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Helping business owners grow their companies and transition with confidence, added value and complete control.
Category Archives: Leadership
“I’ve got it!” : The Curse of Competence
In any business, a competent employee is a treasure. Smaller enterprises may not have the layers of responsibility and management to offer a well-defined career path, but they often make up for it with the opportunity for an ambitious person … Continue Reading
Over Pay or Over Hire?
Many employers chase the Holy Grail of pay-for-performance. Whether it’s commission, piece work or production bonuses, we all want a system that compensates employees appropriately for the value they add to our business. Most of us also believe that better employees … Continue Reading
Can Your Small Business Survive Disaster?
Memorial Day weekend served up numerous reminders of the vulnerability of small businesses to disasters. Boardwalk vendors were reopening on the Jersey Shore and Coney Island. San Antonio was underwater, and a large portion of Moore, Oklahoma was swept away … Continue Reading
Three Rules for Small Business
A few days ago a discussion on LinkedIn’s “Small Business Accelerator” group asked “What are the three things a small business owner should focus on?” As challenging as any business is, the basics remain the same for everyone. We provide goods or services, … Continue Reading
1,2,3 Red Light!
Last week I was a guest on Jim Blasingame’s Small Business Advocate show. The topic was a riff on my article of a couple of weeks ago about excising infectious employees. One of the issues that we discussed was identifying a … Continue Reading
Why Great Salespeople Make Lousy Sales Managers
It’s been said so many times that (at least I hope) it is a business axiom on the same level as “cash is king.” Promoting your best salesman to sales manager is guaranteed to cost you a great salesman and … Continue Reading
Happy Ostara: Owner Infallability
The origins of Easter are lost to history. I don’t mean the Christian holiday celebrating the resurrection of Jesus, or even the Jewish holiday of Passover which it matches on the calendar. In fact, the name Easter is a derivative … Continue Reading
Cutting Out Employee Infection
A client found himself in an unenviable position. The cancer of negativity had spread through his management team. He knew the sources, and was prepared to clean house. Where should he start? First, some background. The company was a bootstrap … Continue Reading
Employee Investment Takes Time
Despite millions of dollars in revenue and expenses, an NBA team is a small business. A coach gets 15 positions (12 active and three reserve) with which to field a winning organization. As in any small business, every player has an important role. While some … Continue Reading
Are Entrepreneurs Smarter, or just Gutsier?
The vagaries of my reading habits had me reading two “How I did it” books last week; Ed Whitacre’s “American Turnaround” and Dave Ramsey’s “EntreLeadership.” Both men are justifiably proud of their achievements, but their differing paths to success are striking. … Continue Reading
Posted in Business Perspectives, Entrepreneurship, Leadership
Tagged business ownership, entrepreneurship, leadership, small business
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Leaner and Meaner (Part 4): Beating the Big Guys
If your small business depends on excellent employees, how can you attract and retain them against the resources of larger corporations? In our previous installments of this Leaner and Meaner series, we’ve talked about how the pressures of running a business today … Continue Reading
Leaner and Meaner (Part 3): Investing in Employees
Employees are free agents. As a business owner you wouldn’t sell your customers at a loss because in past years you made a profit. Neither should we expect employees to get better at their jobs without expecting compensation commensurate with their current … Continue Reading