Business adviser and author Chet Holmes uses a strategy called “The Dream 100” to identify the 100 prospects he would most like to obtain as clients. He then puts strategies and actions into place to do so. Think about your market. It might be tough to come up with 100 “best” clients you’d like to […]

I’ve decided that we need to spend more time here focusing on the smart businesses and what they do, in hopes of making more Flathead businesses fall in the smart column. It hit me while motoring from Memphis to Mom’s place after hearing yet another ad for Angie’s List. We “need” things like Angie’s List, […]

One of the lessons my dad impressed on me when I was old enough to begin to “get it” (or so I thought) was “Be a good listener.” Naturally, the meaning of that phrase changed for me over the years. As a teenager, it had a rather obvious meaning, “Pay attention and you might learn […]

My favorite story about setting expectations comes from a really smart real estate agent. When you decide to buy or sell your home with her, she gives you a pre-printed list of all the things that can happen during the process of buying or selling. The list has checkboxes on it and is designed to […]

“The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.” — Alvin Toffler Learn, unlearn, relearn. Are you doing the same things in your business that you did when *everything* worked? If so, is that still working for you? If it is, […]

Ever considered “The Difference” entry-market businesses sometimes create between two groups of customers? While you think about that, here’s a little background. On numerous occasions, I’ve urged you to add premium services to your product and services mix. These premium services add higher profit margin services and attract more loyal customers. That doesn’t mean they […]

Due to some recent travel to deal with some family stuff, I’ve had a chance to see how business is going these days in a few other places in the U.S. Something that caught my eye over the weekend illustrates how much room there is for a coherent, attentive business in the marketplace…even in today’s […]

A few weeks ago, we talked about the importance of strategic delegation and how it might just enable you to enjoy a phone call free vacation, much less free up some strategic thinking time. When I was in the photography software business, I quickly learned that photographers absolutely detest being pulled out of the camera […]

Wall Street Journal senior economist Stephen Moore recently wrote a column about “takers and makers”, revealing that ”More Americans work for the government than work in construction, farming, fishing, forestry, manufacturing, mining and utilities combined.” Twice as many people (22.5 million) work in government than in manufacturing (11.5 milion). Upon hearing this, many will launch into […]

If you’re familiar with the story of Napoleon Hill, you know Andrew Carnegie offered Hill an unprecedented opportunity to research the strategies and habits of Carnegie’s friends – America’s most successful business people in the first quarter of 20th century. The result of his two decades of research was his top-selling 1937 book “Think and […]

While elliptical-ing recently, I thought to myself, “What would I change if I owned this place?” I might warm up the pool a couple of degrees, but that really isn’t the kind of change I meant. The things that came to mind were in the spirit of “Be indispensable“. So what would make that place […]

Yesterday, an email from one of my favorite software businesses arrived in my inbox. I’ve used and liked this small piece of business utility software for at least a decade. Not many programs can make that claim. Lately, they’ve been emailing me pretty frequently. This particular email offered a free copy of the latest version if […]

Henry Ford, despite his success with the assembly line at Ford Motor Company, made a mistake that many business owners still make today. He didn’t delegate. Most business owners delegate at least a little. Not Ford. According to Peter Drucker, the senior Ford didn’t believe in delegation or floor management and it cost him plenty. […]

Are you indispensable? I was thinking about this earlier today and got sidetracked by “real work”. It was destined to be on my mind. Hugh’s email newsletter arrived short time later and was RIGHT ON POINT with my question. The question that you have to ask yourself – daily (if not constantly), rather than once […]

Lots of Scout troops from out of state visit Glacier National Park every year. Some of them use our local Scout camp property as a “base camp” for a week or two of treks they make into the Bob Marshall, Glacier Park and elsewhere. One thing they depend on us for is referrals to quality […]