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...]
Is there a strategy to communication?
I had a wonderful conversation with a colleague this morning about how communication fails in organizations. Whether you are a one man band or a conglomerate, there is a need to be able to effectively communicate with your staff and your clients. Do you know how to do that? According to Kim Mozingo at the Conwell Group, there is a lot that I need to know about strategic … [Read more...]
Business by Perception
This week has been a blur of promotions for the Lance Armstrong interview and I’ve begun to wonder, how do you protect the image of your company when your company is you? There is an old adage that says ‘you are the company you keep’, but in this increasingly global marketplace how realistic is that? Is it reasonable to assume we can manage all of our partnerships and alliances … [Read more...]
Managing an Entrepreneur
There is an inherent fear for people that aren’t entrepreneurs. They believe that hiring an entrepreneur will somehow infect the rest of the staff and cause them to defect. While this may be true to a degree, there is so much more your company can gain from having an entrepreneur in its presence. Here are my go to lessons learned. Be More Entrepreneurs expect more than … [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 Expert is In
As a consultant I am constantly cast in an expert role and for the most part that’s okay, but I want to be clear….I don’t know everything and that’s what makes me an expert. I know a lot about my specialty but when it comes to taking my own advice, I could do a little better. So here’s the best advice that I can give myself and hopefully it will work for you as well. Be still … [Read more...]
Management by Generations
There is an absolute truth in being an entrepreneur that you will be out of your depth on many occasions. Knowing this fact makes it easier to shift your perspective from a defensive stance to a position on learning from unexpected sources. I recently encountered a similar situation with a younger member of a board for a national organization, here’s what I learned. While it’s … [Read more...]
Money, Friendship and Business
Inevitably in the life of an entrepreneur there comes a time where friendship, money and business collide. Sometimes the collision is disastrous, sometimes it is a saving grace but the one thing that is certain is that it is never easy. I recently encountered a situation where all three of these things collided and here is what I learned. Be specific and be sure Communication … [Read more...]
Why are you important?
As we create our businesses more often than not we get caught up in the day to day firefighting strategies. What we don’t do because there isn’t enough time in the day, no one has figured out how to clone ourselves and/or we don’t see the immediate value is define a future strategy. It’s easy to spend so much time in our businesses that we don’t work on them, so here are a few … [Read more...]