Great discussion today on #businesslunchclub (on Twitter; but see BusinessLunchClub.com for more details).
The conversation today centered around delegation, and specifically around something that @IAC_Heather calls “the 3 Strikes, You’re Out” rule. The conversation was primarily between @IAC_Heather, @askleo, and myself (@AaronHoos), with @Hazewalker chiming in towards the end.
You can read our entire conversation on BusinessLunchClub (If you’re not reading this on the day it’s posted, go to BusinessLunchClub.com/users/archive and select July 13 from the calendar).

The “3 Strikes, You’re Out” rules are 3 simple rules to help you know what to delegate. The rules are:

• 3 strikes rule 1: Is it something that you don’t personally have to do; is it something that someone else can do or be trained to do for you?

• 3 strikes rule 2: Does the alternate person that could do it for you have an hourly wage less than your billable wage?

• 3 strikes rule 3: Could you use that spare time on revenue generating activities or to increase your quality of life?

@askleo talked about the challenges of finding the right person and training them appropriately. And I talked about the challenge of being a sole operator for so long that it was difficult to “disassemble” projects I normally do automatically and identify which portions of the tasks should be done by me and which portions should be outsourced.

@IAC_Heather used the example of a babysitter when responding to @askleo, pointing out that parents do the best job of raising their children but they still “outsource” to a babysitter from time to time. She also recommended the use of Camtasia to capture processes to enable faster training.

I was curious to know what people outsourced (which is relevant to a conversation I had yesterday with a friend who suggested that he only outsources items that don’t add value to the client relationship). So far, I’ve only outsourced administrative work but kept my value-adding work and most of my sales efforts as my own tasks. @IAC_Heather outsources as much as possible (except where liability might be a concern) and, just as Business Lunch Club was wrapping up, @Hazewalker added this helpful advice: As long as you are unwilling to delegate, you cannot create a business that runs without you.

Good conversation in today’s Business Lunch Club!

As originally posted on: Blog by Aaron Hoos

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2. 8 Ways to use #businesslunchclub to grow your business
3. Tips to get more out of #businesslunchclub

Pros:

• Lower cost: Less cost for storage, pharm-techs, etc.

• Reduced human error: I can’t read those doctor’s prescriptions and I’m not sure that pharmacists can, either.

• 24/7 service: Assuming that these are in a publicly accessible place 24/7. (Although, in some neighborhoods, that might be a con, not a pro).

Cons:

• It seems like there is little control over who can pick up the meds. APVs would allow anyone with the right prescription document to get it. That doesn’t seem right to me. Isn’t there some kind of identity check required for the release of meds? [Disclaimer it's been a long time since I've had a prescription filled... so maybe there isn't].

• Pharmacists are (in my opinion) a HUGE part of the medical system but are undervalued as merely being human prescription vendors. I think they can do much more and I’m afraid that we would lose that with a vending machine. In many ways, it’s not like a bank’s ATM (replacing the teller) or a pop machine (replacing the convenience store clerk). Pharmacists also provide advice.

Potential middle ground: Standard meds for seasoned users would be a good use for APVs. But for first time med users, and for medicines that have serious side-effects or non-standard formulations, a pharmacist is still necessary.

As an investment opportunity, I’m curious about getting one of these for the lobbies of doctor’s offices. Doctor writes a prescription and it can be filled right in the lobby on the patient’s way out the door. Fast and convenient. I’m not sure about the ethical implications, though: would a doctor tend to prescribe medication that was available at their APV (assuming that they’re getting a small incentive)?

Here’s a cautionary tale from my college days: We had a vending machine in the laundry room of my dorm. And someone discovered that if you put in your change, you could get your pop… and then you could also get as many iced teas as you wanted, simply by pressing the iced tea button several times. And then you could press the coin return button and a handful of change would be dispensed. As you can imagine, it lasted until we ran out of iced tea and change and then the company switched machines. Note to APV manufacturers: You’ll want to implement some related controls!

As originally posted on: Blog by Aaron Hoos

Related posts:

1. Lunch 2.0 Launched! #BusinessLunchClub, #BizLunchClub, #BLC
2. Today’s #businesslunchclub discussion (July 13, 2009)
3. Tips to get more out of #businesslunchclub

If you’re a business owner who is stuck at your desk for lunch, you might be getting work done but you’re missing out on the powerful networking opportunities of a business lunch. That’s where BusinessLunchClub comes in. BusinessLunchClub is where entrepreneurs on Twitter have lunch. If you’re stuck at your desk but want to do some networking, tweet while you eat and add the hashtags #businesslunchclub, #bizlunchclub, or #blc.

Read 8 Ways to Use BusinessLunchClub to Grow Your Business.

Here are a couple of tips to help you get more out of BusinessLunchClub:

Either invite a handful of people to participate or tweet out that you’re looking for others to join you.

For example: @AaronHoos @IAC_Heather you guys around for #businesslunchclub?
Or: Stuck at my desk. #bizlunchclub anyone?

You might also want to schedule your next BusinessLunchClub meeting. Mondays with one group of colleagues, Tuesday with another, etc. Consider having a business problem that you’d like to talk about.

Check out BusinessLunchClub.com to see what other people were talking about or to review your conversation, or keep track of those terms in TweetDeck. (Ref. Thanks to Jeffrey Priebe for the TweetDeck recommendation)

Just like many business lunches have a purpose (besides eating at the same table), BusinessLunchClub is made more beneficial when you participate with a goal in mind. Perhaps it might be “I need to find someone to help me solve this business problem” or it might be broader, like “I’d like to learn something about a few of my followers or it might just be a nice way to make your stuck-at-your-desk lunch a little more valuable.

As originally posted on: Blog by Aaron Hoos

Related posts:

1. 8 Ways to use #businesslunchclub to grow your business
2. Lunch 2.0 Launched! #BusinessLunchClub, #BizLunchClub, #BLC
3. Today’s #businesslunchclub discussion (July 13, 2009)

Everything you enjoy about business lunches is now available on Twitter with Business Lunch Club. If you find yourself unable to have a real business lunch, simply tweet while you eat and add the hashtags #businesslunchclub, #bizlunchclub, or #blc.

Here are some ideas to get the benefits of a business lunch from Business Lunch Club.

1. Find others who are stuck at their desks over lunch. You’ll make your at-your-desk time far more productive while you eat.

For example: Stuck at my desk. Anyone else in the same boat? #businesslunchclub

2. Start a discussion about a topic that you might normally talk about over lunch. You’ll engage others in topics that interest you and shape the discussion on Twitter.

For example: How has the economy been impacting your lead generation? #businesslunchclub

3. Participate in a discussion that someone else has started. You’ll add value to other people as you talk with them. Several people can join in at once, just like a real discussion.

For example: Re: lead-gen I’ve had to really ramp up the value of my offering. How about you? #businesslunchclub

4. Ask for help. Leverage your relationships to ask professionals for advice on issues you face in business.

For example: Can anyone point me to a good online bookkeeping system? #businesslunchclub

5. Get to know your followers. You have lots of followers but how well do you know them? Get to know them a bit better and perhaps you’ll discover some potential opportunities.

For example: Taking a break from work for #businesslunchclub. @IAC_Heather tell me a bit about your business

6. Talk about a joint venture or collaboration idea. Twitter is the perfect place to start up a discussion, test interest, and find experts to collaborate.

For example: @AaronHoos I’d like to work together on an ebook about sales. #businesslunchclub

7. Introduce a couple of colleagues who you think are a good match for each other. Network and help others to network. This is like #FollowFriday but far more focused.

For example: @IAC_Heather, you should talk to @AaronHoos about that book you’d like to write #businesslunchclub

8. Visit BusinessLunchClub.com and meet other people who are #businesslunchclub participants. Follow them to gain access to a whole new network of people interested in win-win business growth.

For example: Hi @AaronHoos I saw you on BusinessLunchClub.com and wanted to follow you #businesslunchclub

As originally posted on: Blog by Aaron Hoos

Related posts:

1. Tips to get more out of #businesslunchclub
2. Lunch 2.0 Launched! #BusinessLunchClub, #BizLunchClub, #BLC
3. Today’s #businesslunchclub discussion (July 13, 2009)

I won’t lie, while I love working from home – and I dread going into the office (yes, we do have an office) – it is not the same as it was seven years ago when I was climbing the ropes at an accounting firm. I remember most of all the socializing with my co-workers or being able to take clients out to lunch and discuss their situations over a good meal.

While it was nice to have that expense account, it was also very nice to have a change of scenery and to talk to various people – whether business or personal, whether laughing or talking seriously. Either way, I got to take down my hair, order some Mongolian Barbecue and get down to business…. business lunch that is.

This is why one of my colleagues and I launched the Business Lunch Club. There are so many of us on Twitter that feel the exact same way. Many of us eat at our desks, on our couch, or even go out to eat in a cafe – but alone and on wi-fi and twitter.

Aaron Hoos and I saw a need, a need to make the virtual business lunch and that is what we have done with the Business Lunch Club. To participate you just have to start a discussion (or participate in an existing one) using the tags #businesslunchclub, #bizlunchclub, or #blc. All tweets using those tags will show up on www.businesslunchclub.com, where you can monitor the conversation (even of people you don’t follow). You can even check archives by date if you missed a lunch because you actually had a real live lunch (although – you know – if you do end up going out to lunch with someone you can always turn them on to the #blc and you guys can tweet from your phone some of the things that were interesting).

The goal is to have virtual lunch companions – coworkers and colleagues to eat lunch with virtually, when you may just be eating alone.

Follow Aaron Hoos, Business Lunch Club, and I (Heather Villa) to see how we participate in the business lunch club.

Related posts:

1. 8 Ways to use #businesslunchclub to grow your business
2. Tips to get more out of #businesslunchclub
3. Today’s #businesslunchclub discussion (July 13, 2009)