Tag Archives: business planning

How to Get Employee Buy-In for Your Values

Posted on January 4, 2015 by John F. Dini

There are few things more important than determining your company’s core values. I define an ideal core values statement as something you can frame and put on the wall so that, in your absence, any employee who has a question … Continue Reading →

Posted in Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Managing Employees, Strategy and Planning | Tagged business ownership, business planning, business strategy, economy, employee performance, employees, entrepreneurship, leadership, management, public relations, small business, small business advice | 1 Comment

Goals are More than Just Resolutions

Posted on December 28, 2014 by John F. Dini

Most of us (at least those who don’t own retail businesses) are in low-power mode at this time of year. Double midweek days off and decompression following the holiday rush allows us time to think. For many, that thinking naturally turns … Continue Reading →

Posted in Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Managing Employees, Strategy and Planning | Tagged business ownership, business planning, business strategy, employee performance, employees, entrepreneurs, entrepreneurship, financial, leadership, management, small business, small business advice | 2 Comments

Is Uber Really Disruptive Technology?

Posted on December 14, 2014 by John F. Dini

I attended a technology awards event a few nights ago. The speaker extolled technology as the engine of change and economic development, while attendees posted pictures of each other for the Pinterest feed on the screens to either side of … Continue Reading →

Posted in Business Perspectives, Economic Trends, Marketing | Tagged business ownership, business planning, business strategy, entrepreneurship, marketing, media | 2 Comments

The Secret to Growing a $1 million company by 5X

Posted on November 30, 2014 by John F. Dini

In my work with hundreds of small business owners, I’ve noticed that there are two “danger zones” where an owner may, consciously or unconsciously, prevent his or her company from growing any further. The first zone lies at about $1 … Continue Reading →

Posted in Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Managing Employees, Sales, Strategy and Planning | Tagged business ownership, business planning, employee performance, employees, entrepreneurs, entrepreneurship, leadership, management, small business, small business advice, startups | 3 Comments

How Can You Sell a Business to a Buyer Who’s Broke?

Posted on November 23, 2014 by John F. Dini

According to a recent report from the Federal Reserve Bank, over half (52%) of Americans could not pay for a $400 car repair without borrowing. We can assume that most of these folks would not be legitimate prospects to purchase … Continue Reading →

Posted in Business Perspectives, Economic Trends, Exit Planning, Selling a business, Strategy and Planning | Tagged Baby Boomers, banks, Boomer Bust, business ownership, business planning, business strategy, entrepreneurship, exit planning, exit strategies, small business advice | 3 Comments

The Luxury of No Resources

Posted on November 9, 2014 by John F. Dini

Among the Baby Boomer business owners who are beginning to plan their retirement, there are millions who founded the companies they plan to sell. Many of these were technicians when they started. They began as employees, and then used their … Continue Reading →

Posted in Business Perspectives, Exit Planning, Selling a business, Strategy and Planning | Tagged Baby Boomers, Boomer Bust, business ownership, business planning, business strategy, entrepreneurship, exit planning, exit strategies, hiring, management, selling a business, small business advice | Leave a comment

Key Man Policies May Not Cover a Buy/Sell Agreement

Posted on November 2, 2014 by John F. Dini

Over the last few weeks, I’ve had a number of conversations with clients about key man insurance. Let me say at the outset that I don’t sell insurance, and have no financial stake in whether any client has coverage or … Continue Reading →

Posted in Entrepreneurship, Exit Options, Exit Planning, Strategy and Planning | Tagged Baby Boomers, banks, Boomer Bust, business ownership, business planning, business strategy, entrepreneurship, financial, selling a business, small business advice | 7 Comments

When Employee Incentives Don’t Work

Posted on October 19, 2014 by John F. Dini

My definition of an incentive is variable compensation designed to encourage specific behavior. The challenge is to make sure that behavior is really something you want to encourage. A home building company bonuses purchasing managers based on their ability to reduce … Continue Reading →

Posted in Incentives, Managing Employees, Sales | Tagged business ownership, business planning, employee performance, employees, management, sales management, small business advice | Leave a comment

Wageflation and the Talent Wars

Posted on September 14, 2014 by John F. Dini

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 | 2 Comments

Reputations are Sticky

Posted on September 7, 2014 by John F. Dini

“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 →

Posted in Customer Relations, Entrepreneurship, Marketing, Marketing and Sales, Sales | Tagged business ownership, business planning, business strategy, entrepreneurs, entrepreneurship, leadership, marketing, public relations, sales, sales management, small business, small business advice | 1 Comment

You Shouldn’t be Your Own Second in Command

Posted on August 24, 2014 by John F. Dini

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 | Leave a comment

My Interview with Robert Morris: Part I

Posted on August 17, 2014 by John F. Dini

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 →

Posted in Customer Relations, Incentives, John's Opinions, Leadership, Managing Employees, Sales, Strategy and Planning, Top Blog Posts, Uncategorized | Tagged Ayn Rand, business ownership, business planning, business strategy, employee performance, entrepreneurs, entrepreneurship, international relations, leadership, management, sales, sales management, small business, small business advice | Leave a comment