Tag Archives: small business

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

2014 Outlook: Are We There Yet?

Posted on January 5, 2014 by John F. Dini

“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 →

Posted in Business Perspectives, Economic Trends, John's Opinions, Politics and Regulation, Strategy and Planning | Tagged Baby Boomers, banks, business strategy, China, economy, health care costs, media, politics, small business | Leave a comment

Can Franchising Survive The Baby Boomers?

Posted on June 16, 2013 by John F. Dini

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 →

Posted in Business Perspectives, Economic Trends, Exit Planning, Exit Strategies, Selling a business, Strategy and Planning | Tagged Baby Boomers, Boomer Bust, business ownership, business strategy, entrepreneurship, exit planning, small business | 1 Comment

Happy Ostara: Owner Infallability

Posted on March 31, 2013 by John F. Dini

The origins of Easter are lost to history. I don’t mean the Christian holiday celebrating the resurrection of Jesus, or even the Jewish holiday of Passover which it matches on the calendar. In fact, the name Easter is a derivative … Continue Reading →

Posted in Leadership, Managing Employees, Strategy and Planning | Tagged business ownership, employees, entrepreneurship, leadership, management, small business, small business advice | 2 Comments

Are Entrepreneurs Smarter, or just Gutsier?

Posted on March 10, 2013 by John F. Dini

The vagaries of my reading habits had me reading two “How I did it” books last week; Ed Whitacre’s “American Turnaround” and Dave Ramsey’s “EntreLeadership.” Both men are justifiably proud of their achievements, but their differing paths to success are striking. … Continue Reading →

Posted in Business Perspectives, Entrepreneurship, Leadership | Tagged business ownership, entrepreneurship, leadership, small business | 3 Comments

Business Plans and New Year’s Resolutions

Posted on December 30, 2012 by John F. Dini

For the last week or so, the regular denizens of my local gym have been “preparing” for the onslaught of Resolutioners, as we call them. Those are the folks that show up every year right after the holidays, determined to … Continue Reading →

Posted in Entrepreneurship, Strategy and Planning | Tagged business ownership, business planning, business strategy, entrepreneurship, small business, small business advice | 1 Comment

The Brass Ring

Posted on March 25, 2012 by John F. Dini

A long, long time ago (I’ve actually ridden only one such in my lifetime) Carousels had a spring-loaded sleeve of brass rings protruding near the innermost (and least popular) track of horses. A bigger kid could lean out and yank … Continue Reading →

Posted in Business Perspectives, Entrepreneurship, Exit Planning, Exit Strategies, Life After, Strategy and Planning | Tagged Baby Boomers, Boomer Bust, business ownership, entrepreneurship, small business | 3 Comments

The Pig in the Python

Posted on March 18, 2012 by John F. Dini

The title of this section refers to a well-known biological phenomenon. The python family of snakes have hinged jaws that allow them to swallow animals much larger than their heads. These animals are gradually consumed as they pass through the … Continue Reading →

Posted in Business Perspectives, Economic Trends, Exit Planning, Exit Strategies, Selling a business, Strategy and Planning | Tagged Baby Boomers, Boomer Bust, exit planning, small business | Leave a comment

Tax Deductible- So What?

Posted on January 29, 2012 by John F. Dini

We have done ourselves a disservice as business owners. Too often we have justified an expenditure to non-owner friends as “tax deductible” to show how clever we are. In doing so, we have confused the public. They see the Federal … Continue Reading →

Posted in John's Opinions | Tagged business ownership, entrepreneurship, politics, small business | Leave a comment

The Third Factor- A Third Eye?

Posted on May 31, 2011 by John F. Dini

For several years my writing and speaking has focused on two factors that are indispensable for entrepreneurs; creativity and tenacity. Creativity is the drive that not only makes entrepreneurs see opportunities, but also makes them consider every problem or challenge … Continue Reading →

Posted in Business Perspectives, Entrepreneurship, John's Opinions, Leadership | Tagged business ownership, entrepreneurship, leadership, small business | 3 Comments

Black Swans and Small Business Plans

Posted on April 21, 2011 by John F. Dini

The term “Black Swan” has become immensely popular on Wall Street and in the media to designate a rare occurrence. Google “Black Swan Japan earthquake” (which is popular enough that Google will fill in the last 11 or 12 letters … Continue Reading →

Posted in Economic Trends, Entrepreneurship, Strategy and Planning | Tagged business planning, small business | Leave a comment