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Helping business owners grow their companies and transition with confidence, added value and complete control.
Category Archives: Entrepreneurship
An Army of One
Hollywood has done an excellent job of defining what it takes to be an action hero. George Smiley, the grey civil servant of John Le Carre’s spy novels, is a protagonist, but not a hero. Heroes are cast in a distinct … Continue Reading
Posted in Entrepreneurship, Leadership
Tagged business ownership, entrepreneurship, leadership, small business advice
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The Road Less Traveled
Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I, I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference. Perhaps Robert Frost’s famous poem isn’t a perfect expression of what I am … Continue Reading
Beating the Boomer Bust
We’ve looked at the coming generation of business buyers, and many things about that picture aren’t pretty. When I present to business owners about the Boomer Bust, this is around the time that someone in the audience says “So, are we just … Continue Reading
The Brass Ring
A long, long time ago (I’ve actually ridden only one such in my lifetime) Carousels had a spring-loaded sleeve of brass rings protruding near the innermost (and least popular) track of horses. A bigger kid could lean out and yank … Continue Reading
Hunting vs. Farming
At the family gathering, you are being introduced to a distant cousin you haven’t seen since childhood. The introduction usually includes your status as a business owner. “Do you remember little Cousin Bobby? He owns his own company now.” Or … Continue Reading
Posted in Business Perspectives, Entrepreneurship, Life After, Uncategorized
Tagged business ownership, entrepreneur, entrepreneurship
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Are Mistakes Good?
“Experience is a dear teacher, but only a fool will learn from no other.” Benjamin Franklin Business owners learn a lot from their experiences. As a friend says, “Experience is what you get when you don’t get what you want.” … Continue Reading
Turning Plans into Realities
We’ve discussed some simple steps to getting started on your annual business plan. (see previous post: The Seven Questions of Simple Planning). Once you have the questions answered, you can begin moving towards the actions that transform your plans into … Continue Reading
The Seven Questions of Simple Planning
The Creation In the beginning was the plan And it sprang from the assumptions And the assumptions were without form So the plan was void of substance And darkness fell upon the face of the workers And the workers … Continue Reading
Never, never, never, never give up.
I kind of see everything as connected. Last week we hosted Larry Linne, author of “Make the Noise Go Away,” a book about the roles of first-in-commands and second-in-commands. I will be writing about a couple of things Larry said in his … Continue Reading
Posted in Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Managing Employees
Tagged business ownership, entrepreneurship, leadership, management
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Can Startup America revive US small business?
A couple of weeks ago in my opinion blog “Awake at 3 o’clock” I pointed out that politicians pronouncing small business owners as the saviors of the economy is a misplaced strategy. (“SMB isn’t the cure for the economy“) Most SMB … Continue Reading
Posted in Business Perspectives, Entrepreneurship, John's Opinions, Politics and Regulation
Tagged new business, startups
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