November-December, 2019 Volume 15 -- Issue 92 Sometimes just knowing what you need to have or do to expand and grow your business isn’t enough. Not knowing how to make necessary changes, when and where to begin can become major barriers. It is like running into a very thick, high, wide wall. You are stopped dead in your tracks. You want to get back on your path to success beyond that wall, but [...]
I must admit to a well-intentioned, but bad habit. I've been dealing with it for a very long time and haven't really found a solution. I am a bit paranoid about breaking the habit and losing exceptional ideas and information. Notes and little scraps of paper with gems of wisdom only come around every once in a while. I can't control the growth and success of my company - or my clients' either, for that matter - if I don't put those ideas to work. I am in the midst of efforts to declutter my life. The older we get, [...]
Do you ever think about how being a solo-preneur can be dangerous? Maybe you should. I know that it is hard to consider when you don't have a business in a dangerous industry like manufacturing or construction. If your small business mostly involves working in your office alone, it doesn't seem dangerous at all. But, there are pitfalls in all types of businesses. Why else would our states demand workman's compensation donations to cover injuries received on the job? I've been doing some cleaning in my office recently. No, not just dusting, vacuuming and emptying trash. That stuff I do [...]
'Designing Strategies' eNewsletter September - October, 2017 Volume 14 -- Issue 79 Do you find yourself doing the same things in your business that you did last week, last month or even last year? Not good. You have reached a plateau where you are comfortable and decided to stay put? Really not good. You know what happens when something sits still in the same place don't you? If you've ever watched 'American Pickers' on the History channel, you'll understand that [...]
'Designing Strategies' Newsletter January - February, 2016 Volume 13 -- Issue 69 In order for your small business to be wildly… or mildly… successful, it is important to grow the company. A company that grows at a steady pace increases its chance of success. For some small businesses, growth will be successful. For other small businesses, their growth plan may be a complete failure. You might ask: “Why shouldn’t all companies on a growth path be successful?” That does seem logical, doesn’t it? However, without well developed planning and attention [...]
Did you ever think about just using change to grow and move your business forward or to a new level? There is no doubt that businesses have faced a lot of change over the past several years. There is no way that all of the change we have experienced will correct itself and return to what we considered normal or business as usual. Change is just that: change - the act of becoming different. Rather than waiting hopelessly for normal, or whatever you were used to, to come back, a wiser strategy would be to use seize change to grow [...]
'Designing Strategies' eNewsletter May - June 2010 Volume 7 - Issue 33 How are you feeling about the performance of your employees? What have you done to assure that employees have the support needed to do their jobs optimally? If you spend too much time in hand-holding mode, constantly forced to intervene with employees who can't seem to get or stay on track, that's not a good thing. If running around, putting out fires is a normal day for you, it's time to [...]
