If you wouldn't build a home on a cracked foundation, why would you build a business on one? A cracked foundation is damaged, weakened, unstable, torn apart, and flimsy. When you think about building a home, you think about how solid the foundation is. You want to know if the platform you are building your home on is sturdy enough to build upon. You wouldn't build a home on … [Read more...]
What Can Weight Watchers Teach You About Business?
As early back as I can remember, my grandmother belonged to Weight Watchers. I can vividly remember her making her famous rhubarb pie. My sister and I never tried it but looking back we probably missed out on a tasty treat. My grandmother loved Weight Watchers so much that she would travel by bus about an hour to go to their meetings. Once she reached her weight loss goal … [Read more...]
How Women Entrepreneurs can Overcome the Cash, Contracts and Connections Challenge
There are three challenges that can deeply hinder the progress and growth of a woman-owned business: access to funding, contracts, and resources. Fortunately, they are not impossible to overcome. It’s no secret access to capital has consistently been a thorn in the side of women entrepreneurs and prevented them from scaling to the next level, but so have scoring major accounts … [Read more...]
How to Seize Unplanned Business Opportunities
There is nothing worse than being presented with an opportunity of which you cannot take advantage. Not all missed business opportunities are for lack of economic means. If we think back on a few of our missed business opportunities, some of them my be due to poor timing, lack of knowledge or skill, misaligned objectives, dysfunctional systems, or simple fear of change. The … [Read more...]
How to Avoid Fire-Fighting All The Time in Your Business
One of the reasons you went into business was to create a lifestyle you enjoy while doing what you love, right? However, your business has grown some and it may feel a little like you cannot stop putting out one fire or the other. Or maybe you have team members who seem unable to do anything without your direct supervision… which means your day is a mass of interruptions … [Read more...]
Can Listening Make You More Successful?
Can listening make you more successful? Think back to the last time you attended a seminar. It could have been online or in person. Did you listen attentively or did you perhaps start checking your email? Maybe you were distracted by something else. Because of this you may have thought the presentation wasn’t informative enough when in fact it was jam packed with relevant … [Read more...]
Building a Usable Vision Statement for Your Organization
Organizations that enjoy sustained success are built from the core values that remain foundational while their culture carefully adapts to changing business strategies and to a changing economic environment. Smart leaders take the time to identify the core values that are central to any organizational culture and then build strategies that are in alignment with these … [Read more...]
14 Ways to Show Your Clients and Your Business Some Love
Valentine’s Day may be fleeting, but there are still 14 days left in February to shower your clients, and your own business, with some heartfelt acknowledgement and appreciation. This short 'n' sweet post will get you going in the right direction, internally and externally. Once you start down the list, you'll likely notice a few tactics you can expand upon. For Your … [Read more...]
Build your Brand by Building Relationships
What better day to mull the topic of relationships than today? After all, the masses (and, you and me) have been at it all week, conjuring up the perfect plan to show their significant other that he/she is special, and taking extra care not to overlook any hidden expectations. I'm trusting you've got that one in the bag, but what about your business relationships? Have you … [Read more...]
Are you ready to kick butt in 2013?
Right now, the idea of kicking butt in 2013 is probably the last thing on your mind. But come January 2, when that alarm clock goes off, you're going to feel a lot better about facing the New Year with a blueprint for success. With that in mind, the best thing you can do for yourself in that first week is to keep your schedule light. Unless a face-to-face meeting is … [Read more...]