-
Helping business owners grow their companies and transition with confidence, added value and complete control.
Tag Archives: management
Can You Build Your Business in Half the Time?
I had an unusual coincidence happen last week. Speaking to prospective new members of The Alternative Board (TAB), I wound up with three CPAs in the same meeting. They were from three different smaller firms, and all three identified their current … Continue Reading
Posted in Customer Relations, Marketing, Marketing and Sales, Sales, Strategy and Planning
Tagged management, marketing, promotion, sales management
1 Comment
Do Goals Make a Difference?
To start the New Year right, let me tell you a true story about a goal. It was a little goal; or at least it started out that way. It certainly wasn’t a goal that was intended to be life … Continue Reading
Turning Plans into Realities
We’ve discussed some simple steps to getting started on your annual business plan. (see previous post: The Seven Questions of Simple Planning). Once you have the questions answered, you can begin moving towards the actions that transform your plans into … Continue Reading
Getting Smart about SMART
It is approaching 2012, and (hopefully) most of us are finalizing our plans for the upcoming year. In our groups of The Alternative Board, we are asking each member to state their sales and revenue objectives. We all know that … Continue Reading
Posted in Leadership, Strategy and Planning
Tagged business ownership, leadership, management
Leave a comment
Never, never, never, never give up.
I kind of see everything as connected. Last week we hosted Larry Linne, author of “Make the Noise Go Away,” a book about the roles of first-in-commands and second-in-commands. I will be writing about a couple of things Larry said in his … Continue Reading
Posted in Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Managing Employees
Tagged business ownership, entrepreneurship, leadership, management
Leave a comment
“Intuitive” Doesn’t Work for Organization
Apple Computer has become the most valuable company on the planet by making products that are “intuitive.” Most Apple fans brag that you don’t even need a user’s manual to get started on their products. Intuitive is a relative term. … Continue Reading
Posted in Leadership, Managing Employees, Technology
Tagged business planning, employees, management, small business advice
Leave a comment
Leadership vs. Management
What is the difference between a leader and a manager? We talk a lot about managing employees, but no amount of management will direct employees who don’t know what they are supposed to be doing. Simon Sinek on TED.com talks about the … Continue Reading
Posted in Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Managing Employees
Tagged entrepreneurs, leadership, management
1 Comment
Performance Reviews- Best Practices
Performance reviews are a pain. In my nearly 40 years in business they have always generated the same complaints. Managers hate to do them. As a consequence, they are frequently over due. They provide the employee with little information on … Continue Reading
Here Comes Subscription IT…Like it or Not!
It was one of those conversations that changes my perception of my business and an industry in minutes. A client who owns an IT company was discussing his strategic model. “I can’t continue to serve the SMB market like we … Continue Reading
When a Good Employee Fails
One of the most difficult challenges facing any entrepreneur is correcting a prior promotion that didn’t work out. Sooner or later it happens to every business owner. You promote employees because they’ve worked hard, were senior in their position, or … Continue Reading
Posted in Leadership, Managing Employees
Tagged business ownership, entrepreneurship, management, small business advice
Leave a comment
Service Needs to be a Defensible Territory
The UN air strikes against Gaddafi’s forces raise an obvious question. Why Libya? Although we believe Qaddafi is a really bad guy, there are plenty of other players in North Africa and the Middle East that have to rank somewhere … Continue Reading