I’m talking to my daughter about her research project, something that’s really important to her, but that I don’t totally understand. I want to listen carefully to see if I can make heads or tails of it. Suddenly I realized she’s stopped talking and I’ve been thinking about how I haven’t written an article for…
I had a client say something to me last week that stopped me in my tracks. She said: “The best time to fire someone is the first time you think of it. Once you’ve said to yourself, ‘I’m going to have to fire that person,’ it’s time to do it. That day!” When I heard…
Most business owners are familiar with their sales funnel—the accumulation of new business prospects that are in the process of choosing to buy from you (or not). The sales funnel is arguably the most important process that a growing business needs to track. How are we turning people who are “interested” in buying from us…
I’m watching more, and more video. Video is engaging. It has personality. It fosters an easy sense of connection with people. Its a great way to learn AND be entertained. Podcasts are also great (hey, I’ve got one, how can I diss ’em?). I learn a lot from podcasts; and they’re so convenient. I can…
A small business is the sum of its people, not the sum of its parts. ~ Jill Salzman Small business ownership can make the best of us act a little weird. Put any normal person into a situation where there are lots of terrible things that can happen (many of which can get you sued,…
Almost everybody wants their business to grow; and if you want your business to grow you are likely working hard. For some companies that success comes right away; first some good clients, then some more, then… For others it comes more slowly—sometimes excruciatingly slowly. This can be a huge challenge. We live in an “instant”…
So 2016 has been a pretty solid year for Chicago economically. A lot of new jobs are being created, and interest rates remain low. If you’ve tried to hire this year, you likely had a hard time finding the right candidates. But what do we see coming in 2017? How will the change in administrations,…
As a business owner, we all have more than one job (many of us carry 4 or 5); but two of those jobs are the same for every business owner. The first is being a great leader in your business. Whether you are the CEO/President, or a partner who shares the leadership, one of your…
“My team just isn’t as committed as I need them to be. It feels like they just don’t give a crap about the business, or the work, or anything…” This is how the conversation started when I went to meet with a client this last week. His business is successful, but he feels like the…
Jason Fried is a terrific entrepreneur who has been incredibly generous to the Chicago entrepreneurial community. I love the product that he’s created (Basecamp) and I’ve enjoyed his writing over the years. But I also really dislike Jason Fried. His company is a —*no doubt*— success; and he worked hard to make it a success….