Recently I was involved in a conversation on producing business growth. The discussion revolved around what to measure about the business in order to keep track of the growth. A few things to start: Don’t make things complicated. Be sure that you’re measuring the right things. Historical data has some value but the good stuff […]

In a recent Harvard Business Review, Tony Schwartz once again admonishes us about multitasking and offers some tips offering multitasking relief in the context of meetings, response expectations and taking breaks. Why is multitasking “suddenly” the hip thing to rail against? I suspect it’s a reflection of a number of things – including the economy, […]

Finally. A mainstream, old school consumer product company figured out how to make it easy for customers to use their product at the recommended interval and do so with as little labor/friction as possible. Rather than rolling their own, they used Amazon’s infrastructure to deal with payments, shipping and subscription management. From Amazon.com: “Amazon Subscribe […]

While the questions are different for the bakery, appliance store, law firm and butcher shop – much less a software company or SEO firm, the need is the same. These 5 questions can make your business different in the eyes of your customers – and they’re what you’d call attention to if you could do […]

When something is viewed as an expense, your instinct is to reduce it to the smallest possible amount. Doing this to your marketing is not unlike choking yourself. Marketing as an expense The most obvious clue that a business treats marketing as an expense is that they cut back on it when things get tight. […]

Some of the simplest advice I give is the most powerful: “Do at least one thing today to get, or keep, a client.” It’s as simple as it sounds. Even if you can only spare 15 minutes, invest it every day doing something that attracts new clients or helps you keep the ones you have. […]

What’s the first thing you do when deciding which lamp to buy? YOU TURN ON THE LAMPS. Recently I visited a office supply box store because, among other reasons, no locally-owned store carries the oddball item I needed. While there, I took a quick glance at the desk lamps on display. None of the lamps […]

Business culture is often viewed as “woo-woo”. People will roll their eyes when you say the words. Some are so turned off that they stop listening to you when you say the phrase, thinking the conversation will be about things that aren’t the least bit business-oriented. To me, that’s reason enough to avoid using the […]

Infrastructure is one of those things you don’t necessarily think about as a new business owner. Thing is, strong infrastructure often turns out to be the competitive edge that no one (other than you) notices. Your clientele notices “stuff”: You’re always on top of things and that you rarely, if ever, have to say “oh, […]

Treating profit as salary is a common error for new businesses. It’s unusual for new owners to start by thinking their business through to the “end game” or to its ideal place. While some plan with an exit strategy in mind, there’s more to business than “do something, grow fast, get bought by Google”. What […]

Good marketing doesn’t need to lie. If you have to lie to sell your stuff, either your stuff isn’t worth buying or you aren’t worth buying it from. Harsh words? Not if you want to stay in the business you’re about to start. These days, buyers are empowered by the information made available to them […]

Last time we talked briefly about things to consider in the early going of the business you just started. We talked a little about the product/service, but focused mostly on some basics about licenses/permits and getting supplies with a little taste of business model talk. The reality is that we shouldn’t have talked about most […]

Recently I received an email from a reader who said my blog made them feel like they had come in during the middle of a movie. Why? Because they’re at the startup stage in their business, while many of my posts focus on existing businesses. Fair enough. Let’s talk about startups. The overwhelming load at […]

When your store is out of stock on an item…what does your staff do and say? When I was out of state not long ago, I looked around for a pair of light hikers for everyday wear. I knew exactly what I wanted right down to the model name. I visited a locally owned store, […]

From time to time, you get signs that your work here isn’t complete. I recently I had one of those days. Six of us, including a three year old and a one year old on the downhill side of a cold, were set to fly what usually is a two segment, three hour flight from […]