not regularly relate to me what was going on. The contractor fell behind, in some cases, more than a year. I had 82 angry clients. I now had to get a year’s worth of work done in three months.

Solution: I took back control of the business, and the contractor decided to leave the company. I set up a customer relationship management system to automate all processes. I could now see everything that was going on in the company. I hired a team of tax consultants to do one year’s worth of work in three months to satisfy the 82 angry clients.

Lessons Learned

1. I am accountable and responsible for everything that happens in my business
2. I learned that I wasn’t a good leader because a leader is not necessarily someone who inspires, motivates and set a good example, but one who takes the team into battle and make sure that they arrive home safely
3. I should not delegate the critical functions in my business without knowing what’s going on
4. I should not give anyone too much freedom without making sure that I am very comfortable with what is going on at all times

Formula For Success

Recognize a need, have a solution and understand where the customer/prospect is going to find the money to pay for the solution. There is a shortage of money. Governments create a scarcity of money. If a person doesn’t have something that is less wonderful they are not going to buy your solution because they simply do not have any spare money.

If you were Dan White, what would you have done differently? How much power do you give to employees and contractors? Is there an implied trust between employer and employee or employer and contractor? What lessons have you learned from Dan’s experience?

This is an excerpt from October 2005 Ambeck Edge

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