It's no secret that one of the most difficult parts of being a manager, at any level, is the ability to effectively lead your team(s). Ironically, it's also an area that companies often neglect, with research from Grovo suggesting as many as 98% of leaders feel they would benefit from more training in this area. Whether you've been managing people for a long time or you're … [Read more...]
Lessons from Bitcoin
Bitcoin is the new currency, maybe it’s a pipe dream or maybe it is the evolution of commerce. Whatever it is, here is what small business can learn from it. Change will come No matter what your market and how much you know, one day you will be obsolete. Count on it. That’s the thing about Bitcoin. It reminds us of this and that’s why it’s so scary. Noone understands how far … [Read more...]
How Small Businesses Fail
I recently had a conversation with a colleague about the way we disadvantage ourselves in business. Now I know this is a touchy subject but hear me out, I have something to say about this. As a minority business owner it’s really easy for me to assign blame and scream that it’s not fair but there’s no education in that. While I am not going to pretend that everything if … [Read more...]
Managing Expectations
On any given day as an entrepreneur we are expected to navigate staff, money and business situations with little to no insight. How do we know what to do and what to expect? It all starts with understanding what you can expect and who you can expect it from. Here’s what I’ve learned. The only surefire way to fail is to fail to manage you expectations The thing about people … [Read more...]
Small Business Lessons from Black Friday
For years now Black Friday has been the best sales day of the year for a lot of small businesses. This Thanksgiving however, what I noticed were not the great deals or the savvy shoppers. I noticed the grumpiness and discontent of the people that had to work, the increased security in the malls and the general cynicism of the average shopper. So what can small business learn … [Read more...]
The Big Dream of a Small Company
I had an interesting conversation today about strategy and growth. What was different about this conversation was that the tone of it just made sense. As my firm has grown and matured, things have changed. The stakes have become bigger, the rewards better and the disappointments more bitter. As I wondered aloud ‘am I dreaming too large’ these are the nuggets the conversation … [Read more...]
I Want a Divorce…Business Style!
Nothing is certain in business except that you will form partnerships and sometimes those partnerships will crumble. Not only will they crumble, they will crash and burn. If the partnership has managed to cross business lines and become a friendship that can make the breakup even harder but there is a silver lining. Here’s what your business can gain from having a partnership … [Read more...]
What Marissa Mayer should bring to Yahoo
Marissa Mayer is a 37 year old executive of a technology firm that alone should create energy and excitement around leadership potential. She is joining Yahoo from Google and to be frank some rigidity is needed at Yahoo. So as we wait with bated breath to dissect her every move as CEO, here are things that I would like to see her bring to the troubled company. Well rounded … [Read more...]
Another Women’s History Month is Here
Post by Jane K. Stimmler, contributing Women on Business writer March is National Women's History Month and it has me frustrated about the excruciatingly slow movement forward for women in leadership positions. While it's important to look back at the many brave and determined women who have made significant contributions in history - when I look at the here and now, I … [Read more...]