Sometimes they do not go hand in hand... I am doing it today, and it just has to happen for those of us that are balancing work and home and families and Lord knows what else! I am not sure about you, but sometimes, I forget that I am actually supposed to be WORKING at home. I love my job more then you can imagine and I consider myself incredibly fortunate to be able to … [Read more...]
The Sale of the Century
As business owner’s our life blood is in making the sales, but the test in is receiving the payment. We need those payments, they are a measure of success for our business and for ourselves. But what happens when we don’t receive those payments? Here’s what I’ve learned about money from my business. Always have a plan B That old adage about counting your chickens before they … [Read more...]
SELECTING A BUSINESS TO START: HOW DO I KNOW WHAT’S RIGHT? PASSION vs PRACTICALITY
When individuals indicate that they want to start a business they are often advised to follow their passion, but is this really the best advice? Unfortunately, such guidance could be a bit short-sighted. Not all passions can be turned into profitable businesses for at least 2 reasons: There’s no demand for the product or service you want to offer. There is a demand for … [Read more...]
How to be Healthy and Stay Healthy
Stay out of the stress trap and stay healthy! Entrepreneurs undergo huge amounts of stress that can cause unhealthy habits and just over all feeling like crap.Here are some tips to help you avoid the stress trap so you can keep doing what you do and excel at it: 1. You time! We have talked about scheduling before and making sure you use your calendars efficiently, and … [Read more...]
Selling Your Soul
As an entrepreneur I got into this game to make more money for myself, like everyone else. The thing that I face continuously is should I make the sale or save my soul. The answer is surprisingly easy for me, I save my soul every time. I’m hoping that I rack up enough business karma to hit my goal of a $350m company, but in the meantime here is how I measure the situation. Why … [Read more...]
FORBES LIST OF 20 MOST MISERABLE CITIES: THE MIDWEST IS HIGHLY REPRESENTED, BUT…
There is no greater demonstration of the impact that businesses have on cities and regions than what has been occurring in the Midwestern Unites States. The closing of factories and the loss of middle income jobs has led to a steady outward migration of residents of which the biggest gainers have been southern states like Florida, Texas, and my current state of residence … [Read more...]
How to Make Being a CEO Work for You
As an entrepreneur I can’t lie it seems like we have a lot of perks. We think that it’s great because we make our own schedules, we don’t have to answer to anybody and we can set our own fees but let’s be realistic here. The truth is we have none of those things. We do answer to someone, they are called clients and they determine if we will be around to answer to anyone else. … [Read more...]
And the Winner Is…
Success…and then what? As we start our businesses, we are constantly chasing a dream. We work insane hours, sacrifice everything that means anything to us because we know that success is coming. When we finally get it what happens? As I found out that I had been awarded a big contract, a colleague reminded me to not get comfortable with the success, to remember that I was … [Read more...]
Can Small Business learn from the American Airlines Merger?
There is a theory in some circles that small businesses just don’t have what it takes to compete with big business and when we are invited to the table we don’t know what to order. The American Airlines merger gives us a great example of what do look for in a partnership and what we should avoid. Here are some lessons we can take away from the merger. Choose your partners … [Read more...]
Do you know where your business network is?
As business owners, we network a lot. Networking means different things to different people, but it's suppose to help you build relationships that will turn into tangible business either directly or indirectly. The problem with networking is that if your aren't careful you can waste your most precious commodity, your time. Here are a couple of tips that I have found to decide … [Read more...]