Let’s do something

I recently finished reading Geoffrey Blainey’s A Very Short History of the World – all 450 pages of it! As interesting as it was, I’m so glad it was the short version. I came away from that book with a renewed appreciation of human accomplishment but that’s not want I want to talk about. Of the many things that resonated, one was Continue reading “Let’s do something”

Why Most Small Businesses Fail or Only Achieve Modest Success

Studies of business survival over many years reveal a disturbing fact: five out of ten businesses do not survive more than five years and as few as 3 out of those that do survive the first five years live to Continue reading “Why Most Small Businesses Fail or Only Achieve Modest Success”

The Three Business Owner Types and Why You Need to Know Who They Are

There are 3 basic types of people involved with business ownership. They are Investors, owner-managers who primarily work “IN” their business so we’ll call then IN-guys, and owner-managers who primarily work “ON” their business so we’ll call them ON-guys. If you want to grow the business advisory side of your firm you need Continue reading “The Three Business Owner Types and Why You Need to Know Who They Are”

Client Selection: Do it Right and You’ll Do Your Banking in Cornsacks

It was a dark and stormy night. The power was out and I heard the back door squeak. I was sure someone was in my kitchen. I called out but I couldn’t have expected what was about to happen … Continue reading “Client Selection: Do it Right and You’ll Do Your Banking in Cornsacks”

Visions, Missions, Motherhoods, Engagement and Strategy

The Gallup organization has been monitoring the level of employee engagement across national boundaries and industries for years. The numbers are not pretty. Gallup measures the degree of engagement based on employees’ ratings of key workplace elements such as having an opportunity to Continue reading “Visions, Missions, Motherhoods, Engagement and Strategy”

Worthy Cause Marketing is a powerful tool for being good and doing good

Michael Houlihan and Bonnie Harvey founded Barefoot Wine in 1986 almost by accident. They knew little about wine and had no idea what they were letting themselves in for at the time. They sold the business to E & J Gallo in 2005 and what they created has become the world’s largest selling wine brand. The story of how this amazing business Continue reading “Worthy Cause Marketing is a powerful tool for being good and doing good”

Trash your annual performance reviews

At our Bootcamps and other events one of the biggest and most important recommendations we made for getting team engagement was to stop doing annual performance reviews with your team members. I was reminded of this the other day when I saw a FB post from a good friend Michelle Golden in which she announced with deserved pride that the firm she is a Principal at, K-coe Isom, have abandoned doing annual reviews. Continue reading “Trash your annual performance reviews”

A Mentor’s Messages: Jim Rohn

One of the people who’s teaching has had a profound impact on me is the late Jim Rohn. His humor and pithy insights about human nature and especially the impact personal development has on contribution, success, and self-directed happiness are worth taking note of and talking about that Continue reading “A Mentor’s Messages: Jim Rohn”