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Helping business owners grow their companies and transition with confidence, added value and complete control.
Tag Archives: business strategy
Will Small Business Win in the End?
A few weeks ago Schumpeter, the nom de plume for each current author of the business op-ed column in The Economist, postulated the decline and fall of the Western Corporation. Could small business be the little furry mammals of the 21st … Continue Reading
Posted in Business Perspectives, Economic Trends, Leadership, Politics and Regulation, Strategy and Planning
Tagged business, business ownership, business planning, business strategy, China, economy, entrepreneurs, entrepreneurship, international relations, management, media, new business, politics, public relations, small business, small business advice, trade
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Boomers and the Lost Generation
Those who read this column regularly are well aware of the huge shifts underway as a result of the Baby Boomers’ coming exodus from the workplace. Those who aren’t familiar with the issue are invited to download my free, 45-page … Continue Reading
Posted in Business Perspectives, Exit Planning, Exit Strategies, Managing Employees, Strategy and Planning
Tagged Baby Boomers, Boomer Bust, business ownership, business planning, business strategy, employee performance, employees, entrepreneurs, entrepreneurship, management, recession, small business, small business advice
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Is There Anything CEOish for Me to Do?
The line is from one of my favorite New Yorker cartoons. It’s being asked by an executive of his secretary. It is also a common question of business owners who have built successful organizations. The need for a CEO is present … Continue Reading
Germany Makes a Business Decision
Germany just announced that it could accept an additional 500,000 refugees when other countries are jockeying to accommodate as few as possible. As much as the announcement was portrayed as a humanitarian effort, it is just as likely a simple business decision. Few members … Continue Reading
Posted in Economic Trends, John's Opinions, Politics and Regulation, Strategy and Planning, Top Blog Posts
Tagged Baby Boomers, Boomer Bust, business ownership, business strategy, China, economy, employees, entrepreneurs, entrepreneurship, exit planning, exit strategies, international relations, management, politics, recession, small business, small business advice, social security, trade
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Companies Sell for a Multiple of…What?
Last week we discussed the difference between Main Street and Mid-market companies regarding their prospects for finding a buyer. You can read it here, but the short analysis is that the market is tightening for Main Street businesses, while the … Continue Reading
Posted in Economic Trends, Entrepreneurship, Exit Planning, Selling a business, Strategy and Planning
Tagged Baby Boomers, Boomer Bust, business ownership, business planning, business strategy, employee performance, entrepreneurs, entrepreneurship, exit planning, exit strategies, financial, leadership, management, selling a business, small business advice
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Never Fire a Salesperson
The majority of business owners prefer linking pay to employee performance. The sales role in most businesses is the easiest and most obvious place to begin. Yet owners struggle with compensating salespeople in a manner that is affordable while still driving sustained performance. Building … Continue Reading
Posted in Entrepreneurship, Incentives, Managing Employees, Marketing and Sales, Sales, Strategy and Planning
Tagged business ownership, business planning, business strategy, employee performance, employees, entrepreneurs, entrepreneurship, hiring, leadership, management, marketing, sales, sales management, small business, small business advice
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Few Employees Can Go the Distance
It’s been an unusual week. I’ve had at least four coaching conversations about employees whose jobs have outgrown them. On the one hand, it’s good news. It means that the companies are growing. On the other hand, it’s always tough … Continue Reading
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 Ayn Rand, business, business ownership, business planning, business strategy, economy, employee performance, employees, entrepreneurs, entrepreneurship, health care costs, health care reform, hiring, management, media, new business, politics, small business, small business advice, startups, trade
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The Extinction of the Summer Job
I’ve read several articles of late discussing the decline in the number of older high school and college students that take jobs for the summer. Each of these reflected on how summer employment taught millions of Americans their first work habits. Around … Continue Reading
Ageing Boomer Entrepreneurs: Fearful or Smart?
Do we become more cautious with age? Startups are usually associated with younger entrepreneurs. By the time they reach their 50s or 60s business owners tend to tackle fewer big new ideas. Those that do tend to be successful enough that they … Continue Reading
Posted in Building Value, Business Perspectives, Economic Trends, Entrepreneurship, Exit Planning, Exit Strategies, Life After, Strategy and Planning
Tagged Baby Boomers, Boomer Bust, business ownership, business planning, business strategy, economy, employees, entrepreneurs, entrepreneurship, exit planning, exit strategies, leadership, management, new business, small business, small business advice, startups
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Culture Counts!
Small businesses can’t compete with large corporations on salary and benefits. I’m not being unduly cynical, it’s just a fact. The top 1/10 of 1% in US household incomes start at $1.9 million annually. Of all those in that rarefied … Continue Reading
Posted in Entrepreneurship, Incentives, John's Opinions, Leadership, Managing Employees, Strategy and Planning
Tagged business ownership, business planning, business strategy, employee performance, employees, entrepreneurs, entrepreneurship, leadership, management, small business, small business advice
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