Tag Archives: business strategy

Is Less Bad Good?

The government is proclaiming the beginning of the beginning of the end. “Only” 540,000 new people lost their jobs last month, instead of 620,000. The somewhat panicky tone that has characterised these communiques continues. A one month drop, especially following … Continue Reading

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All for one…me

Continuing the discussion on employee incentives. We have four possible combinations for incentives, monetary/group, monetary/individual, non-monetary/group and non-monetary/individual. How can we determine which incentives will work best? Sometimes the answer is trial and error. There are many good reasons to … Continue Reading

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Small Business can Sell in a Recession

This was an article I had published in the San Antonio Express News yesterday. Guest Voices: Small businesses can sell in recession Many business owners think that the current recession has ruined their exit strategy. While the climate may be … Continue Reading

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All for One…

Most small business owners approach employee incentives with mixed emotions.They want to provide some system that creates a sense of urgency and responsibility in their employees, but they don’t want to give up too much of an already thin bottom … Continue Reading

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It’s Not Adoption

I spent some time this week with a client who was implementing his first-ever layoff. He has been in business for over 17 years, and has become very close with many of his employees. Some were friends before they were … Continue Reading

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Tweens

A client asked me last week “Do you think that companies have a size at which they are particularly difficult to manage?” Great question, and I think the answer is probably “yes.” In the beginning, the solo entrepreneur (you) has … Continue Reading

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Your Official Inflation Notice

A number of my clients have not yet reacted to the crashing of the financial world around them. They are not idiots, but San Antonio remains relatively healthy, and almost 2/3 of the companies we currently work with (about 104 … Continue Reading

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The Double Bubble

After three positive days in the stock market, it is tempting to breathe a sigh of relief and forget the doom and gloom reports. There are still dynamics, however, that will take a while to work through the system. Take … Continue Reading

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If This Goes On…

Today the government is announcing a trillion dollars for “asset based markets.” The government has become a vague amalgam of “Treasury and Federal Reserve officials.” The asset based markets are apparently banks, hedge funds, credit card issuers and private equity … Continue Reading

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

The Overview

Two stories from last week. I was making a couple of follow up calls to prospective clients. These are business owners who have expressed an interest in our peer group and coaching process. The first was to a sign shop … Continue Reading

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Taking a 360 degree view

This is an article I had published in the San Antonio Business Journal yesterday. http://sanantonio.bizjournals.com/sanantonio/stories/2009/02/16/editorial1.html When the economy slows, small-business owners most often focus on the top revenue line as a key indicator of company health. In reality, the events … Continue Reading

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Separating Winners and Losers

Even in the relatively healthy business climate of San Antonio, some folks are describing their business to me with a mournful look and “The economy, you know.” It’s the current shorthand for ” I’m losing money and I’m doing nothing … Continue Reading

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