Earlier this week, J.C. Penney announced that it was going to undergo a major overhaul in the way it does business and communicates with its customers. As we watch this change unfold and wait for customer reactions, here are some of the more positive things business owners can pull from the strategy. Simplify, Simplify Simplify This is the best part of the strategy, even … [Read more...]
Thank You Ma’am
Last night I read a wonderful article in Entrepreneur about giving praise to your staff. It was wonderfully written, but I thought the article was missing the most important element of praising your staff-sincerity. So with that in mind I wanted to highlight the reasons why sincerity should be included in your praise package. A sincere thank you is a million times better … [Read more...]
Sears: A Post Mortem
Sears has been on a steady decline for quite some time and they have just released news that they have a new merchandising officer. They have lured Brookstone CEO, Ron Boire, to fill this invented position under the guise that a focus on merchandise will help the struggling brand. We can learn from some of Sears’s mistakes and here’s how. Find your voice and stay true to … [Read more...]
The Importance of Reflection
As the new year dawns we inevitably find ourselves thinking backward and forward. Maybe we have had bad experiences with "new years resolutions" or at the very least have friends who have set forth with good intentions only to lose focus very early in the new year. Regardless of the jokes or bad press we hear about new years resolutions it is very healthy to take time for … [Read more...]
The Bitter Entrepreneur
I’ve been sitting around wondering what to write about since the usual business topics have been covered and I think I’ve come to a great topic, the bitter entrepreneur. I promise that I’m not being facetious, but at one time or another we have all been this person. You know the one at the networking event or trade show that is sulking in the corner wondering why another … [Read more...]
Lessons from Avon
This week Avon CEO Andrea Jung was released from her position and stock prices soared. The company is trying to find its footing and the CEO was the unequivocal target. Is that a bad thing? Is there anything that Jung can take from this experience? No woman is an island The first thing that jumps out at me is the fact that Jung had no COO. I believe that this fact alone … [Read more...]
Football’s Advice to Business
What can a high school football coach teach entrepreneurs? Well it turns out, she can teach us plenty. That’s right, She. Last weekend as my girls played in the park, I read a story on Natalie Randolph by the Washington Post’s James Wagner. The article contained everything you would expect to see on a woman in a man’s sport, but I saw some important lessons in her leadership … [Read more...]
The Capable Employee
As a modern business owner, I’ve caught the fever to rely on gadgets and depend on electronic communication in lieu of actually picking up the phone; but I wonder, have I done my company a disservice? As I visit client sites and assess the challenges they face, it becomes clear that sometimes the culprit is not the employee, it’s the technology. Excessive reliance on … [Read more...]
Hey Boss, Your Policy is Stupid!
As business owners we often set policies and procedures from a reactive point of view. Something happened that brought the situation to our attention and then we put things in place to ensure they don’t happen again. But is this the best way to create policies? Can your staff weigh in on their effectiveness and when they do, do their opinions matter? If you have a sense that … [Read more...]
The Inside Scoop on Recruiting
Once you strike out on your own, your relationships with recruiters change. When you were looking for a full-time job, they represented a way to get your foot in the door at a company. As an entrepreneur, their roles shift slightly. They still help you get a foot in the door, but now they also bring the ability to provide new projects. The one thing that continually frustrates … [Read more...]