Tag Archives: Baby Boomers

Would You Like that With or Without Service?

In the 1980’s, when Boomers dug into their career paths and started hiring other Boomers to do things for them, the United States became a service economy. Driven by their ambition for material success, Boomers opened millions of new businesses to provide … Continue Reading

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The Migration from Service to Knowledge

As I have pointed out frequently in this space, the Baby Boomers’ entry into entrepreneurial business moved the core of the American economy from products to services. (see www.theboomerbust.com) Multiple dynamics created the shift. Boomers were degreed at four times the … Continue Reading

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Who’s Picking Up the Tab?

When a small business is sold, the total price of the business includes not only the cash paid, but any obligations assumed by the buyer on behalf of the seller. Transfer of a loan balance, accrued vacation pay for employees or … Continue Reading

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Four Generations’ Embrace of Technology

Technology is pervasive in the workplace. That isn’t a news flash; it’s just reality. When we have an IT or Internet malfunction, my employees are probably less than 20% as effective without their computers. They will catch up on some … Continue Reading

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Employee Retention: From Thirty Years to Two

The United States has never been known for permanent employment. The flexibility of our job market, the ability of employers to hire the employees need and fire those they don’t, has always been considered by economists to be a core attribute … Continue Reading

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2014 Outlook: Are We There Yet?

“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” Franklin Roosevelt’s inaugural address on March 4, 1933 was an early recognition of the power of consumer confidence in bolstering our economy. In 1933 The US GDP was falling to about … Continue Reading

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The Only Number that Counts

The retirement of a generation of entrepreneurs (see www.theboomerbust.com) is an event unique in our history, or in anyone’s history for that matter. What we are about to experience is inevitable, and those who are unprepared are in for a … Continue Reading

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Employment as Video Game

In a recent survey of 20-something employees, the majority said that they expected a promotion in the workplace at least every two years. Most surprising to business owners, however, was that they did not believe that such advancement should be … Continue Reading

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Ready…Set…Exit! Part II

Last week we discussed the tsunami of Baby Boomer retirement, and how we will reach a peak of nearly 500 unsold businesses a day within the next 5 years. The statistics are immutable. The birthrates of the last century are … Continue Reading

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Millennials: The New Normal

Do you employ Millennials? If you have twenty-somethings in your workplace, you do. Most scientists who study generations put the start of the Millennials between 1982 and 1985. Using the earliest dates, the oldest are just turning thirty this year. Sociologists … Continue Reading

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The Return of “Do It Yourself”

For the last 40 years, America has been on a roll. Baby Boomers, raised in a competitive environment, have increased the average work week, made the two income household ubiquitous, and currently operate about 60% of the small businesses in … Continue Reading

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Can Franchising Survive The Baby Boomers?

As a consultant to business owners, this is a column I’ve hesitated to write for a long time. There are over 800,000 franchised businesses in the United States, and I’m not going out of my way to make that many owners mad … Continue Reading

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