Tag Archives: Ayn Rand

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 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

My Interview with Robert Morris: Part I

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 , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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

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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

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Santa Boss: The Role of a Business Owner

Ebenezer Scrooge was visited by three ghosts, so it’s fitting that I tackle the issue of the holidays three times. We’ve discussed terminations close to the holidays, and the custom of dispensing year-end bonuses. But in the end Dicken’s Scrooge was … Continue Reading

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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

Posted in Business Perspectives, John's Opinions, Politics and Regulation, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Politically Speaking: Do Small Business Owners Have a Voice?

The political parties have completed their prime-time convention pageantry, and are buckling down for the 60 day dash to the election. Both profess to be focused on the”little guy,” the middle class backbone of America. One party says that you … Continue Reading

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Life Imitates Art

I finally got around to seeing “Atlas Shrugged- Part I” this week. I went with a friend who is as much a fan of the book as I am. You really have to begin any critique of the movie by … Continue Reading

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It IS all about you.

Why did you want to own a business? If you believe the textbook definition of an entrepreneur, it was to leverage capital and other resources to create wealth. That probably applies to about 5% of us. Or, you might have started … Continue Reading

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Do you understand where this is going? Four

I ran into a friend in the gym the other day. he is the President of a tech company providing IT services to the government. What they do is highly skilled and highly sensitive.I asked him how his business was … Continue Reading

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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

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The Criminalization of Integrity

Yesterday Congress passed the credit card reform act. The cynical part of me doesn’t like another law that is designed to protect the stupid from themselves, but that’s not what I’m really upset about. The New York Times published an … Continue Reading

Posted in Business Perspectives, John's Opinions, Leadership, Politics and Regulation, Strategy and Planning | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment