Category: News
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10 Character Traits of Successful Small Business Owners
There may be a hundred remarkable character traits that define you or your favorite successful small business owner. When you compare the entrepreneurs behind successful small businesses, however, a handful of traits rise to the top. Here are some of the most common and powerful character traits that describe small business owners who have started […]
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50 Signs You Need to Start Your Own Business
1. The lightbulb went off. 2. You’re always thinking. 3. You’re passionate. 4. You’re independent. 5. You’re motivated. 6. You’re organized. 7. You feel a need to help people. 8. You’re certain that you can build a better company. 9. You feel stuck at your job. 10. You feel a need to prove your vision. 11. […]
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How to Start a Business Online
There is a proven sequence of steps you can follow to guarantee your success when you’re starting a small business online. I’ve seen thousands of people start and grow successful businesses by doing the following: Find a need and fill it. Write copy that sells. Design and build an easy-to-use website. Use search engines to […]
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Why Small Companies Have the Innovation Advantage
When I first started my company, I hit the business plan competition circuit for funding and feedback. At each event, I encountered the same question from a judge or a member of the audience: “This seems pretty simple, why doesn’t [insert large competitor] just do this?” My response was always the same: “I don’t know–they […]
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How to Acquire a Small Business (and Keep Employees Happy)
There are many books that discuss the inner workings of big M&A deals but there are few that delve into the purchase of a small business — a move that requires a different strategy. Small companies are difficult to buy, but they can have tremendous benefits to the acquirer over the long term — an argument that […]
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5 Key Lessons About Making The Switch From Employee To Owner
Every person who ever clocked in at work has had this thought: “If this were my business, I would run things differently.” But what happens when you actually have the chance to buy the business you work for? I found out in 2006 when I purchased GroupBaronet, the marketing company where I’d been working for eight years. […]
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Top 10 Ways to Be Happy at Work
Working at Google sounds very cool. I’d be the first to tout Google as a motivating employer: free food,Fortune magazine top 100 companies, employers provide the best workplaces. At the same time, perks that enable employees to spend all of their time at work exploit people and destroy work – life balance. So, even the best employer […]
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Why Do Employees Quit Their Jobs?
The costs to your organization when good employees quit are hard to quantify, but trust me, they are more serious than you are adding up. Retaining good employees, with the means that an employer can control, is critical during a time when skilled employees are becoming more difficult to find. It’s unfortunate, but good employees […]
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10 Reasons Why Your Employees Hate You
In the world of employees, a good boss is differentiated from a bad boss by the way the boss makes the employees feel. They also assess the boss based on his or her contribution – or lack thereof – to their ability to get their jobs done successfully. Employees tolerate a lot of bad boss […]
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The 10 Essential Roles of a Manager
What exactly does a manager do? Or, perhaps a better question would be, what should a manager do? What are the uniquely essential roles of a manager? Written in 1954, Peter Drucker’s The Practice of Management was the first book written about management as a profession and being a unique role in organizations. Drucker’s book remains an must-read book […]
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Here’s The Schedule Very Successful People Follow Every Day but not Me
All too often, productivity tips are a dime a dozen. Some even conflict with each other. What we need is a system. What schedule do the pros use? What system does science say allows us to be most productive? What’s key is feeling in control and making sure your energy levels are matched to the […]
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The Lesson of the Red Horse
At a recent family gathering, my nine-year old niece used her new colored pens to draw animals on scraps of paper she found. The first horse she drew was a very nice blending of blues and yellows and greens and was kneeling in a field of tall grass. What does this have to do with […]
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The Secret to Becoming a Better Leader
There’s a scene in the Movie “City Slickers” where the lead character, Mitch, played by Billy Crystal, is debating with his ornery trail boss Curly, about the meaning of life. It goes like this: Curly: Do you know what the secret of life is?[holds up one finger] Curly: This.Mitch: Your finger?Curly: One thing. Just one thing. […]
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70 Awesome Coaching Questions Using the GROW Model
The GROW Model is the most common coaching framework used by executive coaches. Given its relative simplicity, many managers have taught themselves the GROW model as a way to structure coaching and mentoring sessions with their employees. GROW is an acronym that stands for: Goal Current Reality Options Will (or Way Forward) Managers can use the […]
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10 Things Your Employees May Not be Telling You
When you’re a manager, the old saying “no news is good news” doesn’t always apply. While it may be tempting to bury your head in the sand (or keep your door closed) and assume that all is well with your employees because no one is complaining, that’s a bad assumption. They may be another reason […]