“I would willingly stand at street corners, hat in hand, begging passersby to drop their unused minutes into it." ~Bernard Berenson Our most precious commodity is time. You can always make more money. You only have so much time. In order to be successful in business, you must account for your time: the time you spend [...]
I used to answer the clanging alarm clock by shouting, “NOOOOOO!” as I reached out to SHUT IT OFF. While that may sound harmless, even humorous, I realized that it probably was not the best way to greet the day. According to my friend, Robin Palmer, I’m absolutely right! Robin says, “If you crawl out [...]
I love watching TV! I steer clear of bad TV. However, there is solid programming out there. And there is great free advice if you are building a business. I love Restaurant Impossible and Tabatha's Salon Takeover. (BTW, I am at the ready to host an Extreme Makeover - Service Business Edition show!) I love it [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
"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 [...]
