When technology backfires, the results can get really ugly. Rather than building business, the best laid plans can cut you off at the knees. If you’ve ever upgraded your technology infrastructure, you’ve probably researched the field, and selected the latest elegant system which, according to the reassuring sales representative, is the answer to all your…
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Welcome to a month of Black Fridays. Black Friday crept over and engulfed Thanksgiving years ago. From stores opening at midnight, to late night on Thanksgiving, to early evening on Thanksgiving, to Thanksgiving day itself, the mercantile mentality has slowly overrun the day of thanks. This year some merchants barely could wait until Halloween had past to roll…
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How are you doing in building a reputation? What comes to mind when people mention your name? In business, your reputation is your calling card. And everything you do, every interaction you have, contributes to this image. A great reputation attracts great people. People want to get to know you, to share with you and…
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What is the bottom line for business? Revenues minus expenses is the stock answer, and it is absolutely correct. But what are the true expenses, and what is the true bottom line? Expenses are the payments made to generate profits. When profits are threatened, expenses may be cut. And sometimes, to save the company, the sacrifices…
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Time management is tough. Where did the time go? Whether you’re wondering about the last hour, day, week, month, quarter or year, time flies. And too often we don’t have as much to show for it as we hoped. So how do we capture time and put it to better use? First, be brutally honest…
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Another school year has begun, with new beginnings for students and families. The first day of school, or the first day of high school, or the first day of college – all milestones pointing toward hopeful and exciting futures. It is also a time for new beginnings for business. Summer is winding down; vacations have come…
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Bluegrass music can teach us a lot about building business. Bluegrass builds connections. It’s folk music with energy and passion. A band “wailing, picking and grinning,” can move an audience to giddy joy or quiet melancholy. People “get it,” and are sold. There are business lessons to be learned, and like bluegrass itself, the lessons are simple.…
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Spark plugs – a blast from the past. There’s a business lesson to be learned from spark plugs. To those of us who are not exactly automotively inclined, spark plugs were the things under the hood, about the size and shape of salt and pepper shakers. Once upon a time, my co-worker Frannie and…
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Business survival means constantly creating solutions to a never-ending stream of challenges. How can you stay one step ahead of the tidal wave, and two steps ahead of the competition? In today’s changing marketplace, nothing is static and nothing is sacred. If you’re on top, competitors are hungrily chasing you; if you are in the…
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What makes an inspirational leader? What causes staff members to feel appreciated and valued, and willingly strive to do their best for the organization? Inspirational leadership doesn’t come from poring over the last ten best selling, popular management books. It isn’t automatically bestowed with the corner office. Inspirational leadership is the product of a person’s values and…
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