The Freestyle Entrepreneur

Nothing motivational or witty today.  (Yes, I know, the assumptions I’m making about past missives are vast.)    Just an announcement that my money management workshop and seminar business is now fully functional.  The Family Finances Conference Center (FFCC) has been built around my latest two-book set, The Back to Basics Book of Money and [...]

[ A verion of this article first appeared in the June 2009 issue of Corporate Report Wisconsin.]   (This could be titled, “How John Lost His ‘Blink Factor’ … and How He Got It Back Again.”)   Like the cat that always lands on its feet, some entrepreneurs consistently seem to stroll through the mine fields of [...]

The Nine C’s of Leadership Compiled By Bill Willard Contributing Author The Issue Remember Lee Iacocca? The guy who rescued Chrysler Corporation from itself?  Well, he’s 82 now and has a new book: Where Have All The Leaders Gone? (Scribner, $26). What follows is another part of my series of macro and micro “Leadership” Book [...]

By Bob Seelert Published by Wiley, 2009. $24.95 Today, the words “business” and “wisdom” are rarely seen in the same sentence. But for Bob Seelert, Chairman of Saatchi & Saatchi, the two go hand-in-hand. At a time when our economic systems need to energize people and produce leaders at all levels, Seelert brings us Start [...]

By Bill Willard Contributing Author For my wife, Sue Willard “Thanks for the Mammories & Sons, Others & Brothers Teams Breast cancer occurs in both men and women, although male breast cancer is rare. Estimated new cases and deaths from breast cancer in the United States in 2009: ·    New cases: 192,370 (female); 1,910 (male). [...]

Falling isn’t the issue. The problem occurs when you don’t get back up and try one more time! We are in a business climate that requires getting back up—sometimes again and again and again. It works for me, when in a bind and on the pity pot, to bring to mind people who have inspired [...]

By Bill Willard Contributing Author The Issue The car business is big business run by The Big Boys; franchised car dealerships are small businesses run by small-business owners like us. The relationship, never cozy, has soured since the economy hit the skids—soured perhaps permanently. Ironically, many car dealerships that have had their franchises yanked are [...]

The very thought is fraught with perils, pitfalls… and exciting possibilities.  The idea of hiring their children for the summer brings a dreamy look to the eyes of many small business owners…as they envision a dynasty bearing the family name being handed down from generation to generation. Then they break into a cold sweat as [...]

[A version of this article first appeared in the May 2009 edition of Corporate Report Wisconsin] Note to the university professor at last fall’s business conference:  The following is an attempt to explain why I slipped out early during your presentation on “The New Economics.”   As a business writer, I send out biz-tip email [...]

The Serenity Prayer God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.   One of the most valuable lessons I have learned as the years have gone by is the futility of being concerned about things over which I [...]

These are tough times for businesses.  Odds are that your employees know it too.  Like a sword hanging over their heads, they’re worried about the future, too.  Here are a few suggestions to boost morale, allay fears and keep your team focused:   1.                     Communicate.  Not knowing what is going on is worse than hearing [...]