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Helping business owners grow their companies and transition with confidence, added value and complete control.
Tag Archives: small business
Small Businesses Fantasies: Service
As an evangelist for small business, I am the consumer equivalent of the locally-grown food movement. I spend as much of my discretionary income as possible with the owned-and-operated businesses in my area. As a consultant and coach to owners, I also … Continue Reading
Posted in Customer Relations, Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Managing Employees, Marketing, Marketing and Sales, Sales
Tagged business ownership, business planning, employee performance, employees, entrepreneurs, entrepreneurship, leadership, management, marketing, media, promotion, public relations, sales, sales management, small business, small business advice
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Time to Grow Up
Young industries no longer have the time to grow up. The cycle of maturation has long been accepted as a fact of life when a new concept becomes a business. There are a few pioneers (defined here in Texas as … Continue Reading
Posted in Business Perspectives, Marketing and Sales, Strategy and Planning, Technology
Tagged business ownership, business planning, business strategy, economy, employee performance, entrepreneurs, entrepreneurship, leadership, management, new business, small business, small business advice, startups
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Talk to Your Competitors
In my two decades of managing over a dozen peer groups, I frequently had the opportunity to sit in meetings with a business owner who competed with a member of another Board. I occasionally had to bite my tongue as someone vilified … Continue Reading
Posted in Business Perspectives, Entrepreneurship, Marketing and Sales, Strategy and Planning
Tagged business, business ownership, business planning, business strategy, employee performance, employees, entrepreneurs, entrepreneurship, hiring, leadership, management, new business, 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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The Seventh Entrepreneurial Sin — Pride
Every business owner should be proud of his or her business. If you are the founder, you built every system, and probably landed the biggest customers. If you bought the business, you took what was in place and made it … Continue Reading
Posted in Building Value, Customer Relations, Entrepreneurship, Exit Planning, Leadership, Managing Employees, Marketing and Sales, Selling a business, Strategy and Planning
Tagged business ownership, business strategy, employee performance, employees, entrepreneurs, entrepreneurship, exit planning, exit strategies, hiring, leadership, management, new business, small business, small business advice
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The Sixth Entrepreneurial Sin — Envy
This week we start on the two remaining deadly sins of an entrepreneur. Envy and Pride are the strategic sins. The first two (Lust and Gluttony) are operational; they interfere with how you function as an owner and leader. The … Continue Reading
Posted in Building Value, Business Perspectives, Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Strategy and Planning
Tagged business, business ownership, business planning, business strategy, employee performance, employees, entrepreneurs, entrepreneurship, leadership, management, small business, small business advice
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The Fifth Entrepreneurial Sin — Greed
Few small business owners identify with the bloated income of Wall Street Tycoons. To accuse an entrepreneur of Greed brings up memories of the Gordon Gekko 1980’s, when “Greed is Good” seemed to be the motto of 30-something Boomers focused … Continue Reading
Posted in Building Value, Business Perspectives, Entrepreneurship, Strategy and Planning
Tagged business ownership, business planning, business strategy, employee performance, employees, entrepreneurs, entrepreneurship, hiring, leadership, management, 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 Fourth Entrepreneurial Sin — Wrath
We continue the Seven Deadly Entrepreneurial Sins series that we started here. We’ve covered the two Operational Sins (Lust and Gluttony) that make you less effective as an owner. Sloth is the first of the Tactical sins; those that make … Continue Reading
The Second Entrepreneurial Sin – Gluttony
This is the third in our series about The Seven Deadly Entrepreneurial Sins. You can start from the beginning here. Gluttony is the second of the Operational Sins; those that reduce your personal effectiveness as an owner and the leader of your … Continue Reading
The First Entrepreneurial Sin – Lust
Last week we described the Seven Deadly Sins of an Entrepreneur. This week, we’ll delve into the first Operational Sin; Lust. The Operational Sins reduce your personal effectiveness as a business owner. They prevent you from being as operationally effective, … Continue Reading