Were you ever fired from a job? Just the thought is chill-inducing. Fired, it means failure, finished, foolish, and a lot of words that are meant to be esteem-downers. That’s how it was for Tory Johnson when she was a twenty something and on the rise in corporate America. Within one hour she had fallen from grace and was out on the street. Fast forward to today. Tory is a … [Read more...]
The Road to Success
For entrepreneurs the road to success can be very bumpy and full of twists and turns (I know, very cliché, but true). Everyone needs to ask for directions once in a while or pull out the road map to double check the directions. The same can be said for business owners, all of them, especially entrepreneurs. It’s a tough business to survive in. The new book, Small Business … [Read more...]
The USPS Lesson
The post office is nearly bankrupt, the cost cutting is not working. We are in danger of losing a service that is vital to many small businesses. So while other business blogs are looking at this situation and wondering what went wrong, I’m asking “what can we learn?” The postal situation is not unique and what it highlights is how the wrong type of organizational culture can … [Read more...]
The Cost of Business
In our current situation many companies are cackling about how much money they have saving on services and are doing their fair share to keep pushing prices down. On the surface this savings looks good to many companies, but as soon as the economy turns around these services are going to go back to the increased costs they deserve and then what? Well in my years I have observed … [Read more...]
You Are What You Say You Are….
Leadership is an elusive quality and few people ever really get it, but as the figurehead of a company you are supposed to know what it means to be a leader and a motivator even if it wasn’t taught to you. In my industry I see a lot of individuals who were really good at their chosen profession and that skill got them thrust into the management arena. Leadership is an elusive … [Read more...]
The Ten Commandments of Business Success
Guest Post by Jane Plitt. She was long dead when I first discovered Martha Matilda Harper and her amazing feat of launching modern franchising even though she had been a servant for nearly a quarter of a century. History buried its memory of the 500+ franchises she sprouted and staffed with other poor women. But, fortunately, they saved the records and here are her ten … [Read more...]
The Leper in the Room: Workplace Violence
As a business owner I have noticed that entrepreneurs talk about a range of topics and we share some pretty personal details; what doesn’t happen is the talk about violence. We speak about managing teams and dealing with problem performers, but we very rarely speak about what happens when those situations go horribly wrong. To get to the bottom of this I got some advice from … [Read more...]
Leadership and Feminism
In our recent GUTSY WOMEN LEADERS retreat I showed a video of Isabel Allende when she was a presenter at a TED conference. She is one of my favorite authors; her novels are filled with the depth of what life is all about; love, sorrow, misunderstandings, and the courage to change. She mentions a conversation she had with her daughter who stated emphatically that feminism is … [Read more...]
Value for your Community
If you sell something to your community of clients, and they receive some measure of enjoyment, appreciation, usage, or some other measure of value out of your product or service, then you're fulfilling the role your company exists to play. Entrepreneurs exist to create value for the economy: this is the primary benefit they offer. Without a special group of someones … [Read more...]
Get your Idea off the Ground – Green Business Startup Capital through GreenFunder.com
The new crowdfunding website GreenFunder.com offers a unique tool for innovators, entrepreneurs, and creators who have a burning desire to raise money and awareness for their socially responsible, sustainable, or green project. Socially responsible projects = benefit a person, community or the environment Crowdfunding = accomplishing a goal by pooling money from a large … [Read more...]