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Helping business owners grow their companies and transition with confidence, added value and complete control.
Category Archives: Politics and Regulation
We Can’t Legislate Job Skills
“Why can’t we find enough good people to hire?” As a consultant to business leaders, I hear this complaint with increasing frequency. From tradesmen to programmers, and from executives to scientists, we seem to be lacking a workforce with the … Continue Reading
Posted in Business Perspectives, Economic Trends, John's Opinions, Managing Employees, Politics and Regulation, Strategy and Planning
Tagged Baby Boomers, business ownership, business planning, business strategy, economy, employee performance, employees, leadership, management, politics, recession, small business, small business advice
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Who’s Picking Up the Tab?
When a small business is sold, the total price of the business includes not only the cash paid, but any obligations assumed by the buyer on behalf of the seller. Transfer of a loan balance, accrued vacation pay for employees or … Continue Reading
Posted in Economic Trends, Exit Planning, John's Opinions, Politics and Regulation, Selling a business, Strategy and Planning
Tagged Baby Boomers, Boomer Bust, business ownership, business planning, business strategy, exit planning, health care costs, politics, small business advice, social security
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2014 Outlook: Are We There Yet?
“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
Turning a Competitive Advantage into an Entitlement
The Affordable Care Act is here to stay. Although Republicans have voted to repeal Obamacare dozens of times, the “debate” over its implementation has taken on a sense of theatre. The Federal behemoth continues to chug along. Cancelled policies, the … Continue Reading
A Tiered Minimum Wage for Small Business
Recent strikes by employees of McDonalds and Wal-Mart demanding a higher minimum wage have gained headlines on all the news feeds. The strikers claim that they can’t live on the Federally mandated $7.25 an hour. The California legislature recently voted … Continue Reading
Can Small Business Survive Federal Regulation?
It has always been tough to start a business, but as Niall Ferguson points out in his excellent article “How America Lost Its Way” in the Wall Street Journal, it’s getting tougher. According to an annual survey by the World Bank, in only … Continue Reading
Could We Stamp Out Entrepreneurship in America?
In a recent Special Report on the Nordic Countries, The Economist notes that some Californian citizens pay taxes equivalent to those of Sweden. The Swedes, however, at least receive an excellent educational system and free health care in return. The … Continue Reading
Small Business and BIG Taxes – Timing is Everything
This column typically focuses on the issues of running a business, especially those that revolve around leading employees and growing profits. When I am consulting on issues that include tax planning, I am supposed to include a “Circular 230 Disclaimer”, … Continue Reading
2013: Planning for Uncertainty
Every conversation that I’ve had with business owners over the last several weeks has revolved around the challenge of planning to do business in a political and economic climate that defies normal planning conventions. The sequestration budgetary measures scheduled to go … Continue Reading
An Independent Look at the Election
The biggest disappointment of last Tuesday’s election, as I opined in an article by the San Antonio Express News, is that on Wednesday the national political landscape still looked a lot like it did on Monday. I tried to write … Continue Reading
Posted in John's Opinions, Politics and Regulation
Tagged economy, leadership, news, politics
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Atlas Shrugged and the Imperial Presidency
“Atlas Shrugged – Part II” was released on Friday. Those of you who read this column regularly know that I’m a fan of Ayn Rand, although I place myself far short of devout Objectivism. I’ve sported “Who is John Galt?” license plate … Continue Reading
Health Care Costs: Is Medicine a Market?
There is an excellent article in The New Yorker comparing the production and quality control methods of the Cheesecake Factory to certain advances in “Big Medicine.” It focuses on the savings available from large health systems through standardization and quantity purchasing. In reality, … Continue Reading