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…
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…
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…
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…
Many small-business owners take pride in saying that “we’re like family” when talking about their business. When they say this, they are referring to the fact that people who work for their company care for one another, are willing to pitch in and help with whatever needs doing, and feel like they belong or have…
Most business owners start their businesses with a good amount of confidence. They think they have something special to offer the world, and believe people should pay top dollar for it. And then reality hits. They’re not seeing the profit they had hoped for, the staff isn’t productive as they should be, and new business…
We all know the importance of communication in business. But what if, despite our communication efforts, our staff members don’t retain the important information we need them to know? Things like: What is our company’s vision? What is our company’s mission? What are we focused on improving this year or this quarter? What is our standard elevator pitch that…
We have all heard the saying, “Always listen to your customers.” But let’s be honest. Your customers do say some pretty … um, stupid things, don’t they? Of course, when our customers have good things to say, we are all ears. It’s wonderful to get positive feedback. When our work is appreciated it’s fulfilling, rewarding and…
People don’t like change. As a result, they resist it. When management implements new systems – whether they are for tracking time or sales activity, or for managing projects or other systems – the biggest challenge often is getting people to embrace the change and accept the new system. While most systems are designed to provide management with information and…
Many of the small businesses that we encounter are family-owned and operated. And on the surface, this seems like a good idea. After all, you love your family, so why wouldn’t you want to work with them? You know them well and trust them, so it seems like a lower risk venture than relying on strangers. While working with…