A while back, I saw a tweet by Michael Hyatt that reminded me of three questions I like to ask employees and colleagues that come to me to discuss their careers. During these conversations, I frequently hear some combination of the … [Continue reading]
Recruiting Key Employees – The Cost of “Saving Money”
Over the years, I have talked with many CEOs and executives about their business and financial forecasts and how well their teams have accomplished their goals. When the discussion comes around to the organizational chart and employee performance, … [Continue reading]
Working Capital Management: Free Up Cash in Your Business
Let's face it - in small business, cash is king. Cash flow allows you to meet payroll, buy inventory, pay down debt and grow your business. In the heat of running a business, it's easy to focus on revenue growth (not that that's a bad thing!) and … [Continue reading]
Business to Consumer (B2C) Customer Loyalty – The Tribe
This post is the second in a two part series. This post focuses on business to consumer (B2C) customer loyalty and retention. The other post deals with business to business customer retention (you can find it here). Although there are some … [Continue reading]
Business to Business (B2B) Customer Retention – Proven Practices
This post is the first of a two part series. This post focuses on B2B customer retention and loyalty; part two focuses on B2C (business to consumer) relationships (you can find the B2C post here). Although there are similarities between the two, … [Continue reading]
Inflation, Pricing and Competitive Advantage
Much has been written on the subject of competitive advantage. What is competitive advantage? In plain speak, it's the distinctive characteristics of your organization that create extraordinary customer goodwill and value for your business. … [Continue reading]
Business Profitability – Where Do You Make Your Money?
"Duh, it's from all the stuff we sell...we have everything our customers need..." Of course you do, but as your business grows, do you take the time to figure out what's really paying the bills? Do you know which customers and products are … [Continue reading]
Productivity Tools – My Favorite Four
Over the years, I have tried many business and personal productivity tools. I'm always on the lookout for tools that help me stay focused, work faster and be more organized. Many have come and gone over time, and I've recently gravitated toward four … [Continue reading]
Leadership Question: What is Your Gift?
Last week in my Vistage CEO meeting, we were fortunate to have Edgar Papke as our guest and speaker. Edgar has an impressive background as an award-winning chef, musician, speaker and leadership consultant. Edgar gave our CEO group a condensed … [Continue reading]