When I train new advisors, I clue them into something that they will inevitably witness: Business owners cry. Men. Women. Young. Old. All of them. When you think about it, it makes sense why business owners are driven to tears on occasion. Here are four reasons why I think their crying is justified: The stakes…
2012 is drawing to a close, and most business owners I talk to say it’s been a pretty good year. Most businesses are making money again, hiring new people and moving forward. That doesn’t mean it’s all sunshine and unicorns. I don’t see anyone resting on their laurels. There’s so much change, so much to figure out. The…
The holidays can be a stressful time for business owners. While your employees (being the selfish people that they are) take time off to prepare for the holidays, travel and spend time with loves ones, you are left holding the bag. It’s clear that no one cares about the business the way you do. Another…
You get back from a meeting at 1:30 p.m. and your office is ghost town. Where did everyone go? You know your staff usually breaks for lunch around noon but they can’t be gone this long – or can they? About 15 minutes later, the whole bunch walks in, laughing and having a great ol’ time. They…
Building and growing a business is hard work! You have to build a strong team, nurture client relationships, be strategic, turn a profit … the list goes on. You know what’s easier? Tearing your whole business apart. So, if you’d rather go that route, here are 10 ways you can destroy your business in no…
Timeshave changed since I started working with business owners in the early 1990s. While I’d have to say I’m pretty “with it” when it comes to staying on top of new trends, there are some new-age things that I just won’t accept. And neither should business owners. I’m not the only one. Take a look…
It’s amazing to me how many business owners I have to order to take a vacation. And when I do, I’m usually met with this sort of reply: “But I’ve got too much work! It will just come back to bite me when I get back anyway … it’s not worth it!” Believe me, I…
Do you remember being spooked when you were a child? Monsters under the bed … a boogie man in the closet … a ghost in the hallway. Now you’re a grown adult – you even own a business – and things still spook you. But instead of being afraid of the boogie man, you might…
When you have a project you really need to get out by the end of the day, what do you do? Shut the office door, set the phone to DND, close your browser and focus on that one thing? Probably not, even though you know that switching from project to project reduces your productivity, not…
With all the news (positive and negative) spinning around us these days, some of us feel like we are in the eye of a hurricane. Some business owners are cautious, to the point of being scared. They are frozen, unable to move as their business gets weaker and weaker. Other business owners are thriving despite…