Home About Stand Back Course Author Course Updates Book TAKE THE STAND BACK TEST Menu Home About Stand Back Course Author Course Updates Book TAKE THE STAND BACK TEST Answer 30 questions to find out how much your business currently depends on you. Let's go! Name Email What size is your company?Only me2-56-2526-50Over 50 How old is your company?Planning to start upLess than 1 year1-3 years3-5 years5-10 yearsover 10 years How often do you stay over time?Every day3-4 times a week1-2 times a weekHardly ever When was the last time you've taken a 2 week holiday?Over 5 years agoOver a year ago, but less then 5 yearsLast 12 monts When on holidays...I do not employ anyone, so even when I am on holidays I have to be available on my phoneMy employees call me dailyMy employees call me a few timesMy employees call me in emergencies only When I am away from the company...I manage my company remotelyI call the company reguraly to make sure all is okI do not call my company but employees call or text me sometimesI do not call the company at all Which answer is true when it comes to your sector's expertise...It's only me in my business, so I am naturally the specialistI am the best specialist in my companyThere is at least 1 person with similar or better expertise within my companyI can step in if needed, but generally others are better than I am When I take days off...I am always available on my phone so that people (customers) can reach me if neededA backlog automaticaly starts to build upUpon arrival there are some tasks for me to sort outUpon arrival there is nothing outstanding for me to do and I can crack on with new things During the weekends...I regularly (almost every week) catch up with work as I can have some uninterrupted time to focusI sometimes (once a month) go to work to work on the backlogI do not work at all and spend the time with my family or doing things I love doing At the end of my company's normal working hours...I always stay longer to do the work I didn't have time to doI often stay longer to catch up with workI can stand up and go, but I couldn't go before my employees finishI often leave before the company closes Do you deal with customer orders?Yes, I win jobs/serve the customer and fulfil orders myself or manage the fulfilmentI get involved in some stages of serving my customers of the fulfilment processI get involved if there is an emergency or a customer is dissatisfiedNo, I am not involved in winning jobs/serving the customer or fulfilling the orders If I was away for 6 months, my company would collapse in...2 weeks1 month3 monthsIt would keep going without bigger problems If I disappeared for six months, my company would continue to grow without me...NoMaybeYes, it happened before Your customers...I don't employ anyone, so all customers deal with meOnly deal with me and even if someone else makes the initial contact, they will still ask for meNormally deal with my employees, but when things escalate, my customers or employees ask for meDon't know me personally and happily deal with my employees Which sentence best describes your company's financial awareness?My company's accounts are done only once a year because the law requires it. Throughout the year I do not track my financial position using financial reportsI focus on my job and leave all the financials to my Accountant, therefore as long as we can pay the bills, I am not worriedI have access to accurate financial statements but look at them only when there is a slowdownI receive accurate and up to date financial statements each month which I study thoroughly and fully understand Which sentence best describes your company's systems and procedures...The are no documented systems or procedures and my employees follow my instructionsThere are some "ways of doing things" which are not documented and only the more serious issues are resolved by meOver 90% of all possible decisions are documented and therefore employees can make decisions on their own Who opens and closes the business?I don't employ anyone or work from homeOnly meNormally me, but if required, I have a trusted person who does itFrom time to time meHardly ever me Who has access to your bank account and who makes the majority of payments?Only meSomeone else has access to the bank account but only I do the paymentsOthers can make payments and I have a robust system in place to ensure safety Which answer is true...I am so busy that I do not have time to think about a growth strategy for my companyI have a vague idea of where I want my company to go, but it is not documented and employees are not aware of itI focus predominantly on the company's strategy and employees are well aware of it Which sentence best describes your state...I feel overwhelmed, there seems to be an endless stream of tasks and no matter how hard I try, there is more awaitingI am constantly busy with many tasks on my shoulders, I often work long hours, but still manage to find some time for my family or myselfI am very happy and relaxed about my business, there are no fires to extinguish and the vast majority of work is done without my involvement When I wake up...I dread it because I know that an avalanche of issues will drop on meI am reluctant to get out of bed because I know there are a number of boring tasks that won't be done without my involvementI am happy to get out of bed even though I have plenty of work to do which relies only on meI can't wait to get out of bed, knowing that no issues will be waiting for me When I don't feel well or I simply don't feel like going to work today...Staying at home is not an option, as so many things depend on me, that my unexpected absence will paralyse the companyIt would be better to go to work, but if staying at home, I would have to work remotely by making phone calls and/or sending emailsI can stay at home without having to work at all When I am not at work...I don't employ anyone so without me nothing will be doneI don't employ anyone but I have remote people who manage some issues, so I will be informed about them and will only be required to deal with important decisionsMy employees are not productive and cheat on hoursMy employees do their work, but are less productiveMy employees won't even realise and will continue to work efficiently How many existing employees would you enthusiastically rehire, knowing what you know now?Less than 50%Between 50% and 70%Between 70% and 90%Over 90% Do your employees know exactly what they have been employed to do?They were hired randomly to help out and do whatever needs to be done, therefore they do not have specific positionsIn general they were told what position they were hired for, but very often do a lot of other tasks and none of their responsiblities are documentedYes, my employees receive a printed document that describes their position and lists their responsibilities, but they often don’t stick to it as there is much more to be doneYes, my employees receive a printed document that describes their position and their responsibilities Do your employees have clear targets/goals (daily, weekly or monthly)?I have a good feeling of how we are doing, so there is no need to set any targetsI have my own target based on the turnover and motivate my staff when we start falling behindMost positions have defined targets and a clear commission structure When it comes to implementing new ideas...Me and my employees are too busy to think of new ideasI have some ideas, but my employees resist implementing any changesMy employees come up with new ideas, but I don't have time to look into it or give them the go aheadMy employees come up with their own ideas and are free to implement them without my permission Which sentence best describes your company's approach towards employing family members and friends...There are a few family members/friends who are dragging the company, but due to personal politics, I can't do anything about itI employ at least one family member/friend that I know I could replace for someone betterMy company treats any family member or friend as any other candidate and there is no special treatment for them during the recruitment process or when they are employed When it comes to my managers...I don't employ anyone and I don't have any remote managersNone of them is competant, but I don't have better substitutesThey need to be micro-managed and often ask me to make decisions, so that they are not held responsibleThey make some decisions, but I still have to manage them regularlyThey are very proactive and regularly wow me with their performance and decisions When I am not present for a meeting...The meeting won't take placeThe meeting will take place but without me the outcomes will be meaninglessMeetings are held without me and the outcome is as good or even better when I'm present Time is Up! 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