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Archive for leadership

Why are you settling for mediocre?

Thursday, December 15th, 2011

Nothing mediocre...you deserve better.

As I write this there are 16 days left in 2011. How was your year? For me it’s been a very trying year, both business and personal challenges have reared their ugly heads this year and both have been faced and brought under control… thankfully.

All around me I’ve been listening to the media, other business owners, relatives and friends many spewing doom and gloom and casting enough blame for their circumstances on anyone and everyone.

It is at this time of year…every year…that I take time to reflect on the highs and lows of the year past and prepare for what’s ahead in the new year. In doing this exercise, I once again find that if the results sucked there is only ONE person to blame or chastise…ME. In your case…YOU.

Other people can create circumstances and throw challenges in our path Read More→

Christmas 2011 — Birth of a New Tradition

Wednesday, October 26th, 2011

Support your local Entrepreneur!!

This is a reprint of something a reader sent to me that I think is a GREAT idea that we should all adopt.  I’m in…who’s with me?

As the holidays approach, the giant Asian factories are kicking into high gear to provide Americans with monstrous piles of cheaply produced goods — merchandise that has been produced at the expense of American labor. This year will be different. This year Americans will give the gift of genuine concern for other Americans. There is no longer an excuse that, at gift giving time, nothing can be found that is produced by American hands. Yes there is!

It’s time to think outside the box, people. Who says a gift needs to fit in a shirt box, wrapped in Chinese produced wrapping paper? Read More→

Everyone in the world has exactly the same numbers to work with, 24 hours in a day, 168 hours in a week and 8,736 hours in a year.

Interestingly that even though we all start out on equal footing, a few will use their time in ways that advance their careers, improve their personal relationships, improve their health and increase their overall level of success. Yet others will stagnate and complain, distance themselves from others, only communicate via Facebook® and texting, gain a few pounds eating cheese puffs in their pajamas in front of the television, get to the next level of some video game and ultimately fall farther behind the forward moving pack.

Why is that? Read More→

Every business owner should be able to answer a simple question about their client list…what is the average lifetime value of a typical client?

If you’re not sure what I mean, let me give you a brief overview. Anytime you spend marketing money to land a new client in your business you expect that they will produce a certain amount of revenue for your company. You should know what they’re likely to spend initially, how often they’ll reorder, at what frequency and, unless you’re just starting out, you should have a good idea about how long a client usually does business with you. Read More→

Smart phones…I’ve opted out!

Monday, March 28th, 2011

How many of you watched the video of the lady walking through the mall, texting and walking right into the fountain a few weeks ago? The big, 40 by 40 foot fountain, right in the MIDDLE of a mall? We all laughed right, could never happen to us…no, not us.

Technology is great, but looking around at my own life as well as observing others I’ve realized that we are beginning to be controlled by technology rather than using it to make life easier. As an example, I watched a colleague the other day who was working hard on a website project. Every time his iPhone® buzzed with a new email, text or update he, like Pavlov’s dog, stopped working, read the message, answered the message and then tried to get back to work only to be disturbed again in 30 seconds by the reply or rebuttle. He got virtually nothing done in 30 minutes.

Take this test for fun or the shock value… Read More→

New Year…New Direction ?

Friday, December 31st, 2010

As 2010 is winding to a close it’s time to reflect on what was, what could have been and what will be in the year ahead.

We’ve dealt with a sluggish economy, clients who opted not to initiate projects, governmental regulation changes, team members who had family members laid off, perhaps you faced the need to downsize your staff as well.  All in all, not one of the better years for business owners. Read More→