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Helping business owners grow their companies and transition with confidence, added value and complete control.
Category Archives: John’s Opinions
COVID and Dirty Laundry
The longer this virus goes on, the more I am reminded of Don Henley’s 1982 song “Dirty Laundry.” A friend and his wife declined an invitation to come over for a glass of wine (OK, maybe a bottle) on the … Continue Reading
History Begets Attitudes
History begets attitudes. I’m back from my biannual depressurization trip. This time it was to Central Europe. As always, I assess new and different things through a business owner’s eye. We visited five countries (Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary), … Continue Reading
Posted in John's Opinions, Leadership
Tagged business, business ownership, business strategy, economy, employee performance, employees, entrepreneurship, international relations, leadership, management, marketing, promotion, public relations, sales management, small business, small business advice, trade
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Trust in Business and the Law
Every day, in almost every transaction, we rely on trust in business. We believe that a customer will pay us according to the terms of a sale. Our employees have access to money, goods and confidential information because we trust them. … Continue Reading
Posted in Customer Relations, John's Opinions, Leadership, Politics and Regulation, Strategy and Planning
Tagged Baby Boomers, business ownership, business planning, business strategy, employee performance, employees, entrepreneurs, entrepreneurship, leadership, management, media, politics, small business, small business advice
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Employee Experience: Is Bigger Better?
Small businesses provide much of the initial employee experience. We take younger folks and teach them decent work habits like showing up every day, being on time, and working to deadlines. As owners, our personal skills may not be sufficient. We … Continue Reading
Posted in Business Perspectives, John's Opinions, Leadership, Managing Employees, Strategy and Planning
Tagged Baby Boomers, business, business ownership, business planning, business strategy, employee performance, employees, entrepreneurs, entrepreneurship, hiring, leadership, management, marketing, sales, small business, small business advice
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The 7 Deadly Sins of an Entrepreneur — Reprise
I make no claim that using the Seven Deadly Sins as a metaphor for business behavior is original. Of course, the original concept is a codifying of “undesirable” human behaviors, or sins. The work probably comes from the Latin word … Continue Reading
Posted in Building Value, Business Perspectives, Entrepreneurship, Exit Planning, John's Opinions, Leadership, Managing Employees, Strategy and Planning
Tagged business, business ownership, business planning, business strategy, employee performance, employees, entrepreneurs, entrepreneurship, exit planning, exit strategies, hiring, John F. Dini, leadership, management, selling a business, small business, small business advice
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Copreneurs: Who’s on Top?
I decided to take a mid-series break from the Seven Deadly Sins of an Entrepreneur because its Valentine’s Day, and I have a topic I’ve been saving for the holiday. In a privately held business, we frequently see husband and wife working … Continue Reading
The 7 Deadly Sins of an Entrepreneur
The Seven Deadly Sins are alive and well in small businesses today. Far from being a hoary religious holdover from the Dark Ages, they are practiced assiduously by entrepreneurs everywhere. There is something to be said for any concept that … Continue Reading
Posted in Building Value, Business Perspectives, Entrepreneurship, Exit Planning, John's Opinions, Leadership, Managing Employees, Strategy and Planning
Tagged business ownership, business planning, business strategy, entrepreneurship, exit planning, exit strategies, financial, leadership, management, new business, small business advice
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Why Health Insurance Isn’t
Last week I wrote about the success of Obamacare in driving people from the private insurance market towards a national healthcare system. Clearly, I touched a nerve when I look at the tone of the responses received. Although I don’t … Continue Reading
Posted in Economic Trends, John's Opinions, Leadership, Strategy and Planning
Tagged Baby Boomers, Boomer Bust, business ownership, business strategy, economy, entrepreneurship, exit planning, exit strategies, health, health care costs, health care reform, management, medicare, politics, small business advice, social security
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Obamacare is Working, or it Isn’t
A few weeks ago I received notice of our annual health insurance increase. This year it was 38% more to keep the same coverage. Last year the proposed increase was 22%. The year before 12%. The year before that, 18%. The next … Continue Reading
Germany Makes a Business Decision
Germany just announced that it could accept an additional 500,000 refugees when other countries are jockeying to accommodate as few as possible. As much as the announcement was portrayed as a humanitarian effort, it is just as likely a simple business decision. Few members … Continue Reading
Posted in Economic Trends, John's Opinions, Politics and Regulation, Strategy and Planning, Top Blog Posts
Tagged Baby Boomers, Boomer Bust, business ownership, business strategy, China, economy, employees, entrepreneurs, entrepreneurship, exit planning, exit strategies, international relations, management, politics, recession, small business, small business advice, social security, trade
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Culture Counts!
Small businesses can’t compete with large corporations on salary and benefits. I’m not being unduly cynical, it’s just a fact. The top 1/10 of 1% in US household incomes start at $1.9 million annually. Of all those in that rarefied … Continue Reading
Posted in Entrepreneurship, Incentives, John's Opinions, Leadership, Managing Employees, Strategy and Planning
Tagged business ownership, business planning, business strategy, employee performance, employees, entrepreneurs, entrepreneurship, leadership, management, small business, small business advice
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Structural Tension: Is It Good or Bad for Your Business?
Logically, no one would enter into a business relationship where anything that is better for one party is worse for the other. Such a zero-sum arrangement would quickly grow tiresome. Either one party is consistently losing in every transaction, or … Continue Reading
Posted in Business Perspectives, John's Opinions, Politics and Regulation, Strategy and Planning, Technology
Tagged business ownership, business planning, business strategy, entrepreneurs, entrepreneurship, health care costs, health care reform, management, sales, small business, small business advice
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