Once upon a time, I thought acquisition was a strategy reserved for big companies. I thought you needed teams of lawyers to work through phone book size agreements and complicated EBITDA formulas. I imagined strong armed tactics and hostile takeovers. Boy, was I wrong. Acquisition is the best way to grow your company. You can’t [...]
It’s one thing to tell your customers how great you are. It’s a much bigger, better thing to have respected community influencers tell your customers how great you are. It’s the thing that can ramp up your marketing to create immediate, measurable results. Here’s how… Make a list of 10 VIPs…Very Influential People…in your community. [...]
Does it make you cringe to think about imposing the formal structure of an Organization Chart on your small shop? Fear not! The Organization Chart can be a wonderful tool. Recalling my many, many jobs, I can count on three fingers the number of times I actually knew for what I was responsible and to [...]
Sob! My favorite thing to do is Ride Along with team members. I love to put on the Super Hero costume and hop in the truck. I am not very technically skilled – massive understatement! – however, I try to help by carrying things and being entertaining on the job. Recently, I was all dressed [...]
Last night I watched “The 80’s: The Decade That Made Us,” The show opened with a recap of the 1980 Olympic Gold Medal Hockey team story. I remember watching the win over the Russian team, with my college roommate, in our dorm rooms. Lisa and I knocked over our lawn chairs chanting, with the rest [...]
Business is not a complicated mystery. There is not a book or seminar that holds the cryptic message, if only you were clever enough to figure it out. There is no mentor who is withholding the secret formula until you say the magic word. Business is easy. Consider what you want and why, and take [...]
“You could pick one of these items, do it…and get more sales. So, which one?” I was at a client’s shop. We had just done a terrific brainstorming exercise, and come up with a list of 27 rockin’ good ideas for getting the phone to ring. So, I asked the owner which one he was [...]
Me, “I’d like to buy this thing.” You, “Oh, I’m sorry. We don’t take credit cards.” Me, “Why not?” You, “Well, the credit card company adds 3% to every purchase.” Me, “Dang.” Bottom line: If you don’t take a credit card, or debit card, I am not going to buy from you. I haven’t carried [...]
Below are helpful tips for home repair…working with, or without, a professional. Also, I included tips for finding a great contractor, when you are ready to call in a pro. As a plumbing industry expert, I write a monthly column for Plumbing Heating Contractor News – These tips appeared in one of my columns, aimed at contractors, encouraging them to [...]
"Tell me," Ernie pleaded. "What am I doing wrong?" Ernie had just closed the books for February and he had a loss for the month. He rattled off a laundry list of very good action items and projects that he was initiating to make sure March would be profitable. The problem, according to Ernie, is [...]
