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Helping business owners grow their companies and transition with confidence, added value and complete control.
Category Archives: Politics and Regulation
Thanks for Everything
A British friend was commenting to me on how “odd” he found the American celebration of Thanksgiving. “There is no equivalent holiday in Europe, or anywhere else in the world.” he said. “You have an entire day devoted to conspicuous … Continue Reading
Can Startup America revive US small business?
A couple of weeks ago in my opinion blog “Awake at 3 o’clock” I pointed out that politicians pronouncing small business owners as the saviors of the economy is a misplaced strategy. (“SMB isn’t the cure for the economy“) Most SMB … Continue Reading
Posted in Business Perspectives, Entrepreneurship, John's Opinions, Politics and Regulation
Tagged new business, startups
1 Comment
It’s Time for the Boomers to Step Up
Why I Need to Say This Three years ago I wrote an open letter titled “Last Chance to Save America” and sent it to my entire email list. It went viral, and I received almost a thousand emails in reply. … Continue Reading
If You are a Victim; You are Guilty.
Let’s say you own a small Italian Restaurant. Fifteen tables. Pasta, Pizza, beer and wine. Not really a white tablecloth place. More like plastic red and white check tablecloths with Chianti bottles and drippy candles. On a good Saturday night … Continue Reading
Posted in Politics and Regulation, Technology
Tagged business ownership, credit cards, health, small business, small business advice
2 Comments
Do you understand where this is going? Three
We worked on an interesting hypothesis with a client the other day. He has 100 employees (or close enough to make the math easy.) The company pays for 75% of each employee’s health insurance. Additional coverage for the family is at … Continue Reading
Do you understand where this is going? Two
Between 1997 and 2009 I had one client audited by the Department of Labor for Wage and Hour compliance. In the last 90 days I’ve had two. The first had an auditor who brought along a trainee. The second brought … Continue Reading
Do you understand where this is going? One
One of my TAB Board meetings has an insurance broker who followed the reform debate closely. The discussion was illuminating. It is one of many that I’ve had in the last three months, and it’s all beginning to come together. … Continue Reading
Just sign here
In January of 2000 I was asked what I thought the first big change would be in the new century. I said (and it’s been documented elsewhere) that we would have a national health care plan by 2011. It wasn’t … Continue Reading
They bite the hand that feeds them
On Friday a local columnist in the San Antonio Express News, Rhonda Templeton, wrote about a recent survey of employees lying on the job. I quote: ” Bending the truth is a long time tradition in U.S. workplaces- as the … Continue Reading
Technology- Investment or Expense?
I regularly hear one of my small business owner clients saying something like this. “Dammit! I have to buy another computer. I just spent (fill in) on this one just (fill in) years ago.” Why are we so offended at … Continue Reading
Is America the next Rome?
James Fallows has written a massive, thought-provoking article about America’s current social, political and economic issues in The Atlantic. Like so many of us that have spent time overseas, he looked at the US with fresh eyes on his return.In Fallows’ case, … Continue Reading
Socialized Medicine, or Capitalized Medicine?
In 2000 I was asked by a client to make a single business prediction for the new millennium. It was “By 2011, we will have some form of national health care plan, and small business owners who have been priced … Continue Reading