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Helping business owners grow their companies and transition with confidence, added value and complete control.
Tag Archives: small business
Is There Anything CEOish for Me to Do?
The line is from one of my favorite New Yorker cartoons. It’s being asked by an executive of his secretary. It is also a common question of business owners who have built successful organizations. The need for a CEO is present … Continue Reading
Germany Makes a Business Decision
Germany just announced that it could accept an additional 500,000 refugees when other countries are jockeying to accommodate as few as possible. As much as the announcement was portrayed as a humanitarian effort, it is just as likely a simple business decision. Few members … Continue Reading
Posted in Economic Trends, John's Opinions, Politics and Regulation, Strategy and Planning, Top Blog Posts
Tagged Baby Boomers, Boomer Bust, business ownership, business strategy, China, economy, employees, entrepreneurs, entrepreneurship, exit planning, exit strategies, international relations, management, politics, recession, small business, small business advice, social security, trade
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The Toughest Part of Performance Reviews
There’s been some noise in the business press of late regarding large corporations’ decisions to eliminate performance reviews. Like those who have installed unlimited PTO (Paid Time Off) and other “new” management methods, review-less organizations are deemed to be more … Continue Reading
Posted in Entrepreneurship, Incentives, Leadership, Managing Employees
Tagged Baby Boomers, business ownership, business planning, employee performance, employees, entrepreneurs, entrepreneurship, hiring, leadership, management, media, public relations, small business, small business advice
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Never Fire a Salesperson
The majority of business owners prefer linking pay to employee performance. The sales role in most businesses is the easiest and most obvious place to begin. Yet owners struggle with compensating salespeople in a manner that is affordable while still driving sustained performance. Building … Continue Reading
Posted in Entrepreneurship, Incentives, Managing Employees, Marketing and Sales, Sales, Strategy and Planning
Tagged business ownership, business planning, business strategy, employee performance, employees, entrepreneurs, entrepreneurship, hiring, leadership, management, marketing, sales, sales management, small business, small business advice
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Few Employees Can Go the Distance
It’s been an unusual week. I’ve had at least four coaching conversations about employees whose jobs have outgrown them. On the one hand, it’s good news. It means that the companies are growing. On the other hand, it’s always tough … Continue Reading
Minimum Wage and the Middle Class
“Amongst the novel objects that attracted my attention during my stay in the United States, nothing struck me more forcibly than the general equality of conditions.” – Alexis De Tocqueville (Democracy in America, 1831) Americans have always considered themselves “middle … Continue Reading
Posted in Economic Trends, Entrepreneurship, Managing Employees, Politics and Regulation, Strategy and Planning, Technology
Tagged Ayn Rand, business, business ownership, business planning, business strategy, economy, employee performance, employees, entrepreneurs, entrepreneurship, health care costs, health care reform, hiring, management, media, new business, politics, small business, small business advice, startups, trade
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The Extinction of the Summer Job
I’ve read several articles of late discussing the decline in the number of older high school and college students that take jobs for the summer. Each of these reflected on how summer employment taught millions of Americans their first work habits. Around … Continue Reading
Ageing Boomer Entrepreneurs: Fearful or Smart?
Do we become more cautious with age? Startups are usually associated with younger entrepreneurs. By the time they reach their 50s or 60s business owners tend to tackle fewer big new ideas. Those that do tend to be successful enough that they … Continue Reading
Posted in Building Value, Business Perspectives, Economic Trends, Entrepreneurship, Exit Planning, Exit Strategies, Life After, Strategy and Planning
Tagged Baby Boomers, Boomer Bust, business ownership, business planning, business strategy, economy, employees, entrepreneurs, entrepreneurship, exit planning, exit strategies, leadership, management, new business, small business, small business advice, startups
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Culture Counts!
Small businesses can’t compete with large corporations on salary and benefits. I’m not being unduly cynical, it’s just a fact. The top 1/10 of 1% in US household incomes start at $1.9 million annually. Of all those in that rarefied … Continue Reading
Posted in Entrepreneurship, Incentives, John's Opinions, Leadership, Managing Employees, Strategy and Planning
Tagged business ownership, business planning, business strategy, employee performance, employees, entrepreneurs, entrepreneurship, leadership, management, small business, small business advice
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When Supervisors Become Managers
Any promotion means more responsibility. Few steps require as big a leap as the transition from supervisor to manager. Each step up the ladder involves a change in tasks, but an employee’s first managerial position necessitates a change in thinking; one which isn’t … Continue Reading
Posted in Customer Relations, Entrepreneurship, Incentives, Leadership, Managing Employees, Strategy and Planning
Tagged business ownership, business planning, business strategy, employee performance, employees, entrepreneurs, entrepreneurship, management, promotion, small business, small business advice
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Structural Tension: Is It Good or Bad for Your Business?
Logically, no one would enter into a business relationship where anything that is better for one party is worse for the other. Such a zero-sum arrangement would quickly grow tiresome. Either one party is consistently losing in every transaction, or … Continue Reading
Posted in Business Perspectives, John's Opinions, Politics and Regulation, Strategy and Planning, Technology
Tagged business ownership, business planning, business strategy, entrepreneurs, entrepreneurship, health care costs, health care reform, management, sales, small business, small business advice
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