Articles — FOCUS Resources

Mastermind Groups for Exponential Business Growth

by Lea Strickland | Jun 30, 2020 | Business Articles, Business Growth, C.O.R.E. Business System, Execution, Leadership, Marketing, Sales and Business Development, Results

“If you find yourself weak in persistence, surround yourself with a mastermind group.” Napoleon Hill Why You Need a Facilitated Mastermind Group Business owners, solopreneurs, and entrepreneurs have a lot of demands on their time, and this leads to stress. Stress...

S.T.R.I.V.E. for Success

by Lea Strickland | Jan 12, 2020 | C.O.R.E. Business System

Success Is Action Success is a verb, an action, not a noun. It is a journey, not a destination. Measuring success in terms of forward momentum or progress makes sense. You strive for success. You take action, make decisions, and get others actively involved. Truly...

Dishonest Clients – Dangerous and Unprepared

by Lea Strickland | Jun 20, 2016 | Business Articles, Business Management, C.O.R.E. Business System, Commercialization, Customer, Customer Relationships

Dishonest Clients After all these years in business, I am still amazed when I encounter a dishonest client. It is doubly confounding when the client is not only dishonest, but also inexperienced and unsophisticated in the intricacies of business. It is especially true...

Customer Focused?

by Lea Strickland | May 31, 2016 | Business Articles, Business Management, C.O.R.E. Business System, Commercialization, Competitiveness, Customer, Customer Relationships, Marketing, Sales and Business Development

Is Your Business Customer Focused or Trying to Be All Things to All People? I love the single-cup beverage systems. When I want something to drink, I don’t have to boil an entire pot of water, coffee or tea. I can choose my drink of preference, pop in the single cup,...

Business Concept – Validating Your Idea

by Lea Strickland | May 8, 2016 | 12-Steps to Start, C.O.R.E. Business System, Concept, Customer, Focus Points, Opportunity

Crazy Ideas and Business Concept Many highly successful businesses have been started on ideas other people thought were crazy. Many unsuccessful businesses were started as "sure things." How do you know before you start if your idea is worthwhile? How do you...

10 Elements of Successful Businesses

by Lea Strickland | May 3, 2016 | 12-Steps to Start, Business Articles, Business Growth, Business Management, Business Ownership, C.O.R.E. Business System, Commercialization, Competitiveness, Concept, Entity, Entrepreneur, Execution, Marketing, Sales and Business Development, Small Business, Small Business, Start-up

While every business has elements that are unique to it. Every successful business shares common characteristics with other successful businesses. Concept The first element of a successful business is a clear concept of what the business is and does. This concept is...

Starting a New Business

by Lea Strickland | Mar 25, 2015 | 12-Steps to Start, C.O.R.E. Business System, Focus on Business Radio Show

Show host Lea Strickland shares insights, tips, and steps to successfully starting a new business based on personal and client experiences. Listen Now

Validating Your Business Concept

by Lea Strickland | Jul 31, 2014 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Business Management, C.O.R.E. Business System, Commercialization, Competitiveness, Concept, Entrepreneur, Funding, Leadership, Marketing, Sales and Business Development, Non-Profit, Small Business, Small Business, Start-up, Strategy

To know whether or not you have a viable business concept, you have to comprehensively define (on paper) your thoughts, ideas, and vision. You also need to gather information related to those ideas: market size, competitors, pricing, and so on. With that information...

Vision, Strategy, Structure, and Results

by Lea Strickland | Jul 31, 2014 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Business Management, C.O.R.E. Business System, Commercialization, Competitiveness, Entrepreneur, Execution, Leadership, Marketing, Sales and Business Development, Non-Profit, Resources, Results, Small Business, Small Business, Start-up, Strategy

The successful organization - one that is both productive currently and viable long term - has integrated the vision, strategy, and structure of the organization to enable financial success. The ability of an organization to achieve every iota of success it is capable...

Timelines and Deadlines: Customers and Investors Wait for No One

by Lea Strickland | Jul 31, 2014 | Business Articles, Business Growth, C.O.R.E. Business System, Commercialization, Competitiveness, Customer Relationships, Entrepreneur, Small Business, Start-up, Strategy

When it comes to getting things done, missing the timeline may mean a deadline missed—with an emphasis on the DEAD line of business or opportunity. At times, people mistake courtesy and diplomacy as a signal that it is okay to miss a deadline. I’m not advocating being...

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Five Critical Steps to Maximize Resource Flexibility

by Lea Strickland | May 26, 2016 | Business Articles, Business Management, Execution, Human Resources, Leadership, Main Street, Operations, Resources, Results | 0 Comments

Companies of all sizes have historically relied upon their workforce to provide the flexibility necessary to compete. Unfortunately, compensation and benefit costs have created a dilemma - business can’t afford to commit to full-time, permanent employees. While...

How to Bring in the First Customer

by Lea Strickland | December 11, 2012 | Business Articles, Main Street | 0 Comments

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. (MainStreet) -- Would you do business with someone you don't know? What about someone who hasn't been in business very long? Would you want to be the guinea pig for a new product or technology? Would you risk your health, wealth, life or...

Getting Business Is Easier Than Getting Paid

by Lea Strickland | October 29, 2012 | Business Articles, The Street (the street.com) | 0 Comments

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Eavesdropping is not intentional, but some days you just can't help but overhear a conversation in a restaurant. I recently had one of those days. As I was sitting on the terrace of one of my favorite restaurants, carving out some time for...

Does Your Business Need an iPhone 5? Really?

by Lea Strickland | September 26, 2012 | Business Articles, The Street (the street.com) | 0 Comments

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. (MainStreet) -- One of the toughest financial controls an organization can put in place is evaluating expenditures in terms of need -- for instance, if you can't do business without it -- versus want, which are those things that are nice...

Is Your Business a National Debt Crisis Look-Alike?

by Lea Strickland | September 10, 2012 | Business Articles, The Street (the street.com) | 0 Comments

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- The debt clock is ticking up to over $16 trillion. Student loan debt (which has exceeded $1 trillion) now exceeds credit card debt (approximately $800 billion). Politicians are debating its impact and how to address it. But any way you look at...

The Four Pillars of Peak Business Performance

by Lea Strickland | August 28, 2012 | Business Articles, Execution, The Street (the street.com) | 0 Comments

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Getting your organization to work at maximum performance requires everyone to work together toward common goals and objectives. It also requires each person to be clear on role and responsibilities, as well as being accountable for success (or...

It Doesn’t Work for Long When Managers ‘Work the Numbers’

by Lea Strickland | August 1, 2012 | Business Articles, The Street (the street.com) | 0 Comments

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Many inexperienced (and even some experienced) managers and executives get caught up in the "management" of internal issues and "working the numbers." They forget that serving the customer is the objective. Let me tell you about a company we'll...

Business CPR: Cash, Prospects and Revenues

by Lea Strickland | July 11, 2012 | Business Articles, The Street (the street.com) | 0 Comments

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- It doesn't matter what your prospects are a year from now or a month from now, if you can't pay your employees and vendors today. Cash flow determines whether you stay in business or close your doors. Understanding your cash flow cycle (the...

Power Is a Scarce Commodity For Mobile Entrepreneurs

by Lea Strickland | May 25, 2012 | Business Articles, The Street (the street.com) | 0 Comments

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- The more technology I acquire and the more mobile I am, the more convinced I am that we need more power outlets. There never seem to be enough available outlets (or sometimes not any!) for all the people with computers or other devices in any...

Sales Tax Isn’t Killing Your Store

by Lea Strickland | May 16, 2012 | The Street (the street.com) | 0 Comments

NEW YORK (TheStreet) — The media is constantly buzzing about real world retailers being unable to compete against online stores that provide the same merchandise. The stories often focus on the advantage online retailers have in avoiding charging sales taxes. But in reality the advantage isn’t all about the taxes: It is often about variety of products, availability, the price, and when you can get the product.

How to Grow Your Business, One Relationship at a Time – Network!

by Lea Strickland | June 6, 2016 | Customer, MWorld, Operations, Resources | 0 Comments

Grow Your Business — Build Relationships Previously published in MWorld, The Journal of the American Management Association Volume 8, Number 3 Summer/Fall 2009 In today’s economic uncertainty, having a solid network can help your organization. However, it isn’t easy...

Sales Constraints – What’s holding us back?

by Lea Strickland | June 6, 2016 | Customer, Resources, Results, Sales and Service Excellence | 0 Comments

Are you operating at peak performance? Do you spend more dollars for less return? When you invest to expand capacity, does it translate into more results (revenues and profits)? If not, you’re investing in the wrong option. Here are 10 sales constraints: lack of clear...

Fiscal growth starts with local needs

by Lea Strickland | April 1, 2011 | Publications, Triangle Business Journal | 0 Comments

[This article appeared in the November 26, 2010 Triangle Business Journal] Fiscal growth starts with local needs Can North Carolina compete in the world market if our state government and its surrogates continue to ignore fresh expertise within our own borders? More...

Five Critical Steps to Maximize Resource Flexibility

by Lea Strickland | May 26, 2016 | Business Articles, Business Management, Execution, Human Resources, Leadership, Main Street, Operations, Resources, Results | 0 Comments

How to Bring in the First Customer

by Lea Strickland | December 11, 2012 | Business Articles, Main Street | 0 Comments

Getting Business Is Easier Than Getting Paid

by Lea Strickland | October 29, 2012 | Business Articles, The Street (the street.com) | 0 Comments

Does Your Business Need an iPhone 5? Really?

by Lea Strickland | September 26, 2012 | Business Articles, The Street (the street.com) | 0 Comments

Is Your Business a National Debt Crisis Look-Alike?

by Lea Strickland | September 10, 2012 | Business Articles, The Street (the street.com) | 0 Comments

The Four Pillars of Peak Business Performance

by Lea Strickland | August 28, 2012 | Business Articles, Execution, The Street (the street.com) | 0 Comments

It Doesn’t Work for Long When Managers ‘Work the Numbers’

by Lea Strickland | August 1, 2012 | Business Articles, The Street (the street.com) | 0 Comments

Business CPR: Cash, Prospects and Revenues

by Lea Strickland | July 11, 2012 | Business Articles, The Street (the street.com) | 0 Comments

Power Is a Scarce Commodity For Mobile Entrepreneurs

by Lea Strickland | May 25, 2012 | Business Articles, The Street (the street.com) | 0 Comments

Sales Tax Isn’t Killing Your Store

by Lea Strickland | May 16, 2012 | The Street (the street.com) | 0 Comments

Today’s Jobless, Tomorrow’s Entrepreneurs

by Lea Strickland | January 27, 2012 | The Street (the street.com) | 0 Comments

Every day we read about higher unemployment rates, lack of job creation and projections that the outlook is unlikely to change soon. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics recognizes that the majority of new jobs will come from small businesses. The reality is, many of...

Loose Lips Sink Companies — Or Employment

by Lea Strickland | January 27, 2012 | Business Articles, The Street (the street.com) | 0 Comments

I have an increasing concern that meeting in public places is leading to carelessness when it comes to confidential information. At this moment, I'm sitting in a restaurant waiting for a meeting. In the past five minutes the conversation in the next booth has become...

Motivate Change to Get Desired Performance

by Lea Strickland | August 31, 2016 | Business Articles, Business Management, Change Management, Execution, Human Resources, Operations, Resources | 0 Comments

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...

Five Critical Steps to Maximize Resource Flexibility

by Lea Strickland | May 26, 2016 | Business Articles, Business Management, Execution, Human Resources, Leadership, Main Street, Operations, Resources, Results | 0 Comments

The Coffee Pot Syndrome

by Lea Strickland | July 31, 2014 | Budgets and Financial Tools, Business Articles, Business Management, Human Resources, Leadership, Non-Profit, Perspectives, Small Business, Start-up | 0 Comments

You may not recognize the phenomena by name, but many have experienced it. The coffee pot syndrome (CPS) is the first signal that a business has performance issues. CPS occurs when a business isn't achieving profitability objectives and starts looking for ways to cut...

Payroll Systems – It Pays To Get It Right!

by Lea Strickland | July 31, 2014 | Budgets and Financial Tools, Business Articles, Business Growth, Human Resources, Non-Profit, Small Business, Start-up | 0 Comments

Payroll is one of the “simple” business tasks that we often think that anyone can handle. After all it is just math, right? For those of us who aren’t either experienced in payroll issues or payroll professionals trained in the complexity of complying with local,...

RETURN ON INVESTMENT – Structure and People

by Lea Strickland | July 31, 2014 | Business Articles, Business Management, Human Resources, Leadership | 0 Comments

Previous articles have discussed the importance of having the right people who are doing the right things and being accountable for achieving specific results in your organization. To achieve the maximum return on investment in your people, the organization's...

Management Styles: Drive-by, Seagulls and Other Pains

by Lea Strickland | July 31, 2014 | Business Articles, Business Management, Human Resources, Non-Profit, Strategy | 0 Comments

Tough, fair, frank, straight-forward, reliable: All words that would, in my opinion, be descriptions of the type of manager you would be glad to have as a boss or working for you. Drive-by, seagull, and pain in the anatomy are not descriptions that readily come to...

Effective Listening and Open Door Policies

by Lea Strickland | July 31, 2014 | Business Articles, Business Management, Human Resources, Non-Profit | 0 Comments

I don’t know how many times I’ve heard about “Open Door Policies.” The thing is: It isn’t about the door! It’s about your ability to listen objectively and take into consideration another person’s perspective, usually an employee, direct report, colleague or peer. I...

Delegation or Abdication? Managers Are Ultimately Responsible

by Lea Strickland | July 31, 2014 | Business Articles, Business Management, Human Resources, Leadership, Non-Profit | 0 Comments

I started my career in the 80s—the 1980s, not the 1880s. However, these days it feels as if there is a century of difference between a few decades ago and today, especially when it comes to responsibility and accountability. I sometimes think (and may be it is true)...

Conflicts of Personality: When Expectations Drive Perceptions

by Lea Strickland | July 31, 2014 | Business Articles, Human Resources, Leadership, Non-Profit | 0 Comments

Everyday we work, meet and interact with people inside (and outside) our organizations. We become accustomed to our colleagues and peers and their behaviors: What they have done in the past is what we expect them to continue to do. Truthfully, we seldom change our...

Conflict Management: Do It Right and Succeed

by Lea Strickland | July 31, 2014 | Business Articles, Business Management, Human Resources, Leadership, Non-Profit, Strategy | 0 Comments

Being able to handle conflict is important to both our personal and professional lives. Conflict in varying degrees occurs daily. Whether it is dealing with a child or with someone you work with, being able to address the issues means being able to calm participants...

Business by the Numbers: Financial Oversight

by Lea Strickland | August 24, 2016 | Budgets and Financial Tools, Business Articles, Business Growth, Business Ownership, Cash Management, Execution, Leadership, Operations, Resources, Small Business | 0 Comments

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...

Business Danger Signs: Is Your Business the Frog in the Pot?

by Lea Strickland | June 18, 2016 | Budgets and Financial Tools, Business Articles, Business Management, Business Ownership, Economy and Economics, Leadership, Results | 0 Comments

A business danger signs may be ignored or unnoticed, much like a frog in a pot of water on a stove. Yes, I am talking about the the experiment with a frog and a pot of hot water. If you put the frog in the pot and the water is boiling, he hops out fast! But when you...

How to Develop Business Growth Goals

by Lea Strickland | November 27, 2015 | Budgets and Financial Tools, Business Articles, Business Growth, Business Management, Resources, Small Business, Strategy | 0 Comments

Goals have to be personalized to your organization. While the majority of businesses may choose to set a sales goal¾as dollars or percentage increase¾the actual goal amount has to be set based on the current results, capabilities, resources, and long-term vision for...

Business Growth – Analyze Results to Grow

by Lea Strickland | September 11, 2015 | Budgets and Financial Tools, Business Articles, Business Growth, Business Management, Execution, Results | 0 Comments

Business growth is about changing the organization to do more of what is working and less of what isn’t. Furthermore, it is about equipping the organization, the team, and the systems to maximize results while optimally utilizing resources. To ensure business growth,...

Where Is My Cash Flow?

by Lea Strickland | July 31, 2014 | Budgets and Financial Tools, Business Articles, Business Growth, Business Management, Cash Management, Entrepreneur, Non-Profit, Small Business, Small Business, Start-up | 0 Comments

What do I do about customers who consistently pay late? Why does it seem that the money flows out faster than it flows in? These are significant questions for every business. Managing the cash flow is critical to a business's viability. The cash flow equation and...

The Tax Man Cometh: A Major Milestone to Becoming Profitable

by Lea Strickland | July 31, 2014 | Budgets and Financial Tools, Business Articles, Business Growth, Business Management, Cash Management, Entrepreneur, Perspectives, Small Business, Start-up | 0 Comments

Becoming a profitable business is an objective that most companies seek, both as a stated goal and as a day-to-day objective. Businesses of all sizes and types, industries, and stages all look forward to profitability. However, as the old saying goes, the two...

The Heart of Innovation: Leadership

by Lea Strickland | July 31, 2014 | Budgets and Financial Tools, Business Articles, Business Growth, Entrepreneur, Non-Profit, Small Business, Start-up, Strategy | 0 Comments

Where does innovation take place? What drives innovation? Can an environment be created that fosters innovation? If so, can the opposite also be true? Do organizations hinder innovation by how they are structured and how they are managed? Where can the heart of...

The Coffee Pot Syndrome

by Lea Strickland | July 31, 2014 | Budgets and Financial Tools, Business Articles, Business Management, Human Resources, Leadership, Non-Profit, Perspectives, Small Business, Start-up | 0 Comments

The Accounting Cycle and Business Decisions

by Lea Strickland | July 31, 2014 | Budgets and Financial Tools, Business Articles, Business Growth, Business Management, Business Plans, Non-Profit, Small Business | 0 Comments

When we think of a business, we must think in terms of activities that produce resources and those that use resources. Everyone and everything in the organization is engaged in creating or consuming resources, or in some instances both. People who are paid for their...

The Accidental Business Structure: Start, Go and Revise

by Lea Strickland | July 31, 2014 | Budgets and Financial Tools, Business Articles, Business Management, Small Business, Start-up | 0 Comments

So many businesses are started by the seat of the pants, and with only the basics of knowledge about how to organize and run them. The businesses start spontaneously, with its founders’ limited exposure to various types of organizations and bits of information that...

Mastermind Groups for Exponential Business Growth

by Lea Strickland | June 30, 2020 | Business Articles, Business Growth, C.O.R.E. Business System, Execution, Leadership, Marketing, Sales and Business Development, Results | 0 Comments

Strategic Delegation – How to Optimize Your Output and Profits

by Lea Strickland | May 19, 2020 | Business Growth, Business Ownership, Change Management, Entrepreneur, Execution, Leadership, Operations, Organizational Change, Results, Small Business, Strategy | 0 Comments

We all wish we had more hours in the day. Since that won’t happen, it is critical to make the best use of the hours we have. Delegation is key to maximizing results. You want to be productive and work toward your goals, not be overwhelmed by nonproductive activity....

Cost Versus Revenue Focus

by Lea Strickland | October 3, 2016 | Results | 0 Comments

The challenge of growing a business includes determining which aspect of managing financial performance should take top priority. I have worked in organizations that focused on costs and others that organized around profit centers. There are benefits and drawbacks to...

Ethical Integrity: When Keeping Your Word Clashes with Sticking to Your Values

by Lea Strickland | September 28, 2016 | Business Articles, Execution, Leadership, Perspectives | 0 Comments

Traditionally men (or women) were measured by their word—if you gave your word, then it was as good as a contract. In fact, it was a verbal contract. They had the ethical integrity to be bound by their word. When someone failed to keep their word or break promises,...

Organic or Cultivated Clients? Which Do You Want?

by Lea Strickland | September 23, 2016 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Business Management, Competitiveness, Customer Relationships, Marketing, Sales and Business Development, Resources, Results | 0 Comments

These days the term “organic” seems ubiquitous. Organic has come to mean more than the traditional dictionary definition. In this instance, I want to talk about organic growth as it relates to a natural process that is without direct intervention or influence....

Haste Makes Waste: Do It Right the First Time

by Lea Strickland | September 21, 2016 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Business Management, Execution, Resources, Results | 0 Comments

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

by Lea Strickland | September 14, 2016 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Entrepreneur, Execution, Leadership, Operations, Opportunity, Resources, Results | 0 Comments

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

by Lea Strickland | September 7, 2016 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Business Management, Business Plans, Entrepreneur, Execution, Resources, Results | 0 Comments

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?

by Lea Strickland | September 1, 2016 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Business Management, Business Plans, Customer, Customer Relationships, Entrepreneur, Operations, Resources | 0 Comments

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

by Lea Strickland | August 31, 2016 | Business Articles, Business Management, Change Management, Execution, Human Resources, Operations, Resources | 0 Comments

Do Business Like a Coyote: Why Opportunistic Predators Thrive Anywhere

by Lea Strickland | May 19, 2020 | Business Management, Competitiveness, Strategy | 0 Comments

The Nature of Coyotes If asked, you would probably express a negative view of coyotes. However, coyotes have many admirable characteristics. Most notably, the coyote can adapt to thrive in most environments and habitats. We can learn a lot from the coyote and apply...

Want a Thriving Business? Focus on Building Your Business Capability

by Lea Strickland | May 18, 2020 | Business Articles, Business Management, Business Ownership | 0 Comments

Don’t Turn on Sales without Operational Capability Several years ago, a marketing firm contacted me to work with one of their clients. The client was complaining that the successful marketing campaign was killing his business. They were right. The marketing firm was...

Organic or Cultivated Clients? Which Do You Want?

Haste Makes Waste: Do It Right the First Time

by Lea Strickland | September 21, 2016 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Business Management, Execution, Resources, Results | 0 Comments

Strategic Plan: Your Five-Year Roadmap to Success

by Lea Strickland | September 7, 2016 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Business Management, Business Plans, Entrepreneur, Execution, Resources, Results | 0 Comments

Is your Business Performance FINE?

by Lea Strickland | September 1, 2016 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Business Management, Business Plans, Customer, Customer Relationships, Entrepreneur, Operations, Resources | 0 Comments

Motivate Change to Get Desired Performance

by Lea Strickland | August 31, 2016 | Business Articles, Business Management, Change Management, Execution, Human Resources, Operations, Resources | 0 Comments

It IS About the Customer! Know and Serve Them.

by Lea Strickland | August 23, 2016 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Business Management, Customer, Customer Relationships, Opportunity | 0 Comments

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...

Check Your Priorities: Real World Lessons Learned

by Lea Strickland | August 17, 2016 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Business Management, Execution, Leadership, Operations, Results, Small Business | 0 Comments

Many years ago (I won’t say how many), I had a new boss (we’ll call him “Kevin”). He was actually my supervisor’s boss. Kevin had spent most of his career in communication roles (he created presentations and documents to give to the board.) When Kevin came from a part...

Dishonest Clients – Dangerous and Unprepared

by Lea Strickland | June 20, 2016 | Business Articles, Business Management, C.O.R.E. Business System, Commercialization, Customer, Customer Relationships | 0 Comments

Strategic Delegation – How to Optimize Your Output and Profits

Want a Thriving Business? Focus on Building Your Business Capability

by Lea Strickland | May 18, 2020 | Business Articles, Business Management, Business Ownership | 0 Comments

Business by the Numbers: Financial Oversight

Business Danger Signs: Is Your Business the Frog in the Pot?

by Lea Strickland | June 18, 2016 | Budgets and Financial Tools, Business Articles, Business Management, Business Ownership, Economy and Economics, Leadership, Results | 0 Comments

10 Elements of Successful Businesses

Open Door, Closed Mind: Listening Well and Making Informed Decisions

by Lea Strickland | January 25, 2016 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Business Management, Business Ownership, Entrepreneur, Leadership, Non-Profit, Operations, Resources, Small Business, Strategy | 0 Comments

Have you ever worked for someone that proudly stated they had an "open door" policy? Was their door really open to new ideas, feedback, information, and issues? Or was the door physically open but the mind closed? Perhaps you work for someone that has an open door...

Customer Service: From the Customer Perspective

by Lea Strickland | September 5, 2015 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Business Ownership, Competitiveness, Customer, Customer Relationships, Small Business, Small Business | 0 Comments

This week a service provider demonstrated to me how important I was to her and her business. Let me share the story. I arrived for my appointment 20 minutes early and made myself comfortable on a bench outside her office suite. I could see through the glass wall that...

The Entrepreneurial Weeble® – The Lesson of Resilience

by Lea Strickland | March 14, 2015 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Business Management, Business Ownership, Entrepreneur, Small Business | 0 Comments

Once again I am going to date myself by referring to a product from my childhood; this one was called a Weeble® made by Hasbro. A Weeble® was an egg-shaped humanoid toy, and no matter how you dropped, punched, or knocked it over would spring back up right....

Sometimes You Just Have to Laugh

by Lea Strickland | July 31, 2014 | Business Articles, Business Ownership, Perspectives, Small Business | 0 Comments

The only thing we truly have choices about and control of is our reactions (to people, events). While it is often challenging or nearly impossible to "be reasonable" in our reactions to things that happen and things people do, channeling the energy we lose to things...

“Owning” the Business

by Lea Strickland | July 31, 2014 | Business Articles, Business Management, Business Ownership, Leadership, Small Business | 0 Comments

You may be the business owner, but do you really own your business? “What is the difference?” you may be asking. Well, it comes down to whether you are truly taking responsibility and accountability for making things happen— especially the making the hard calls, the...

Post-Pandemic Economic Opportunities to Transform Business

by Lea Strickland | May 15, 2020 | Business Articles, Business Plans | 0 Comments

COVID-19 Pandemic Impact – The Need to Transform The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic response has impacted businesses worldwide. Big or small, new or established, companies of all types and stages must take steps to ensure survival and, ultimately, growth. Whether you...

Strategic Plan: Your Five-Year Roadmap to Success

by Lea Strickland | September 7, 2016 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Business Management, Business Plans, Entrepreneur, Execution, Resources, Results | 0 Comments

Is your Business Performance FINE?

by Lea Strickland | September 1, 2016 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Business Management, Business Plans, Customer, Customer Relationships, Entrepreneur, Operations, Resources | 0 Comments

Use This Formula To Write A Solid Business Plan In 30 Minutes Or Less

by Lea Strickland | June 29, 2016 | Business Articles, Business Plans, Fast Company | 0 Comments

A 30-minute Business Plan is Better than No Plan A little back-of-the-envelope arithmetic now might save your company from screwing up big time later. A client of mine is starting a new retail business, and she's finding that setting up the operations is pretty...

Is Franchising for You?

by Lea Strickland | January 17, 2016 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Business Plans, Change Management, Small Business | 0 Comments

Many businesses consider franchising as a strategic method of expanding their operations and financial results. But how do you know if franchising is for you? Let’s start with the benefits of franchising: Building your team with quality, motivated people. Because of...

SMARTer Goals for Business (Excerpt from 10 Minute Success: Goals!

by Lea Strickland | December 27, 2015 | Business Articles, Business Plans, Resources, Small Business, Strategy | 0 Comments

SMART2 Goals for Business The typical “SMART” goal is defined as specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and timely. Another way of looking at these goals could be called SMART2. This means that SMART goals for businesses also need to be: – Strategic: Long-term,...

The Long and Winding Road to Success

by Lea Strickland | July 31, 2014 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Business Plans, Non-Profit, Perspectives, Small Business, Start-up, Strategy | 0 Comments

Sometimes it takes a different perspective in order to see things that are already mapped out in front of you. It can be a new employee coming into the company. It can be the loss of a major customer that you thought of as one that would “always” be there no matter...

The Accounting Cycle and Business Decisions

by Lea Strickland | July 31, 2014 | Budgets and Financial Tools, Business Articles, Business Growth, Business Management, Business Plans, Non-Profit, Small Business | 0 Comments

Strategic Plans and Budgets – Performance Tools

by Lea Strickland | July 31, 2014 | Budgets and Financial Tools, Business Articles, Business Growth, Business Plans, Small Business, Strategy | 0 Comments

Understanding how to get the most out of your strategic plan is important. A robust strategic planning process includes translating the strategic and operational objectives into pro forma financial results. These financial results, like the strategic plan, typically...

Firefighting: Is It Destroying Your Business?

by Lea Strickland | July 31, 2014 | Business Articles, Business Management, Business Plans, Execution, Leadership | 0 Comments

An inordinate amount of your work time may be devoted to “fighting fires” and dealing with last-minute “emergency” situations. The “fire” may be an irate customer; a proposal for prospective client required by close of business today, or even the “normal” day-to-day...

Mastermind Groups for Exponential Business Growth

by Lea Strickland | June 30, 2020 | Business Articles, Business Growth, C.O.R.E. Business System, Execution, Leadership, Marketing, Sales and Business Development, Results | 0 Comments

S.T.R.I.V.E. for Success

by Lea Strickland | January 12, 2020 | C.O.R.E. Business System | 0 Comments

Dishonest Clients – Dangerous and Unprepared

by Lea Strickland | June 20, 2016 | Business Articles, Business Management, C.O.R.E. Business System, Commercialization, Customer, Customer Relationships | 0 Comments

Customer Focused?

Business Concept – Validating Your Idea

by Lea Strickland | May 8, 2016 | 12-Steps to Start, C.O.R.E. Business System, Concept, Customer, Focus Points, Opportunity | 0 Comments

10 Elements of Successful Businesses

Starting a New Business

by Lea Strickland | March 25, 2015 | 12-Steps to Start, C.O.R.E. Business System, Focus on Business Radio Show | 0 Comments

Show host Lea Strickland shares insights, tips, and steps to successfully starting a new business based on personal and client experiences. Listen Now

Validating Your Business Concept

by Lea Strickland | July 31, 2014 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Business Management, C.O.R.E. Business System, Commercialization, Competitiveness, Concept, Entrepreneur, Funding, Leadership, Marketing, Sales and Business Development, Non-Profit, Small Business, Small Business, Start-up, Strategy | 0 Comments

Vision, Strategy, Structure, and Results

by Lea Strickland | July 31, 2014 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Business Management, C.O.R.E. Business System, Commercialization, Competitiveness, Entrepreneur, Execution, Leadership, Marketing, Sales and Business Development, Non-Profit, Resources, Results, Small Business, Small Business, Start-up, Strategy | 0 Comments

Timelines and Deadlines: Customers and Investors Wait for No One

by Lea Strickland | July 31, 2014 | Business Articles, Business Growth, C.O.R.E. Business System, Commercialization, Competitiveness, Customer Relationships, Entrepreneur, Small Business, Start-up, Strategy | 0 Comments

Business by the Numbers: Financial Oversight

Where Is My Cash Flow?

The Tax Man Cometh: A Major Milestone to Becoming Profitable

Cash: Survival in Tough Economic Times

by Lea Strickland | July 30, 2014 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Cash Management, Small Business, Start-up | 0 Comments

A business survives on cash. Making sales may be the objective, but if you don’t collect the cash from a sale in the appropriate amount of time, then making a sale is not enough. A sale needs to be profitable, and that includes a factor for contributing to a...

Cash Management – Not Paying the Bills

by Lea Strickland | July 30, 2014 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Cash Management, Perspectives, Small Business, Start-up | 0 Comments

Every day it seems we hear about the Enron, Worldcom, ImClone and other "big business" ethical violations. There is no denying the significant impact on millions of people and the financial markets. However, there is a business practice that I've witnessed as part...

Cash Flow Not Flowing? Don’t Cut Your Marketing Efforts!

by Lea Strickland | July 30, 2014 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Cash Management, Execution, Small Business, Start-up | 0 Comments

One of the biggest mistakes new businesses make involves marketing and advertising the business. They either do too much, too little, the wrong type, or stop too soon when results are being seen or when cash gets tight. The adage “You have to spend money to make...

Business CPR – Cash, Prospects and Revenues

by Lea Strickland | July 30, 2014 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Cash Management, Small Business, Start-up | 0 Comments

It doesn’t matter what your prospects are one year from now or a month from now, if you can’t pay your employees and vendors today. Cash flow determines whether you are in business or closing your doors. So understanding your cash flow cycle – the amount of time it...

Business Interruptions and Their Impact on Profits

by Lea Strickland | September 28, 2009 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Business Management, Cash Management, Small Business, Small Business, Start-up | 0 Comments

When you sit down and think about all the things that can disrupt your business operations, you can probably identify and prepare for many. Things like weather, public services disruptions, public protests, strikes, loss of a key employee, software malfunction,...

Are You Doing Business with Zombies?

by Lea Strickland | June 9, 2020 | Business Articles, Change Management, Strategy | 0 Comments

Beware The Zombie Business Apocalypse What are Zombie Companies? The walking dead are zombies. Zombie companies are businesses that require recurring bailouts to stay in business. These firms cannot repay their debt. They are companies that are dead when you look at...

Strategic Delegation – How to Optimize Your Output and Profits

Successful Change Begins with a Clear Diagnosis

by Lea Strickland | July 3, 2018 | Change Management, Organizational Change | 0 Comments

Too many businesses launch new initiatives to improve their business results without taking the time to create a clear diagnosis for the root issue. To get the best results, you have to make changes where it will have an impact. You have to spend time and money on the...

Motivate Change to Get Desired Performance

by Lea Strickland | August 31, 2016 | Business Articles, Business Management, Change Management, Execution, Human Resources, Operations, Resources | 0 Comments

Is Franchising for You?

by Lea Strickland | January 17, 2016 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Business Plans, Change Management, Small Business | 0 Comments

Tools Required – Capability Imperative

by Lea Strickland | July 31, 2014 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Business Management, Change Management, Competitiveness, Entrepreneur, Execution, Leadership, Non-Profit, Perspectives, Small Business, Start-up | 0 Comments

Every task requires the right tools. Building a successful business is a task like no other. It requires a comprehensive set of tools which fit the task. Using one tool when another is required often leads to unanticipated consequences. Having the right tool isn't...

Too Big, Too Soon – Too Far, Too Fast

by Lea Strickland | July 31, 2014 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Business Management, Change Management, Entrepreneur, Execution, Leadership, Non-Profit, Small Business, Start-up, Strategy | 0 Comments

Enthusiasm. Confidence. Passion. Belief. All of these are important to the success of any new venture. They can also be the biggest pitfalls for the new venture. The momentum and the drive to do everything at once can lead an entrepreneurial team to expand before the...

Time Out for Innovation

by Lea Strickland | July 31, 2014 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Business Management, C.O.R.E. Business System, Change Management, Commercialization, Competitiveness, Entrepreneur, Execution, Leadership, Non-Profit, Small Business, Start-up, Strategy | 0 Comments

One of the biggest mistakes businesses—or any organization today—make is a failure to allow time for working on the business itself. Current business practices have created a mindset that has every worker (theoretically at least) working every moment in the business...

Time Is a Constant – It Runs One Way

by Lea Strickland | July 31, 2014 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Business Management, Change Management, Leadership, Non-Profit, Small Business, Start-up, Strategy | 0 Comments

“We don’t have time to do it that way.” How many times have you heard that said or said it yourself? How about the alternative “If you don’t have time to do it right, when are you going to find the time to redo it right?” What is it going to cost you if you have to do...

The Business Cold: No Miracle Cures

by Lea Strickland | July 31, 2014 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Business Management, Change Management, Competitiveness, Entrepreneur, Leadership, Non-Profit, Small Business, Start-up, Strategy | 0 Comments

In these days of sound bites and quick fixes, one-size-fits-most solutions seem to be as prevalent as the common cold and as hard to treat and cure. Most people probably have had the experience of someone from their organization reading a book or attending a...

Dishonest Clients – Dangerous and Unprepared

by Lea Strickland | June 20, 2016 | Business Articles, Business Management, C.O.R.E. Business System, Commercialization, Customer, Customer Relationships | 0 Comments

Customer Focused?

10 Elements of Successful Businesses

Validating Your Business Concept

Vision, Strategy, Structure, and Results

Timelines and Deadlines: Customers and Investors Wait for No One

Time Out for Innovation

Think B.I.G.™ (Bold Innovative Growth) Business!

by Lea Strickland | July 31, 2014 | Business Articles, Business Growth, C.O.R.E. Business System, Commercialization, Competitiveness, Entity, Entrepreneur, Execution, Leadership, Non-Profit, Small Business, Start-up | 0 Comments

Innovation is the new quality initiative. Everyone is “into” innovation. It is the new revolution that is going to revolutionize declining industries, markets, and businesses. And it can—if it is more than rhetoric and becomes an integrated systemic capability in the...

Product, Resources, and Customers – The Three-fold Objective

by Lea Strickland | July 31, 2014 | Business Articles, Business Growth, C.O.R.E. Business System, Commercialization, Competitiveness, Concept, Entrepreneur, Marketing, Sales and Business Development, Non-Profit, Resources, Small Business, Start-up, Strategy | 0 Comments

Every organization begins with the same three-fold objective: develop the “product”, obtain sufficient resources, and capture the market/customer. The manifestations of this three-fold mission vary in magnitude, scope, and timing. The underlying processes and...

The Tyranny of Customer Choice

by Lea Strickland | July 31, 2014 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Business Management, C.O.R.E. Business System, Commercialization, Competitiveness, Marketing, Sales and Business Development, Small Business, Start-up, Strategy | 0 Comments

A truism for any organization is that its customers have choices. They can chose from a range of products, services, and alternatives to satisfy their needs, from doing nothing to “do it yourself,” to doing it the most expensive way possible to finding a cheap...

Strategic Delegation – How to Optimize Your Output and Profits

Do Business Like a Coyote: Why Opportunistic Predators Thrive Anywhere

by Lea Strickland | May 19, 2020 | Business Management, Competitiveness, Strategy | 0 Comments

Organic or Cultivated Clients? Which Do You Want?

Where is Your Business Located? Realist Road

by Lea Strickland | September 14, 2016 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Entrepreneur, Execution, Leadership, Operations, Opportunity, Resources, Results | 0 Comments

Strategic Plan: Your Five-Year Roadmap to Success

by Lea Strickland | September 7, 2016 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Business Management, Business Plans, Entrepreneur, Execution, Resources, Results | 0 Comments

Is your Business Performance FINE?

by Lea Strickland | September 1, 2016 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Business Management, Business Plans, Customer, Customer Relationships, Entrepreneur, Operations, Resources | 0 Comments

Customer Disservice – How to Kill Your Business

by Lea Strickland | August 8, 2016 | Business Articles, Competitiveness, Customer Relationships | 0 Comments

Customer Disservice – How About a Hello and a Smile I am constantly amazed at how businesses invest so much time, money, and effort getting customers to literally walk in the door of their business, and when the customer gets there the greeting is less than...

Customer Focused?

Looking Inside the Gig Economy with GigSalad CEO/Founder Mark Steiner

by Lea Strickland | May 26, 2016 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Entrepreneur, Small Business, Small Business, Start-up, Strategy | 0 Comments

If you are in the music industry or other creative endeavors (e.g., acting, speaking), then you have been living in a gig economy [1] for your entire career. Gigs have been around for centuries. However, the gig has come to a new level of visibility in recent years...

Real Customer Service – Going Off Script

by Lea Strickland | May 6, 2016 | Business Articles, Competitiveness, Customer, Customer Relationships, Marketing, Sales and Business Development | 0 Comments

There is nothing and I mean nothing that frustrates me, ticks me off, and causes me to stop using a product faster than dealing with the people on the “customer service” lines of businesses. I don’t know about you, but whenever I have an issue and call one of those...

Imperfect Pitches You Can’t Make Them … or Stop Them

by Lea Strickland | August 28, 2016 | Concept, Crowdfunding, Funding Your Business | 0 Comments

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...

Business Concept – Validating Your Idea

by Lea Strickland | May 8, 2016 | 12-Steps to Start, C.O.R.E. Business System, Concept, Customer, Focus Points, Opportunity | 0 Comments

10 Elements of Successful Businesses

Validating Your Business Concept

Product, Resources, and Customers – The Three-fold Objective

Proof of Concept – Poised for Success

by Lea Strickland | September 28, 2009 | Business Articles, Concept | 0 Comments

Proof of Concept - Poised for Success If you've heard the phrase "proof of concept," then you have probably seen it in reference to proving a particular product or technology. Proof of concept most commonly refers to demonstrating that the functionality of a product...

Imperfect Pitches You Can’t Make Them … or Stop Them

by Lea Strickland | August 28, 2016 | Concept, Crowdfunding, Funding Your Business | 0 Comments

Crowdfunding: The Taxman Cometh

by Lea Strickland | August 25, 2016 | Business Articles, Crowdfunding, Funding, NC PACES Act | 0 Comments

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...

Strategic Delegation – How to Optimize Your Output and Profits

Where is Your Business Located? Realist Road

by Lea Strickland | September 14, 2016 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Entrepreneur, Execution, Leadership, Operations, Opportunity, Resources, Results | 0 Comments

Strategic Plan: Your Five-Year Roadmap to Success

by Lea Strickland | September 7, 2016 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Business Management, Business Plans, Entrepreneur, Execution, Resources, Results | 0 Comments

Is your Business Performance FINE?

by Lea Strickland | September 1, 2016 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Business Management, Business Plans, Customer, Customer Relationships, Entrepreneur, Operations, Resources | 0 Comments

It IS About the Customer! Know and Serve Them.

by Lea Strickland | August 23, 2016 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Business Management, Customer, Customer Relationships, Opportunity | 0 Comments

Dishonest Clients – Dangerous and Unprepared

by Lea Strickland | June 20, 2016 | Business Articles, Business Management, C.O.R.E. Business System, Commercialization, Customer, Customer Relationships | 0 Comments

Sales Constraints – What’s holding us back?

by Lea Strickland | June 6, 2016 | Customer, Resources, Results, Sales and Service Excellence | 0 Comments

How to Grow Your Business, One Relationship at a Time – Network!

by Lea Strickland | June 6, 2016 | Customer, MWorld, Operations, Resources | 0 Comments

Customer Focused?

Looking Inside the Gig Economy with GigSalad CEO/Founder Mark Steiner

by Lea Strickland | May 26, 2016 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Entrepreneur, Small Business, Small Business, Start-up, Strategy | 0 Comments

Organic or Cultivated Clients? Which Do You Want?

Is your Business Performance FINE?

by Lea Strickland | September 1, 2016 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Business Management, Business Plans, Customer, Customer Relationships, Entrepreneur, Operations, Resources | 0 Comments

It IS About the Customer! Know and Serve Them.

by Lea Strickland | August 23, 2016 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Business Management, Customer, Customer Relationships, Opportunity | 0 Comments

Customer Disservice – How to Kill Your Business

by Lea Strickland | August 8, 2016 | Business Articles, Competitiveness, Customer Relationships | 0 Comments

Dishonest Clients – Dangerous and Unprepared

by Lea Strickland | June 20, 2016 | Business Articles, Business Management, C.O.R.E. Business System, Commercialization, Customer, Customer Relationships | 0 Comments

Customer Focused?

Real Customer Service – Going Off Script

by Lea Strickland | May 6, 2016 | Business Articles, Competitiveness, Customer, Customer Relationships, Marketing, Sales and Business Development | 0 Comments

Customer Service – Keeping Commitments and Valuing Each Customer

by Lea Strickland | January 29, 2016 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Customer, Customer Relationships, Small Business, Strategy | 0 Comments

Dog or Cat: Which Do You Want As a Vendor?

by Lea Strickland | October 5, 2015 | Business Articles, Customer Relationships, Marketing, Sales and Business Development, Small Business, Vendor Relations | 0 Comments

Have you ever noticed the differences in behavior between dogs and cats? I have always had dogs, never cats for pets, until recently. Two years ago my neighbor’s cat decided to live with us (I am told that is not unusual for a cat). In the past two years I have come...

Customer Service: From the Customer Perspective

by Lea Strickland | September 5, 2015 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Business Ownership, Competitiveness, Customer, Customer Relationships, Small Business, Small Business | 0 Comments

Business Danger Signs: Is Your Business the Frog in the Pot?

by Lea Strickland | June 18, 2016 | Budgets and Financial Tools, Business Articles, Business Management, Business Ownership, Economy and Economics, Leadership, Results | 0 Comments

Switzerland Seeks to Decouple Income and Work – An Atlas Shrugged Moment

by Lea Strickland | June 6, 2016 | Business Articles, Economy and Economics, Faith Blog, Perspectives | 0 Comments

Switzerland Attempts to Decouple Income and Work I am always surprised when life follows fiction (perhaps I shouldn’t be). In Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged1 the world stops working and things start falling apart. As the story unfolds, we learn that the governments of the...

Jobs! Today’s Unemployed May Be Tomorrow’s Entrepreneurs

by Lea Strickland | July 31, 2014 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Competitiveness, Economy and Economics, Perspectives, Small Business, Start-up | 0 Comments

Every day we read the news about higher unemployment rates, lack of job creation, and projections that the outlook is unlikely to change in the near term. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics recognizes that the majority of new jobs come from small businesses, and the...

On-shoring – Keeping Business in US

by Lea Strickland | July 31, 2014 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Competitiveness, Economy and Economics, Government Funding Compliance, Perspectives, Small Business, Start-up | 0 Comments

The impact of jobs moving overseas (off-shoring) cannot be fully quantified. It includes the impact on employees, the community, tax revenues, and other intangibles. Keeping business in the US isn't an entitlement. It is and will continue to be a function of ability...

Emerging Competition, And the World Goes ’Round

by Lea Strickland | July 31, 2014 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Competitiveness, Economy and Economics | 0 Comments

Today the pace of competition and the facets of competition have never been greater. With the complexity of new markets, more entrants as both customers and competitors, and the need for existing market players to adapt, how businesses have viewed their internal...

Economic Stimulus Fund to Flow to Businesses: Grant and Research Programs Open Taps

by Lea Strickland | July 31, 2014 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Economy and Economics, Government Funding Compliance, Non-Profit, Small Business, Small Business, Start-up | 0 Comments

The government is utilizing existing agency structures and federal funding assistance programs to award stimulus funding for research and innovation projects. From the Department of Energy, Department of Health and Human Services and others, projects are in the...

Tending to Business: The Role of the Government in a Free-Market System

by Lea Strickland | July 29, 2014 | Business Articles, Economy and Economics, Entrepreneur, Government Funding Compliance, Small Business, Small Business, Start-up | 0 Comments

It should surprise no one that I believe that the success of economies is built on the efforts of the private sector, and that government’s role is to provide oversight to maintain open competition, prevent and detect fraud, and regulate activities to the extent...

Economic Incentives Focused on Big Business, But Where Is the Future?

by Lea Strickland | September 28, 2009 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Economy and Economics, Government Funding Compliance, Small Business, Small Business, Start-up | 0 Comments

More and more, it becomes apparent that the government does not—and can not—hold the answers for U.S. competitiveness. At best, the government must be encouraged to get out of the way to enable businesses to be able to compete. Federal, state, and local governments,...

10 Elements of Successful Businesses

Get Out of the Cubicle and Into (Your Own) Business

by Lea Strickland | September 18, 2015 | Entity, Other Podcasts, Start-up | 0 Comments

Listen to interview of author Lea Strickland by Tony Trupiano about the book Out of the Cubicle and Into Business. Strategic Leaders A Good Story, A Great Business From Ideas to Business

Think B.I.G.™ (Bold Innovative Growth) Business!

Small Business, Competitive Markets

by Lea Strickland | July 31, 2014 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Business Management, Competitiveness, Customer, Entity, Marketing, Sales and Business Development, Opportunity, Small Business, Small Business, Start-up | 0 Comments

While big businesses (especially those traded on public stock exchanges) get the press, the real news—and arguably the differences in day-to-day life and the economy—rest in the small business, in this country and around the world. The majority of existing and new...

Commercialization Components: Technology/Product and Business Model

by Lea Strickland | July 31, 2014 | Business Articles, Business Growth, C.O.R.E. Business System, Commercialization, Entity, Small Business, Start-up | 0 Comments

Commercialization always involves two components – the technology or product AND the business model. The road to commercialization, however, differs for each business due to many factors: Type or nature of the product/technology/service (the “product”) Experience of...

Business Plans Are Not Academic Exercises

by Lea Strickland | July 30, 2014 | Budgets and Financial Tools, Business Articles, Business Growth, Business Management, Business Plans, Entity, Small Business, Start-up | 0 Comments

Under the current economic conditions, saying that funding is tight for early stage companies is the epitome of understatement. Yes funding is tight, but it is available for sound ideas with well-thought out businesses and experienced business people developing them....

Building a Better Business

by Lea Strickland | July 30, 2014 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Business Management, Business Ownership, Business Plans, C.O.R.E. Business System, Commercialization, Entity, Entrepreneur, Small Business, Small Business, Start-up | 0 Comments

The better business is as much about the business itself as it is the product, service, or technology provided. Without a sound business model, the ability to produce, sell, and deliver the product to the customer—consistently and with quality—competing against other...

The Business Plan “Audience”

by Lea Strickland | July 29, 2014 | 12-Steps to Start, Business Articles, Business Plans, C.O.R.E. Business System, Entity, Strategy | 0 Comments

Previous articles focused on considering a business of your own, defining the elements, planning for the business, and then developing the business plan. Last month's article ended by asking you to capture some of the questions and answers that you would ask of...

The Business Plan – More than Planning the Business

by Lea Strickland | July 29, 2014 | 12-Steps to Start, Business Articles, Business Growth, Business Management, Business Plans, C.O.R.E. Business System, Entity, Small Business, Small Business, Start-up | 0 Comments

In a previous article, "Planning Your Business," the introduction included the basic elements to consider when starting your own business. This article delves into differences between “planning your business” and a “business plan.” Business plans presents every...

Planning Your Business

by Lea Strickland | July 29, 2014 | 12-Steps to Start, Business Articles, Business Growth, Business Plans, C.O.R.E. Business System, Entity, Small Business, Small Business, Start-up | 0 Comments

Three months ago, you were asked to think about the kind of business you wanted. In subsequent articles, you’ve been asked to gather information and understand some of what it takes to get a business started. Now it is time to take that step further and begin to plan...

Mastermind Groups for Exponential Business Growth

by Lea Strickland | June 30, 2020 | Business Articles, Business Growth, C.O.R.E. Business System, Execution, Leadership, Marketing, Sales and Business Development, Results | 0 Comments

Strategic Delegation – How to Optimize Your Output and Profits

Ethical Integrity: When Keeping Your Word Clashes with Sticking to Your Values

by Lea Strickland | September 28, 2016 | Business Articles, Execution, Leadership, Perspectives | 0 Comments

Haste Makes Waste: Do It Right the First Time

by Lea Strickland | September 21, 2016 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Business Management, Execution, Resources, Results | 0 Comments

Where is Your Business Located? Realist Road

by Lea Strickland | September 14, 2016 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Entrepreneur, Execution, Leadership, Operations, Opportunity, Resources, Results | 0 Comments

Strategic Plan: Your Five-Year Roadmap to Success

by Lea Strickland | September 7, 2016 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Business Management, Business Plans, Entrepreneur, Execution, Resources, Results | 0 Comments

Motivate Change to Get Desired Performance

by Lea Strickland | August 31, 2016 | Business Articles, Business Management, Change Management, Execution, Human Resources, Operations, Resources | 0 Comments

Business by the Numbers: Financial Oversight

Check Your Priorities: Real World Lessons Learned

by Lea Strickland | August 17, 2016 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Business Management, Execution, Leadership, Operations, Results, Small Business | 0 Comments

Is the Glass Half Full? Half Empty? Or is it the Wrong Glass?

by Lea Strickland | June 14, 2016 | Business Articles, Business Management, Execution, Leadership, Marketing, Sales and Business Development, Operations, Resources, Results | 0 Comments

One of my friends was telling me about a discussion she had with her eighteen-year-old son. They were talking literally about a glass of Dr. Pepper. “Is the glass half full or half empty?” she asked her son. He said he thought she just used the wrong glass. If she had...

Use This Formula To Write A Solid Business Plan In 30 Minutes Or Less

by Lea Strickland | June 29, 2016 | Business Articles, Business Plans, Fast Company | 0 Comments

Think You Are Too Old to Start a Business?

by Lea Strickland | June 7, 2016 | Fox Business | 0 Comments

In this FOX Business article, Lea A. Strickland discusses the pros and cons of starting a business at an older age. Think you are too old to start a business? Click the link below to learn more. Think You Are Too Old to Start a Business?

Think You Are Too Old to Start a Business, But Desperate to Get Out of the Cubicle?

by Lea Strickland | June 6, 2016 | Fox Business | 0 Comments

The economy, job loss, increased competition for promotions and new jobs all of these contribute to the trend of older people (55+) making the decision to start a business. The reasons differ from life-long dream to career necessity (no job or too much competition for...

GRAB for Success – Gratitude, Resolve, Attitude, Belief – A Guide for Getting Beyond the First Day of the New Year

by Lea Strickland | June 6, 2016 | Balance Magazine | 0 Comments

GRAB - Gratitude, Resolve, Attitude, Belief For many of us, December is a month of hectic schedules and holiday gatherings, loosening the reins, indulging in the goodies, and skipping the healthier parts of our routines. It is also the time when we make promises to do...

Motivate Change to Get Desired Performance

by Lea Strickland | August 31, 2016 | Business Articles, Business Management, Change Management, Execution, Human Resources, Operations, Resources | 0 Comments

Five Critical Steps to Maximize Resource Flexibility

by Lea Strickland | May 26, 2016 | Business Articles, Business Management, Execution, Human Resources, Leadership, Main Street, Operations, Resources, Results | 0 Comments

The Coffee Pot Syndrome

by Lea Strickland | July 31, 2014 | Budgets and Financial Tools, Business Articles, Business Management, Human Resources, Leadership, Non-Profit, Perspectives, Small Business, Start-up | 0 Comments

Payroll Systems – It Pays To Get It Right!

by Lea Strickland | July 31, 2014 | Budgets and Financial Tools, Business Articles, Business Growth, Human Resources, Non-Profit, Small Business, Start-up | 0 Comments

RETURN ON INVESTMENT – Structure and People

by Lea Strickland | July 31, 2014 | Business Articles, Business Management, Human Resources, Leadership | 0 Comments

Management Styles: Drive-by, Seagulls and Other Pains

by Lea Strickland | July 31, 2014 | Business Articles, Business Management, Human Resources, Non-Profit, Strategy | 0 Comments

Effective Listening and Open Door Policies

by Lea Strickland | July 31, 2014 | Business Articles, Business Management, Human Resources, Non-Profit | 0 Comments

Delegation or Abdication? Managers Are Ultimately Responsible

by Lea Strickland | July 31, 2014 | Business Articles, Business Management, Human Resources, Leadership, Non-Profit | 0 Comments

Conflicts of Personality: When Expectations Drive Perceptions

by Lea Strickland | July 31, 2014 | Business Articles, Human Resources, Leadership, Non-Profit | 0 Comments

Conflict Management: Do It Right and Succeed

by Lea Strickland | July 31, 2014 | Business Articles, Business Management, Human Resources, Leadership, Non-Profit, Strategy | 0 Comments

Wrong Client

by Lea Strickland | July 31, 2014 | Business Articles, Customer, Customer Relationships, Government Funding Compliance, Non-Profit, Small Business, Small Business | 0 Comments

The profitability of a company is significantly impacted by its ability to identify both the core client characteristics that make for a good client as well as those that do not fit with your business expertise or require more support from key resources than can be...

The National Single Audit (A-133) Sample Project Results – Good Audit Results May Not Mean Your Audit Measures Up

by Lea Strickland | July 31, 2014 | Business Articles, Government Funding Compliance, Small Business, Small Business | 0 Comments

The President’s Council on Integrity and Efficiency and the Executive Council on Integrity and Efficiency recently completed the National Single Audit Sample Project to determine the quality of the single audits being conducted. The sample consisted of 208 audits...

The Grant Proposal Budget: Seven Things to Remember

by Lea Strickland | July 31, 2014 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Entrepreneur, Government Funding Compliance, Small Business, Start-up | 0 Comments

The grant proposal budget is an often-overlooked opportunity to improve the proposal’s chances of winning. The budget is a communication tool to the reviewers, just like any other element of the proposal. What the budget does or doesn’t do is let the reviewers know...

The Complexity of Business Compliance

by Lea Strickland | July 31, 2014 | Business Articles, Government Funding Compliance, Small Business, Start-up | 0 Comments

For small businesses, and perhaps businesses of any size, compliance with the rules and regulations of being in business is becoming more and more complex. It’s getting to the point, it seems, that it is almost impossible to be 100% in compliance, mainly because you...

Stay Tuned to the SBIR Program

by Lea Strickland | July 31, 2014 | Business Articles, Government Funding Compliance | 0 Comments

The U.S. Senate had a bill last year, and earlier this month the U.S. House of Representatives had a bill (H.R. 5819) to reauthorize and/or “modernize” the Small Business Innovation Research Grant Program (SBIR). The House version died when it reached the Senate, and...

On-shoring – Keeping Business in US

by Lea Strickland | July 31, 2014 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Competitiveness, Economy and Economics, Government Funding Compliance, Perspectives, Small Business, Start-up | 0 Comments

Non-dilutive Funding An Important Chapter in A Start-up Story

by Lea Strickland | July 31, 2014 | Business Articles, Government Funding Compliance, Small Business, Start-up | 0 Comments

Every venture begins with an idea and the resources of the founder(s). Then come other sources, including MCDV (the credit card companies) and our friends, family, and acquaintances. Once we’ve tapped into all those we know well and not so well, we begin to expand...

Gatekeeper or Dam?

by Lea Strickland | July 31, 2014 | Business Articles, Business Management, Government Funding Compliance, Leadership | 0 Comments

Have you ever been trying to get a project going or actually working on it and things just aren’t happening? And has that happened to you when it’s a project requested by someone who is in a position to want that project to happen because they have a need for it? The...

Economic Stimulus Fund to Flow to Businesses: Grant and Research Programs Open Taps

by Lea Strickland | July 31, 2014 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Economy and Economics, Government Funding Compliance, Non-Profit, Small Business, Small Business, Start-up | 0 Comments

$100 Billion Savings Target for DOD Spending:

by Lea Strickland | July 31, 2014 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Commercialization, Entrepreneur, Government Funding Compliance, Perspectives, Small Business, Start-up | 0 Comments

If you’ve ever spent the day working on compliance with government grant and contract awards from the recipient side, you will understand the following statement: The biggest cost reductions opportunities are in reducing the complexity and variation of requirements on...

How to Grow Your Business, One Relationship at a Time – Network!

by Lea Strickland | June 6, 2016 | Customer, MWorld, Operations, Resources | 0 Comments

Mastermind Groups for Exponential Business Growth

by Lea Strickland | June 30, 2020 | Business Articles, Business Growth, C.O.R.E. Business System, Execution, Leadership, Marketing, Sales and Business Development, Results | 0 Comments

Strategic Delegation – How to Optimize Your Output and Profits

Ethical Integrity: When Keeping Your Word Clashes with Sticking to Your Values

by Lea Strickland | September 28, 2016 | Business Articles, Execution, Leadership, Perspectives | 0 Comments

Where is Your Business Located? Realist Road

by Lea Strickland | September 14, 2016 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Entrepreneur, Execution, Leadership, Operations, Opportunity, Resources, Results | 0 Comments

Business by the Numbers: Financial Oversight

Check Your Priorities: Real World Lessons Learned

by Lea Strickland | August 17, 2016 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Business Management, Execution, Leadership, Operations, Results, Small Business | 0 Comments

Business Danger Signs: Is Your Business the Frog in the Pot?

by Lea Strickland | June 18, 2016 | Budgets and Financial Tools, Business Articles, Business Management, Business Ownership, Economy and Economics, Leadership, Results | 0 Comments

Is the Glass Half Full? Half Empty? Or is it the Wrong Glass?

by Lea Strickland | June 14, 2016 | Business Articles, Business Management, Execution, Leadership, Marketing, Sales and Business Development, Operations, Resources, Results | 0 Comments

Five Critical Steps to Maximize Resource Flexibility

by Lea Strickland | May 26, 2016 | Business Articles, Business Management, Execution, Human Resources, Leadership, Main Street, Operations, Resources, Results | 0 Comments

Colors and Crayons – Drawing the Big Picture to Communicate Key Points

by Lea Strickland | February 4, 2016 | Business Articles, Business Management, Leadership | 0 Comments

Have you ever tried to tell your boss what he/she needs to know and only what they need to know to make informed decisions? Is it hard to identify how to present the information —identifying status, convey the constraints and opportunities, and get the “right”...

Mastermind Groups for Exponential Business Growth

by Lea Strickland | June 30, 2020 | Business Articles, Business Growth, C.O.R.E. Business System, Execution, Leadership, Marketing, Sales and Business Development, Results | 0 Comments

Organic or Cultivated Clients? Which Do You Want?

Bleeping Commercials

by Lea Strickland | August 19, 2016 | Business Articles, Marketing, Sales and Business Development, Perspectives | 0 Comments

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...

Is the Glass Half Full? Half Empty? Or is it the Wrong Glass?

by Lea Strickland | June 14, 2016 | Business Articles, Business Management, Execution, Leadership, Marketing, Sales and Business Development, Operations, Resources, Results | 0 Comments

Customer Focused?

Real Customer Service – Going Off Script

by Lea Strickland | May 6, 2016 | Business Articles, Competitiveness, Customer, Customer Relationships, Marketing, Sales and Business Development | 0 Comments

10 Elements of Successful Businesses

Networking: Relationship Building, Not Hard Pitch Selling

by Lea Strickland | January 22, 2016 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Marketing, Sales and Business Development, Small Business, Strategy | 0 Comments

I have a developing list of bad behaviors in networking. It seems after every event I can add either an entirely new “don’t” or an innovative variant of the core list. Chumming – Method of “baiting” the water to entice sharks to take the bait and encourage feeding...

Dog or Cat: Which Do You Want As a Vendor?

by Lea Strickland | October 5, 2015 | Business Articles, Customer Relationships, Marketing, Sales and Business Development, Small Business, Vendor Relations | 0 Comments

When No One Answers

by Lea Strickland | July 31, 2014 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Business Management, Competitiveness, Customer Relationships, Marketing, Sales and Business Development, Small Business, Start-up | 0 Comments

Everyone has experienced it. Someone calls you prospecting for business. You get a message on your voicemail, you get a card or letter in the mail, and sometimes it is something you are interested in getting more information about. So you return the card, send an...

Crowdfunding: The Taxman Cometh

by Lea Strickland | August 25, 2016 | Business Articles, Crowdfunding, Funding, NC PACES Act | 0 Comments

Open Door, Closed Mind: Listening Well and Making Informed Decisions

Wrong Client

by Lea Strickland | July 31, 2014 | Business Articles, Customer, Customer Relationships, Government Funding Compliance, Non-Profit, Small Business, Small Business | 0 Comments

Who Is Running Your Business?

by Lea Strickland | July 31, 2014 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Business Management, Execution, Leadership, Non-Profit, Operations, Small Business, Start-up, Strategy | 0 Comments

In every business there are activities and tasks that the owner, manager, founder, or key executives don’t like to do, don’t know how to do, or just don’t want to do. When those tasks are key elements or effect the key elements of how your business does business, the...

Where Was the Board?

by Lea Strickland | July 31, 2014 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Business Management, Leadership, Non-Profit, Perspectives, Small Business, Start-up, Strategy | 0 Comments

One of the most critical roles the board of directors plays is the fiduciary role of ensuring that the actions taken by the organization (through its management and the board itself) are in the best interest of the organization and its stakeholders in the long run....

Where Is My Cash Flow?

When Vendor Services Fall Short

by Lea Strickland | July 31, 2014 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Non-Profit, Small Business, Small Business, Start-up, Vendor Relations | 0 Comments

I have to admit: I had a hard time deciding what to title this article. What isn’t hard to do is actually write the article, at least knowing where to start comes easy. Like many businesses, all too often—despite doing the homework of checking out vendors and getting...

Visionaries and Capability: Beyond the Buzz

by Lea Strickland | July 31, 2014 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Business Management, Competitiveness, Entrepreneur, Execution, Funding, Leadership, Marketing, Sales and Business Development, Non-Profit, Small Business, Start-up | 0 Comments

Over the years there have been several—okay, many—instances in which there have been people doing business with a cheerful and/or blatant disregard for boundaries. These individuals cheerfully and often recklessly bound forward with the glee and optimism of an...

Validating Your Business Concept

Vision, Strategy, Structure, and Results

Tough Lessons: Failed Business Relationships

by Lea Strickland | July 31, 2014 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Business Management, Customer Relationships, Entrepreneur, Execution, Leadership, Non-Profit, Perspectives, Small Business, Start-up | 0 Comments

One of the hardest lessons a business owner can experience is the failure of a business relationship - whether with a vendor, a business partner, or a client. Regardless of how carefully you screen any of these people or how formal your agreements with them, when the...

Strategic Delegation – How to Optimize Your Output and Profits

Where is Your Business Located? Realist Road

by Lea Strickland | September 14, 2016 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Entrepreneur, Execution, Leadership, Operations, Opportunity, Resources, Results | 0 Comments

Is your Business Performance FINE?

by Lea Strickland | September 1, 2016 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Business Management, Business Plans, Customer, Customer Relationships, Entrepreneur, Operations, Resources | 0 Comments

Motivate Change to Get Desired Performance

by Lea Strickland | August 31, 2016 | Business Articles, Business Management, Change Management, Execution, Human Resources, Operations, Resources | 0 Comments

Business by the Numbers: Financial Oversight

Check Your Priorities: Real World Lessons Learned

by Lea Strickland | August 17, 2016 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Business Management, Execution, Leadership, Operations, Results, Small Business | 0 Comments

Is the Glass Half Full? Half Empty? Or is it the Wrong Glass?

by Lea Strickland | June 14, 2016 | Business Articles, Business Management, Execution, Leadership, Marketing, Sales and Business Development, Operations, Resources, Results | 0 Comments

How to Grow Your Business, One Relationship at a Time – Network!

by Lea Strickland | June 6, 2016 | Customer, MWorld, Operations, Resources | 0 Comments

Five Critical Steps to Maximize Resource Flexibility

by Lea Strickland | May 26, 2016 | Business Articles, Business Management, Execution, Human Resources, Leadership, Main Street, Operations, Resources, Results | 0 Comments

Open Door, Closed Mind: Listening Well and Making Informed Decisions

Where is Your Business Located? Realist Road

by Lea Strickland | September 14, 2016 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Entrepreneur, Execution, Leadership, Operations, Opportunity, Resources, Results | 0 Comments

It IS About the Customer! Know and Serve Them.

by Lea Strickland | August 23, 2016 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Business Management, Customer, Customer Relationships, Opportunity | 0 Comments

Business Concept – Validating Your Idea

by Lea Strickland | May 8, 2016 | 12-Steps to Start, C.O.R.E. Business System, Concept, Customer, Focus Points, Opportunity | 0 Comments

“Who You Know” and Open Market Competition

by Lea Strickland | July 31, 2014 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Competitiveness, Customer, Opportunity, Small Business, Start-up | 0 Comments

The world is not objective. It is composed of people, and people are human (at least most of us are). People are at our most basic emotional and relationship-based. We do deploy our logical minds to override and control much of our instinctual behavior and that also...

Small Business, Competitive Markets

Market Research Is Vital for Small Businesses

by Lea Strickland | May 3, 2011 | Business Articles, Customer, Opportunity, The Street (the street.com) | 0 Comments

Too many organizations market without a plan, wandering around trying to find customers. It's ineffective, inefficient and expensive. The more time it takes to find your customer and hone your product, service or technology, the longer you have your money tied up....

Marketing (Strategy)

by Lea Strickland | March 30, 2011 | Appearances, Customer, Opportunity | 0 Comments

Sharing expertise with multiple audiences. Regularly leading workshops and presenting at a wide range of industry events, Lea is a sought-after public speaker on how to effectively start and grow a business across a myriad of industries. Lea’s expertise lends itself...

Strategic Delegation – How to Optimize Your Output and Profits

Change: Not the Flavor of the Month

by Lea Strickland | July 3, 2018 | Organizational Change | 0 Comments

Too Much Change, So Much Resistance I read a statistic from the US Department of Labor that says 64% of Americans leave their jobs because they don't feel appreciated. That under appreciation goes from the lowest levels of the organization to the office of the CEO....

Successful Change Begins with a Clear Diagnosis

by Lea Strickland | July 3, 2018 | Change Management, Organizational Change | 0 Comments

Ethical Integrity: When Keeping Your Word Clashes with Sticking to Your Values

by Lea Strickland | September 28, 2016 | Business Articles, Execution, Leadership, Perspectives | 0 Comments

Bleeping Commercials

by Lea Strickland | August 19, 2016 | Business Articles, Marketing, Sales and Business Development, Perspectives | 0 Comments

Switzerland Seeks to Decouple Income and Work – An Atlas Shrugged Moment

by Lea Strickland | June 6, 2016 | Business Articles, Economy and Economics, Faith Blog, Perspectives | 0 Comments

Where Was the Board?

by Lea Strickland | July 31, 2014 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Business Management, Leadership, Non-Profit, Perspectives, Small Business, Start-up, Strategy | 0 Comments

What Are Your Employees Saying About Your Business?

The only way you can avoid employees talking about the good, the bad, and the ugly in your business is to not have employees. Whether you like it or not, employees will talk about what happens at work from the lack of sales, to the lack of management, to the affairs...

What Are Friends For – Not Free Services and Products?

by Lea Strickland | July 31, 2014 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Business Management, Perspectives, Small Business, Start-up | 0 Comments

As our organizations get started and grow, our circle of friends grows. As business relationships evolve to include personal friendships, the line between what is business and what is personal can blur. This seems to be particularly true for professional service firms...

We Were Radical—Now We Wear Khakis

by Lea Strickland | July 31, 2014 | Business Articles, Perspectives | 0 Comments

How different we all like to think we are! How radical and revolutionary we are in our thinking! We’re different to be different, edgy, against the establishment. There are no rules, no judgment. Accept anything and everything. A few weeks ago, as I sat waiting to...

Walls and Bridges

by Lea Strickland | July 31, 2014 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Business Management, Perspectives, Small Business, Start-up | 0 Comments

More walls than bridges are built in the world. It seems that it is much easier to build walls. Buildings, after all, are made of walls, so we are used to making structures that consist of walls. Walls are used to contain things; walls are used as boundaries, to show...

Traveling with Animated Characters

by Lea Strickland | July 31, 2014 | Business Articles, Perspectives | 0 Comments

It’s late on a Friday night and the plane is full. My flight leaving Mexico has been delayed by over an hour and this is the first flight back to Dallas after inclement weather has cancelled several flights. Needless to say, the passengers are restless at best. Most...

Tough Lessons: Failed Business Relationships

Organic or Cultivated Clients? Which Do You Want?

Haste Makes Waste: Do It Right the First Time

by Lea Strickland | September 21, 2016 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Business Management, Execution, Resources, Results | 0 Comments

Where is Your Business Located? Realist Road

by Lea Strickland | September 14, 2016 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Entrepreneur, Execution, Leadership, Operations, Opportunity, Resources, Results | 0 Comments

Strategic Plan: Your Five-Year Roadmap to Success

by Lea Strickland | September 7, 2016 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Business Management, Business Plans, Entrepreneur, Execution, Resources, Results | 0 Comments

Is your Business Performance FINE?

by Lea Strickland | September 1, 2016 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Business Management, Business Plans, Customer, Customer Relationships, Entrepreneur, Operations, Resources | 0 Comments

Motivate Change to Get Desired Performance

by Lea Strickland | August 31, 2016 | Business Articles, Business Management, Change Management, Execution, Human Resources, Operations, Resources | 0 Comments

Business by the Numbers: Financial Oversight

Is the Glass Half Full? Half Empty? Or is it the Wrong Glass?

by Lea Strickland | June 14, 2016 | Business Articles, Business Management, Execution, Leadership, Marketing, Sales and Business Development, Operations, Resources, Results | 0 Comments

Sales Constraints – What’s holding us back?

by Lea Strickland | June 6, 2016 | Customer, Resources, Results, Sales and Service Excellence | 0 Comments

How to Grow Your Business, One Relationship at a Time – Network!

by Lea Strickland | June 6, 2016 | Customer, MWorld, Operations, Resources | 0 Comments

Mastermind Groups for Exponential Business Growth

by Lea Strickland | June 30, 2020 | Business Articles, Business Growth, C.O.R.E. Business System, Execution, Leadership, Marketing, Sales and Business Development, Results | 0 Comments

Strategic Delegation – How to Optimize Your Output and Profits

Cost Versus Revenue Focus

by Lea Strickland | October 3, 2016 | Results | 0 Comments

Organic or Cultivated Clients? Which Do You Want?

Haste Makes Waste: Do It Right the First Time

by Lea Strickland | September 21, 2016 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Business Management, Execution, Resources, Results | 0 Comments

Where is Your Business Located? Realist Road

by Lea Strickland | September 14, 2016 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Entrepreneur, Execution, Leadership, Operations, Opportunity, Resources, Results | 0 Comments

Strategic Plan: Your Five-Year Roadmap to Success

by Lea Strickland | September 7, 2016 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Business Management, Business Plans, Entrepreneur, Execution, Resources, Results | 0 Comments

Check Your Priorities: Real World Lessons Learned

by Lea Strickland | August 17, 2016 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Business Management, Execution, Leadership, Operations, Results, Small Business | 0 Comments

Business Danger Signs: Is Your Business the Frog in the Pot?

by Lea Strickland | June 18, 2016 | Budgets and Financial Tools, Business Articles, Business Management, Business Ownership, Economy and Economics, Leadership, Results | 0 Comments

Is the Glass Half Full? Half Empty? Or is it the Wrong Glass?

by Lea Strickland | June 14, 2016 | Business Articles, Business Management, Execution, Leadership, Marketing, Sales and Business Development, Operations, Resources, Results | 0 Comments

Strategic Delegation – How to Optimize Your Output and Profits

Business by the Numbers: Financial Oversight

Check Your Priorities: Real World Lessons Learned

by Lea Strickland | August 17, 2016 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Business Management, Execution, Leadership, Operations, Results, Small Business | 0 Comments

Looking Inside the Gig Economy with GigSalad CEO/Founder Mark Steiner

by Lea Strickland | May 26, 2016 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Entrepreneur, Small Business, Small Business, Start-up, Strategy | 0 Comments

10 Elements of Successful Businesses

Customer Service – Keeping Commitments and Valuing Each Customer

by Lea Strickland | January 29, 2016 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Customer, Customer Relationships, Small Business, Strategy | 0 Comments

Open Door, Closed Mind: Listening Well and Making Informed Decisions

Networking: Relationship Building, Not Hard Pitch Selling

by Lea Strickland | January 22, 2016 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Marketing, Sales and Business Development, Small Business, Strategy | 0 Comments

Is Franchising for You?

by Lea Strickland | January 17, 2016 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Business Plans, Change Management, Small Business | 0 Comments

SMARTer Goals for Business (Excerpt from 10 Minute Success: Goals!

by Lea Strickland | December 27, 2015 | Business Articles, Business Plans, Resources, Small Business, Strategy | 0 Comments

Looking Inside the Gig Economy with GigSalad CEO/Founder Mark Steiner

by Lea Strickland | May 26, 2016 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Entrepreneur, Small Business, Small Business, Start-up, Strategy | 0 Comments

10 Elements of Successful Businesses

Credit Card Liability – Processing Cards Can Create Liability for Your Business

by Lea Strickland | September 22, 2015 | Business Articles, Business Management, Entrepreneur, Small Business, Small Business, Start-up | 0 Comments

My business does not do a high volume of credit card transactions except at speaking events and trade shows. Yet I chose to make a significant investment this week to protect my firm from liability related to credit card fraud. The investment was not significant from...

Get Out of the Cubicle and Into (Your Own) Business

by Lea Strickland | September 18, 2015 | Entity, Other Podcasts, Start-up | 0 Comments

Listen to interview of author Lea Strickland by Tony Trupiano about the book Out of the Cubicle and Into Business. Strategic Leaders A Good Story, A Great Business From Ideas to Business

Women Mean Business – Seek Investors or Be an Investor

by Lea Strickland | July 31, 2014 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Small Business, Start-up, Women In Business | 0 Comments

Women are often overlooked or underappreciated when it comes to participating in investment forums, serving on boards, and leading companies. Women pursuing investment capital and GETTING investment capital are disadvantaged because many forums aren’t “friendly” to...

“Who You Know” and Open Market Competition

by Lea Strickland | July 31, 2014 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Competitiveness, Customer, Opportunity, Small Business, Start-up | 0 Comments

Who Is Running Your Business?

by Lea Strickland | July 31, 2014 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Business Management, Execution, Leadership, Non-Profit, Operations, Small Business, Start-up, Strategy | 0 Comments

Where Was the Board?

by Lea Strickland | July 31, 2014 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Business Management, Leadership, Non-Profit, Perspectives, Small Business, Start-up, Strategy | 0 Comments

Where Is My Cash Flow?

When Vendor Services Fall Short

by Lea Strickland | July 31, 2014 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Non-Profit, Small Business, Small Business, Start-up, Vendor Relations | 0 Comments

Are You Doing Business with Zombies?

by Lea Strickland | June 9, 2020 | Business Articles, Change Management, Strategy | 0 Comments

Strategic Delegation – How to Optimize Your Output and Profits

Do Business Like a Coyote: Why Opportunistic Predators Thrive Anywhere

by Lea Strickland | May 19, 2020 | Business Management, Competitiveness, Strategy | 0 Comments

Looking Inside the Gig Economy with GigSalad CEO/Founder Mark Steiner

by Lea Strickland | May 26, 2016 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Entrepreneur, Small Business, Small Business, Start-up, Strategy | 0 Comments

Customer Service – Keeping Commitments and Valuing Each Customer

by Lea Strickland | January 29, 2016 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Customer, Customer Relationships, Small Business, Strategy | 0 Comments

Open Door, Closed Mind: Listening Well and Making Informed Decisions

Networking: Relationship Building, Not Hard Pitch Selling

by Lea Strickland | January 22, 2016 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Marketing, Sales and Business Development, Small Business, Strategy | 0 Comments

SMARTer Goals for Business (Excerpt from 10 Minute Success: Goals!

by Lea Strickland | December 27, 2015 | Business Articles, Business Plans, Resources, Small Business, Strategy | 0 Comments

How to Develop Business Growth Goals

by Lea Strickland | November 27, 2015 | Budgets and Financial Tools, Business Articles, Business Growth, Business Management, Resources, Small Business, Strategy | 0 Comments

Who Is Running Your Business?

by Lea Strickland | July 31, 2014 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Business Management, Execution, Leadership, Non-Profit, Operations, Small Business, Start-up, Strategy | 0 Comments

Dog or Cat: Which Do You Want As a Vendor?

by Lea Strickland | October 5, 2015 | Business Articles, Customer Relationships, Marketing, Sales and Business Development, Small Business, Vendor Relations | 0 Comments

When Vendor Services Fall Short

by Lea Strickland | July 31, 2014 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Non-Profit, Small Business, Small Business, Start-up, Vendor Relations | 0 Comments

Women Mean Business – Seek Investors or Be an Investor

by Lea Strickland | July 31, 2014 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Small Business, Start-up, Women In Business | 0 Comments

The Variability of Weather and Women: It’s All About Perspective

by Lea Strickland | July 31, 2014 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Small Business, Start-up, Women In Business | 0 Comments

The other day, one of my international clients commented that the weather in his city (and country) was like a woman. Then, he stopped with a dramatic pause (perhaps realizing we had just met and his comment might not be appreciated in the spirit meant), and I began...

Distinguish between Your Role as an Owner and an Employee

by Lea Strickland | July 31, 2014 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Business Ownership, Leadership, Small Business, Start-up, Women In Business | 0 Comments

When a business has two or more owners taking an active role in running the business (acting as employees), it is necessary to distinguish between decisions made as owners and those made when in the employee role. Significant conflicts can arise and contribute to...

The “Girls’ Club” Revisited

by Lea Strickland | September 28, 2009 | Business Articles, Business Growth, Small Business, Start-up, Women In Business | 0 Comments

As women business owners, managers, executives, or community leaders, it is important that we provide support to each other and serve as positive role models for current and future generations of women. That does not equate, however, to exclusionary practices or...