It's easy to do, isn't it? Standing at a trade show booth, or maybe sitting over lunch talking to a prospective client about who you are and what you're all about it. Then it happens, you start comparison selling. 

A long delineated list of why the competition's offering is subservient...

There was a famous, selective attention test developed several decades ago.

 Six people, three in white t-shirts and three in black t-shirts, constantly move around a space and randomly pass two basketballs to each other. Your task, as the viewer, is to count how many times the people in wh...

I was speaking with a prospective client to explore whether we could help their business streamline efficiencies and improve their valuation. We quickly identified a few core areas that with strategically placed changes could quickly affect workflows and drive new growth.

It occurred to me that what ...

Many entrepreneurs have much of their net worth tied up in their companies. The trick is turning that into cash when it’s time to retire.

Many business owners begin thinking about Exit Planning when they start feeling that they want to do something besides go to work every day. They may prefer to be...

Most business owners approach employee incentives with mixed emotions.

They want to get employees performing better, but they are frustrated that the team are not inherently self-motivated simply because they were hired to do a job and they don’t want to give up too much of an already limited bottom...

For most families, spending time together is enjoyable and fulfilling. So in theory, the idea of working with family to build a business is an attractive proposition.

There are examples across the country of successful family-owned and operated businesses – many of them household names. Large a...

Grit. That is what we often think about when we think of an entrepreneurial success story. We envision someone who persevered through the thousands of obstacles, issues, and fear-inducing challenges along the way. And there is truth in that.

Depending on how you slice the data, there are just o...

There is an old adage : People are your most important asset. 

But the truth is that people who are performing are really your best asset. And getting people to perform can be challenging at times. So how do you create a culture that fosters the best performance from your team?

1.  Hire for ...

Most entrepreneurs when launching their small business dream of building wealth while spending more time on the lake, golfing or fishing. But the reality is quite different.

Instead of building an amazing life, many business owners get caught up in the day to day, soon finding that their business con...

Entrepreneurs tend to be people who are doers – they get a lot of things done quickly. But sometimes their enthusiasm overtakes them and they can be misdirected in their efforts, not achieving real results while staying extremely busy.

Still, most business owners at least spend a bit of time thinking...

Entrepreneurs and business owners often are so focused on the day to day struggles and exhilarations of growing their business that they don’t plan ahead for the day they no longer want to be in this business – the day they retire or exit the business.

The decisions made early in their business – eve...

I was about 5 years into building my first real business – other than a couple of ventures I tried as a teenager – and I was chatting with a friend who was formerly an accountant, but was off on long term disability with a debilitating illness, and she asked me a question that changed my business.

...

Even the most successful CEO can get stuck in the rut of  “business as usual.” If you have been in business a long time, if you have been discouraged by challenges with partners or customers, perhaps if you have seen dramatic changes in your industry, you can become wedged in inertia. It is har...

For many small business owners, the work they do is a passion, a heart project. They recognize they need to make money but it is not their primary priority. And while that is noble and probably very energizing on a day to day basis, the truth is that running a business has inherent risks. And smart ...

The late Jim Rohn, entrepreneur and motivational speaker, once said, “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.”

He was talking about your circles of influence. In many cases, the difference between success and failure can come down to who you know. People often say t...

In today's digital world, there are all sorts of materials on how to be successful. Some are about visualizing your way to success. Some are about selling your way to success. Some are about the body language of success. Some are about negotiating your way to success. Some are about networking your ...

Sooner or later every business loses a valued customer. Needs change, problems occur, personalities differ. But nowhere is it written that a lost customer must stay lost. In fact, the mark of a successful business is its ability to determine why customers stray and to take action that, over time, ef...