What Is Your Business For?
You may disagree but I don’t think you really get to understand your business till you know EXACTLY WHY you’re doing it. Knowing why is harder than it looks. Learning is expensive. Making innovation...
View Article10 Perfect Touch Points
Customer touch points. It is a concept that is often mentioned but rarely focused on as an opportunity for persistent innovation and impact. Trying to consider the big question of "How do I improve...
View ArticlePurpose Powers Scale
While up in Portland Maine not too long ago I had dinner at The Flatbread Company. In addition to truly amazing pizza, I noticed a great sign hanging over the bar: Flatbread Company is growing. Are...
View ArticleBeat "Business Bonk"
The constant refrain I hear from almost every business owner I meet is "Get us to the next level." Ah.. the illusive "Next Level" and the very real feeling of stuck. What it means is different for...
View ArticleThe Basics. Always.
The current economic situation sees a lot of people talking about the power of returning to the basics. (Hooo....rayyy!) Get inspired to do it yourself by reading the posts linked below and then set...
View ArticleBurgers, Fries and Shakes
The Diner in my somewhat sleepy town is painfully empty. It is as painfully empty as most any store or restaurant you walk by these days. No doubt this change causes incredible stress to the owner...
View ArticleAll That Glitters
We are all so consistently attracted to shiny objects that we miss the real story. The #17 company on the 2011 Inc. 500, ClearCorrect, develops clear removable braces. They grew revenue from $100,000...
View ArticleMost Entrepreneurs, Aren't.
I hate it when people call themselves “entrepreneurs” when what they’re really trying to do is launch a startup and then sell or go public, so the can cash in and move on. They’re unwilling to do the...
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The Little Book of Business Jokes - Vol. 1
Why? Because times are hard for nearly everyone, business has become a place of too much stress and laughter is still the best medicine. Everything in this little eBook is intended to be funny not...
View ArticleWhere's My Stuff?
The company that acquired my logistics company in 2000 had also completed the acquisitons of a few of our competitors in the months before and after our deal was done. They thought it would be a good...
View ArticleHere. Forward.
Many clients I talk to are apprehensive about how to approach 2012. I have two words of advice: Here. Forward. It’s only natural: how we view our past experiences shapes how we tackle future...
View ArticleGreatness and Uniqueness Are Symbiotic
A pre-requisite for a course I was involved with is the Kolbe "A" Index test that reveals one's instinctual abilities. From the site... "What people can do usually has little in common with what they...
View ArticleDouble Down or Batten Down?
To read the papers, blogs and listen to TV news is to get lost in a sea of contradictions. "Now is the time to double down!" some will say as they name the great businesses that were born in past...
View ArticleConnected?
The longer ("Extended mix") of the piece I wrote for Seth Godin's ebook - "What Matters Now" There are thousands (probably hundreds of thousands) of businesses making many millions a year in profits...
View ArticleSeek Defining Moments
"Instead of setting goals, seek defining moments. Those are the real tests, because you have to be willing to fail in a pressure situation in front of other people. That fear holds all of us back, and...
View ArticleThe Power & Glory Of Asking For Help
Everyone talks about doing the right things to minimize the risks of their business. But here is the problem, owning a business is risky. And the risks that become real are never the ones that we...
View ArticleThe Simplicity Of A Light Switch
Virtually every network we have, the water network, the telephone network and the electric power network has enormously complex components that are hidden from consumers. Consumers have rather simple...
View ArticleThe Mind Of A Leader
The mind of a leader must be free—a mind that can dream and imagine. All new things were born in dreams. A leader must have the courage to be a nonconformist, just like a scientist. He must dream,...
View ArticleInnovating Around Your Customer Waiting Time?
I just finished re-reading Tom Kelley's excellent book: "Ten Faces of Innovation." It remains one of my favorite business reads. There is a section towards the end of the book that focuses on "the...
View ArticleLife Is Too Short To Be A Boring Company
Spotted this on the blog of Dustin Curtis and thought it was a great find. Despite Groupon getting clobbered in the public markets, the sentiment and approach to how they think about their business...
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