Articles
Haste Makes Waste: Do It Right the First Time
Haste makes waste is a common saying. Another common saying is time is money. Time, like money, is always in short supply in organizations. Every moment is precious, so the question is: “If you don’t have time to spare, how do you have time to fix a problem when you...
Where is Your Business Located? Realist Road
Normally when I am writing about the location of your business, I am focused on the physical or virtual locations of the business. Today I want to focus on the mental or psychological location of your perspective on your business. In working with clients, the success...
Strategic Plan: Your Five-Year Roadmap to Success
Too often, the owners of many businesses of all sizes and industries don’t see the need for a strategic plan. They make critical decisions on which deals to do, what systems to put in place, and who to hire based on the current vision of the business. They focus on...
Is your Business Performance FINE?
Does your day start something like this? “How are you today?” “Fine.” This is a typical exchange that occurs for most of us daily. A variation is going to a networking event or business function and “How’s business?” “Fine.” But is your business really FINE?...
Motivate Change to Get Desired Performance
How to Motivate Change One of the most basic things we need to understand about change is that it is personal. People must choose to change. People can be influenced to change by external sources (e.g., other people, events); however, for true change to occur and be...
Imperfect Pitches You Can’t Make Them … or Stop Them
Tough Lessons: You Can’t Make Them … or Stop Them Parents know it and live it. Consultants and other advisors have to learn it. You can’t force anyone to make a wise choice or the best decisions. You can't stop companies from making imperfect pitches to potential...
Crowdfunding: The Taxman Cometh
Crowdfunding - Category Determines Taxation Crowdfunding, like campaigns you see on sites like Kickstarter or GoFundMe, can essentially be categorized into three types of transactions: Equity investment – the funds received purchase ownership interest. Gift – the...
Business by the Numbers: Financial Oversight
Internal Controls and Financial Oversight When it comes to growing your business, you can't afford to not understand the financial perspective of their business. Whether it is the day-to-day performance, budgets, taxes, or other aspects of accounting for your...
It IS About the Customer! Know and Serve Them.
Whether our organization is for-profit, not-for-profit, or a government agency, what we do is about the customer. Sometimes we forget that. We get so caught up in "the business" that we lose sight of "the customer." What’s worse is that sometimes we aren't really sure...
Bleeping Commercials
Commercials Reflect the Values of Our Businesses I am astounded at the point at which we have arrived at in television, movies, radio. The “conversation” of our times, including commercials, has become one "bleeping" example of what is wrong with society. As I write...