As an entrepreneur we take on so many responsibilities and one of the most prominent is finding a way to keep those sales coming through the door so that our employees keep a job. But what I have learned is that the short-term month to month thinking doesn’t help your company grow and it almost certainly will mean the death of it. Here’s what I’ve learned about what you need to … [Read more...]
Contracts That Hurt You
Millions of people are taking the leap to start their own business every year. Whether a solopreneur or part of a skilled start up team - new business owners are busy. Starting a business may start with a dream but businesses succeed with hard work, determination, and the drive to forge ahead. Many people, after starting a company, realizing the amount of time it takes find … [Read more...]
The view from the top
Let’s face it, we all went in to business because we were really good at something and thought we could do it better. A couple of years later, we have learned some new things and are a little less willing to listen to someone else’s advice. But what if that advice is coming from a client? I recently had a situation where some unwanted advice led to a deeper understanding of my … [Read more...]
What we need in incubators
Around the country politicians, industry leaders and small businesses have screamed their support for small business development centers and universities to get involved in creating business incubators that help build and sustain small business. The goal is admirable, small businesses stimulate economies and create more jobs. But there is an undercurrent of dissatisfaction … [Read more...]
“How to get people to BUY from you!”
Last week I got so many emails from our mailing list and on Facebook asking for clarity on how to get people to buy from them. Well it’s not brain surgery but it does require a certain level of listening and giving that can change your financial future FAST! Let me to address some of your possible … [Read more...]
Is it time to stop running your business?
There are things in life that are inevitable, love, death, taxes and the failure of a business. Knowing that doesn’t make the pain any easier to deal with so if you are facing the decision of when to quit and when to hang on, I have four pearls of wisdom (ahem, at least in my mind) for you to consider. Did you give it your best shot? Hindsight is 20/20 and when making the … [Read more...]
Time is Love
There is a new song out by Josh Turner entitled "Time is Love". Every time I hear this song it is a mini-exercise in personal and professional strategic planning for me. How often do we think about where we spend our time- and really get honest with ourselves? How often do we think about what we really care about, what matters most? And the final step... how often do we … [Read more...]
Managing Virtual Teams: Three Keys to Success
Guest post by business strategy and management education expert Trish Gorman (learn more about Trish at the end of this post) Most of us realize that high-performing teams are not really “managed.” Instead, they are inspired, connected, directed, motivated and rewarded. But in today’s global workforce, the task of managing virtual teams complicates the management process and … [Read more...]
The Church of Business
Starting a business is optimism incarnate and we have all had that moment when the question” what are you working on now?” seems to be an indictment of our failure as an entrepreneur. I’ve noticed that there are some silver linings when warm leads dry up and you have to roll your sleeves up to stay in business. You learn what you are made of Failure isn’t for everybody … [Read more...]
What Leadership Knows Matters
Last night in a conversation on a treadmill, a friend was rehashing her take on management and questioning why certain efforts were made with no regard to cost, effort and effect. It was an interesting conversation and as a business owner it was nice to see the other side of the table. As owners we sometimes forget how much our decisions influence our staff, so here are the … [Read more...]