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Helping business owners grow their companies and transition with confidence, added value and complete control.
Category Archives: Entrepreneurship
Small Business Owners are the Same Everywhere
I’m returning to this space almost exactly a month from my last post. It’s the longest period that I’ve missed in the last 6 1/2 years, but I heartily recommend a refresh break to business owners, and it was worth … Continue Reading
Wageflation and the Talent Wars
Why are so many employers complaining about the availability of talented workers and the cost of hiring them? Government statistics indicate that real, inflation-adjusted wages are now below 1986 levels. In 2012, the Federal Reserve tracked both an all time … Continue Reading
Posted in Customer Relations, Economic Trends, Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Managing Employees, Strategy and Planning
Tagged Baby Boomers, business ownership, business planning, business strategy, economy, employee performance, employees, entrepreneurship, leadership, management, public relations, small business, small business advice
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Reputations are Sticky
“We have a great reputation in our industry.” In thousands of hours of coaching and facilitating I’ve never heard a business owner say “We have a lousy reputation.” The myopia of working hard to deliver a product or service leads … Continue Reading
My Interview with Bob Morris: Part II
Robert Morris is the number one reviewer of business books for Amazon.com. A few weeks ago he posted a great review of Hunting in a Farmer’s World, and asked if he could interview me. Bob’s questions were really fun, and the interview … Continue Reading
You Shouldn’t be Your Own Second in Command
Business owners are accustomed to wearing many hats, and many don’t have the financial resources or personnel to field a full management team. The owner winds up wearing one or more functional hats in addition to that of the CEO. If you have … Continue Reading
Posted in Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Managing Employees, Strategy and Planning
Tagged business ownership, business planning, business strategy, employee performance, employees, entrepreneurs, entrepreneurship, leadership, management, sales management, small business, small business advice
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Google, SEO and the Yellow Pages Game
When the Yellow Pages were a primary source of advertising for small businesses, they had a nifty sales technique. If an advertiser was doubtful about the value of an ad, their sales rep would offer a special telephone number to track how much business … Continue Reading
A New Game Theory – Stop Playing!
I am not a Gamer, as the term is currently used. I tried my hand at Pong on my home TV, and at PacMan in the arcades, but quickly lost interest. Text based strategy software, role-play and first-person shooters never had … Continue Reading
They Who Giveth Can Taketh Away
Many business owners I know are troubled by the NBA’s insistence that Donald Sterling must sell the Los Angeles Clippers, and can do it only in a manner and to whom the league approves. Mr. Sterling has personally been banned from … Continue Reading
Where Will All the Small Businesses Go?
What would the small business landscape look like if over one million small businesses disappeared? Get ready, it’s about to happen. I write and speak frequently about the passing of the entrepreneurial generation. Driven by competitive pressures to succeed, the … Continue Reading
Business Owners are Glubricants
Utility Infielder, Jack-of-All-Trades, Mr. Fixit, Chief Cook and Bottle Washer, Know-It-All, Do-It-All, Swiss Army Knife, Center of the Universe. There are many ways to describe the myriad business roles filled by the owner of a small business. Here’s another. The … Continue Reading
When an Employee Can’t Grow With You
Every business is an organism. It is either growing or dying. I’ve met a few owners who said “I want everything (sales, staff, profits) to stay exactly as it is,” but none who were actually able to pull that off. As we … Continue Reading