Tag Archives: business strategy

The Only Number that Counts

The retirement of a generation of entrepreneurs (see www.theboomerbust.com) is an event unique in our history, or in anyone’s history for that matter. What we are about to experience is inevitable, and those who are unprepared are in for a … Continue Reading

Posted in Business Perspectives, Economic Trends, Exit Planning, Strategy and Planning, Technology | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Lots of Jobs – Where are the Workers?

The South Texas region has an unemployment rate of somewhere between 5.2% and 5.8%, depending on exactly where you are located. Employment in certain highly desirable professional technology occupations is officially over 100%. Finding entry-level employees in South Texas is … Continue Reading

Posted in Business Perspectives, Economic Trends, John's Opinions, Strategy and Planning | Tagged , , , , , | 8 Comments

“We’ll Just Agree to Disagree”

A CEO was having a discussion with one of his top executives a few weeks ago. He felt strongly that the executive needed to take a certain course of action as soon as possible. The Vice President explained that the … Continue Reading

Posted in Entrepreneurship, Incentives, Leadership, Managing Employees, Strategy and Planning | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Can You Outgrow Customers?

When you start a company, it’s like shopping at the supermarket when you are very hungry. Everything looks good. Any suspect might be a prospect. Any prospect is worth pursuing, and your ideal customer is anyone who is willing to pay you for … Continue Reading

Posted in Marketing and Sales, Sales, Strategy and Planning | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Who Owns the Portal?

We are 30 years into the computer revolution, which I am arbitrarily marking as beginning in the mid-1980’s, when Apple II and IBM compatible (286) computers began to show up on the desks of people who weren’t in the “computer room.” … Continue Reading

Posted in Business Perspectives, Customer Relations, Entrepreneurship, Sales, Strategy and Planning, Technology | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Wrestling with Ethics

The head of a rep firm approaches the owner of a small manufacturing company for whom they sell. One of his salespeople has an opportunity for a huge order with a multinational company, but the purchasing manager has indicated that the … Continue Reading

Posted in Entrepreneurship, John's Opinions, Leadership, Strategy and Planning | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Ready…Set…Exit! Part II

Last week we discussed the tsunami of Baby Boomer retirement, and how we will reach a peak of nearly 500 unsold businesses a day within the next 5 years. The statistics are immutable. The birthrates of the last century are … Continue Reading

Posted in Economic Trends, Entrepreneurship, Exit Planning, Exit Strategies, Selling a business, Strategy and Planning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Ready…Set…Exit! Part I

For the last six years I’ve been writing and speaking around the country to business owners about the coming tsunami of retiring Baby Boomer business owners. My e-book “Beating the Boomer Bust” details the  statistics (For a free download, go here … Continue Reading

Posted in Entrepreneurship, Exit Planning, Exit Strategies, Managing Employees, Marketing, Selling a business, Strategy and Planning | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Return of “Do It Yourself”

For the last 40 years, America has been on a roll. Baby Boomers, raised in a competitive environment, have increased the average work week, made the two income household ubiquitous, and currently operate about 60% of the small businesses in … Continue Reading

Posted in Economic Trends, Exit Planning, Strategy and Planning | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

Can Franchising Survive The Baby Boomers?

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 , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Can Your Small Business Survive Disaster?

Memorial Day weekend served up numerous reminders of the vulnerability of small businesses to disasters. Boardwalk vendors were reopening on the Jersey Shore and Coney Island. San Antonio was underwater, and a large portion of Moore, Oklahoma was swept away … Continue Reading

Posted in Leadership, Managing Employees, Strategy and Planning | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Boomer Business Owners’ Retirement Accelerates

Pepperdine University, in cooperation with the International Business Brokers Association and the M&A Source, publishes a quarterly Market Pulse Survey on the sale of small businesses in the United States. The most recent report, covering the fourth quarter of 2012, … Continue Reading

Posted in Economic Trends, Exit Planning, Exit Strategies, Life After, Selling a business, Strategy and Planning | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments