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Helping business owners grow their companies and transition with confidence, added value and complete control.
Tag Archives: business ownership
Time Bankruptcy and Communications Technology
A friend says that she hasn’t been able to tackle any new projects because she is in “time bankruptcy.” It expresses very well how she feels about her ability to control her schedule, but she has been claiming bankruptcy for … Continue Reading
Trust in Business and the Law
Every day, in almost every transaction, we rely on trust in business. We believe that a customer will pay us according to the terms of a sale. Our employees have access to money, goods and confidential information because we trust them. … Continue Reading
Posted in Customer Relations, John's Opinions, Leadership, Politics and Regulation, Strategy and Planning
Tagged Baby Boomers, business ownership, business planning, business strategy, employee performance, employees, entrepreneurs, entrepreneurship, leadership, management, media, politics, small business, small business advice
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Ownership Transfer and Employee Security
When we start planning for the sale of a company, many owners ask me about sharing information with employees. They are naturally concerned that an ownership transfer will cause their workers to seek more secure positions elsewhere. This is true whether … Continue Reading
Posted in Economic Trends, Exit Planning, Incentives, Leadership, Managing Employees, Selling a business, Strategy and Planning
Tagged Baby Boomers, banks, Boomer Bust, business, business brokerage, business ownership, business planning, business strategy, employee performance, employees, entrepreneurs, entrepreneurship, exit planning, exit strategies, leadership, management, selling a business, small business advice
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Generational Differences and Identity Politics
Generational differences are a hot topic for organizational behaviorists. Is this a real issue, or is it just the current management fad? “Never in history have we seen four generations together in the workplace.” That line starts thousands of articles … Continue Reading
Posted in Economic Trends, Entrepreneurship, Exit Planning, Leadership, Managing Employees, Strategy and Planning
Tagged Baby Boomers, Boomer Bust, business, business ownership, business planning, business strategy, economy, employee performance, employees, entrepreneurs, entrepreneurship, exit planning, exit strategies, health care costs, health care reform, hiring, management, medicare, politics, small business, small business advice, social security
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Employee Gratitude isn’t Loyalty
Most of us have heard something like this expression of employee gratitude. “I’ve enjoyed working here. You taught me so much, and you’ve always treated me well. But the company down the road is paying a lot more for people with my … Continue Reading
Posted in Entrepreneurship, Incentives, Leadership, Managing Employees, Uncategorized
Tagged business, business ownership, business planning, business strategy, employee performance, employees, entrepreneurs, entrepreneurship, hiring, leadership, management, new business, small business, small business advice
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Is Your Business Built on Individual Heroics?
Great employees are a wonderful gift, but individual heroics aren’t healthy for your business. Someday, you will start thinking about leaving the business. Perhaps you already do. When you begin planning for your transition, what will your company systems sound like … Continue Reading
Posted in Building Value, Entrepreneurship, Exit Planning, Leadership, Managing Employees, Selling a business, Strategy and Planning
Tagged Baby Boomers, business, business brokerage, business ownership, business planning, business strategy, employee performance, employees, entrepreneurs, entrepreneurship, exit planning, exit strategies, leadership, management, selling a business, small business, small business advice
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Maximize Resources – Use What You Have
Every owner wants to maximize resources. The whole concept of profitability is based on doing the most with the least, but we often are trapped in the prevailing thought pattern about how things “should” be done. When taking a car … Continue Reading
Posted in Economic Trends, Entrepreneurship, Managing Employees, Strategy and Planning
Tagged business, business ownership, business planning, business strategy, employee performance, employees, entrepreneurs, entrepreneurship, leadership, management, sales, sales management, small business, small business advice
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Good Customers Can Be Bad
When can good customers be bad? What could be wrong with a customer who buys a lot, pays promptly, and never has a service problem? They might be buying too much. No matter how strong or comfortable a sales relationship is, … Continue Reading
Posted in Building Value, Customer Relations, Entrepreneurship, Exit Planning, Marketing and Sales, Sales, Selling a business, Strategy and Planning
Tagged Baby Boomers, Boomer Bust, business ownership, business planning, business strategy, entrepreneurs, entrepreneurship, exit planning, exit strategies, leadership, management, sales, sales management, selling a business, small business, small business advice
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What is Your CEO Job Description?
On occasion, a business owner client will ask me if I have a CEO job description. I’m sure such exist in large corporations, but for an owner-managed company it’s a bit vague. The simple (and usual) answer is that the … Continue Reading
Posted in Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Managing Employees, Strategy and Planning
Tagged Baby Boomers, business ownership, business planning, business strategy, employee performance, employees, entrepreneurs, entrepreneurship, leadership, management, sales management, small business, small business advice
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Employee Peer Review: The Internal Market
There are various approaches to employee peer review. Comprehensive multi-level feedback, top-down and bottom-up comparisons, and even the lightening fast Stoplight 360 I wrote about here a few years ago. In many instances, however, the most powerful rating system is … Continue Reading