How about buying a company as a way to grow yours? Even the smallest companies can use acquisition as a fast growth strategy. The biggest obstacle is getting your head around the concept. Mergers and acquisition are not only for big company players. Consider...that's how they got big! Bottom line: Acquisition is [...]
If you were to throw your mother a birthday party, you would put a little plan together. Set a date, book a venue, create a guest list, etc. Yet, so often, we show up for work, in a business of our own, and wing it. Without some kind of plan, the party, and the business, just [...]
Hurray! Al Levi, all around great guy and outstanding business expert, has released The 7 Power Contractor...your soon to be latest, favorite business book! I consider Al one of my best friends. When it comes, to business, well, he has been there, done that and made tons of money. Best of all, he [...]
Then, the sun would rise. You know, everything is better, clearer, easier in the light of day. And, everything is scarier in the dark. Lesson learned: Go back to sleep.
Recently, Mike Rowe, the Dirty Jobs Dude, was a guest on Bill Maher’s HBO show Real Time. He was talking about his latest adventure, Profoundly Disconnected, a program to help connect those looking for great careers with real, albeit sometimes dirty, jobs. I was on the edge of my couch! I love dirty jobs! I cheered [...]
“I just can’t find good employees. Nobody wants to work for a dollar anymore. Thank goodness for Joey. He’s my top producer. Customers love him and he delivers top sales every month. If I could clone him, I would! He is one in a million.” My pal Vince owns a Heating and AC company. He’s [...]
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 [...]
What can you learn by Riding Along? You don’t even have to do the Undercover part. Just GO. Hop in the truck (or the assembly line or the phone bank) and say, “Show me what you do. I am here to learn.” One of my best biz buddies is a master of the Ride Along. I wrote about him…and how [...]
Crisis shouldn’t be the spur, but better late than never. A Wall Street Journal article from a couple of summers ago caught my eye. Titled “Customer Service as a Growth Engine,” the article described efforts by large organizations such as Walgreen’s, Comcast, American Express and others to pay “more attention to customer service in an [...]
