Tag Archives: business strategy

Does Technology Help or Threaten Small Businesses?

Posted on April 14, 2013 by John F. Dini

A small computer service company wants to sell Microsoft software licenses to its customers. They send an employee to become certified in licensing. (Microsoft offers some 600 variants.). As soon as they purchase a license, however, Microsoft begins soliciting that customer … Continue Reading →

Posted in Customer Relations, Economic Trends, Entrepreneurship, Marketing, Marketing and Sales, Strategy and Planning, Technology | Tagged business strategy, entrepreneurship, marketing, sales, small business advice | 2 Comments

Leaner and Meaner (Part 3): Investing in Employees

Posted on January 20, 2013 by John F. Dini

Employees are free agents. As a business owner you wouldn’t sell your customers at a loss because in past years you made a profit. Neither should we expect employees to get better at their jobs without expecting compensation commensurate with their current … Continue Reading →

Posted in Incentives, Leadership, Managing Employees, Strategy and Planning | Tagged business ownership, business strategy, employee performance, employees, entrepreneurship, leadership, management, small business advice | Leave a comment

Does Your Business Need to be Leaner and Meaner? (Part 1)

Posted on January 6, 2013 by John F. Dini

I’ve been surprised by the tone of my clients’ conversations since the beginning of the year. They want to get tougher. They want to plan more. They want to find the chinks in their armor, and sharpen their weapons. These … Continue Reading →

Posted in Business Perspectives, Economic Trends, Strategy and Planning | Tagged Baby Boomers, Boomer Bust, business ownership, business planning, business strategy, economy, entrepreneurship, health care reform, small business advice | 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

Is Distribution Dead?

Posted on July 29, 2012 by John F. Dini

It’s difficult to talk to any owner of a small distribution business without hearing complaints about competition from the Internet. Their criticisms are pretty universal, regardless of the goods being distributed. “Customers call with prices they claim to have found … Continue Reading →

Posted in Customer Relations, Marketing and Sales, Sales, Strategy and Planning, Technology | Tagged business strategy, sales management | 2 Comments

Entrepreneurs Love Paperwork

Posted on June 24, 2012 by John F. Dini

Entrepreneurs love paperwork. Not. The truth is that most entrepreneurs hate paperwork with a passion otherwise reserved for the college team that ran up the score on their alma mater year in and year out. If I want to get a guaranteed … Continue Reading →

Posted in Business Perspectives, Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Managing Employees, Strategy and Planning | Tagged business strategy, employees, entrepreneurship, leadership, small business advice | Leave a comment

The Gen X Business Buyer

Posted on April 22, 2012 by John F. Dini

Generation X’ers aren’t mini-Boomers. Raised in a rapidly growing economy by parents that approached child rearing as a competitive activity, they saw more, did more, and were given more than their parents could have dreamed of. I took my first … Continue Reading →

Posted in Building Value, Business Perspectives, Exit Options, Exit Planning, Selling a business, Strategy and Planning | Tagged Baby Boomers, Boomer Bust, business ownership, business strategy, small business advice | 3 Comments

The X Factor

Posted on April 15, 2012 by John F. Dini

There are two sides to every business transaction, a buyer and a seller. For most of the last 50 years in America, the Baby Boomers have been the biggest buyers in history. They bought homes and cars to spur the … Continue Reading →

Posted in Business Perspectives, Economic Trends, Exit Options, Exit Planning, Exit Strategies, Selling a business, Strategy and Planning | Tagged Baby Boomers, Boomer Bust, business strategy, small business advice | 3 Comments

Another Lost Generation?

Posted on January 15, 2012 by John F. Dini

I had the opportunity to present “Beating the Boomer Bust” twice this week, one of which was recorded for a Texas Public Radio show this weekend. For those who aren’t familiar with the piece, it discusses the massive changes that … Continue Reading →

Posted in Business Perspectives, Economic Trends, Exit Options, Exit Planning, John's Opinions, Managing Employees, Selling a business | Tagged business strategy, employees, entrepreneurship, management | 2 Comments

Do Goals Make a Difference?

Posted on January 1, 2012 by John F. Dini

To start the New Year right, let me tell you a true story about a goal. It was a little goal; or at least it started out that way. It certainly wasn’t a goal that was intended to be life … Continue Reading →

Posted in Exit Planning, John's Opinions, Strategy and Planning | Tagged business strategy, entrepreneurship, exit strategies, management | Leave a comment

Turning Plans into Realities

Posted on December 25, 2011 by John F. Dini

We’ve discussed some simple steps to getting started on your annual business plan. (see previous post: The Seven Questions of Simple Planning). Once you have the questions answered, you can begin moving towards the actions that transform your plans into … Continue Reading →

Posted in Business Perspectives, Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Managing Employees, Strategy and Planning | Tagged business planning, business strategy, management, small business advice | 1 Comment

The Seven Questions of Simple Planning

Posted on December 18, 2011 by John F. Dini

The Creation In the beginning was the plan And it sprang from the assumptions And the assumptions were without form So the plan was void of substance And darkness fell upon the face of the workers And the workers … Continue Reading →

Posted in Business Perspectives, Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Strategy and Planning | Tagged business ownership, business strategy, leadership, small business advice | 1 Comment