In the past year I have found myself talking about partnership an awful lot. As one partnership crashed and burned this week and several other began, here is some advice I have learned. Understand your value When you are starting out I don’t care how much you think you know, you don’t know as much as someone with 10 years of experience on you. If you don’t have all of the … [Read more...]
The Business of Deceit
We all know that a sweet lie feels better than a hard truth, but in business it’s supposed to be all about the facts. In a world where perception can be skewed as quickly as a tweet is posted, how can you make sure that your business is telling you the hard truth all of the time? The truth is that you can’t. You can’t make sure that everything that reaches your eyes is beyond … [Read more...]
The Rules of Engagement
In business, relationships are everything. It’s who you know that can help you get where you want to be and all that hard work will come to fruition on that magical moment when you meet the right person at the right time in the right place. Until that time the most meaningful relationship you can have is taking care of yourself as a CEO and here's how you do it. Reward … [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...]
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...]
The Tao of Business
People think that entrepreneurs are incredibly brave and that we have a plan for everything. The truth is that most days we feel like people are going to find out that we have no clue and that we are just trying to keep from drowning. We are all really good at something that’s why we started a business, but the one thing some of us are not so good at is building ourselves up … [Read more...]
The Ties that Bind
As I had a conversation today with a colleague about the benefits of releasing negative company, I wondered does the same theory apply to entrepreneurs? As individuals we know that we have to be aware of the people we surround ourselves with and the energy they bring, but can we bring that thought into our business as well? Maybe we can and here’s where I think we should … [Read more...]
Your Business, Your Leadership
The past week has given me the opportunity to observe the management style of a district manager for a fairly well known retailer. As I have had the horror of observing this individual, I’ve noticed that there are some things that entrepreneurs can learn from this horror movie. The staff mistakes are your mistakes What I have observed is this DM ruthlessly pointing out every … [Read more...]
The Fiscal Cliff and Your Business
The crux of the situation as many business owners know is consumer spending. As we plan and strategize growth, many of us wonder if our businesses will be around this time next year. Even firms such as my own that concentrate on business services are feeling the crunch that has become the personality trait of this economic climate. If there is a strain on the middle class, many … [Read more...]