The Freestyle Entrepreneur

As business owners, we love (or envy) those stories about the business that increases its sales by 35% one year, 50% the next, etc.  Unfortunately, most of us would giggle ourselves silly if we picked up 10% a year.
Here’s what I do:  I look for ways to directly increase my sales or lower my expenses [...]

Hopefully, you are knee deep in 2010 planning … or, if you’re an overachiever, you’re already done.  That means you …  

Have laid out your goals for the year.
Mapped out the daily or weekly activities that will bring those goals to realization.
Are chomping a the bit to break out of the gate on January 4 and charge into 2010.  

Go [...]

Guilty as charged.  I’ve cut my prices to my clients when times got tough.  The result? It made me look like just another hack writer out there.  In the end, I lost money and I lost business.
 
What I should have done:  Reminded my clients that I’m the best … and focused on how working with me will, [...]

Amazing!  Every retailer this holiday season (and a whole lot of service people, it seems) is slashing prices to draw in customers.  I suspect more than a few are losing money on every sale … but figure they’ll make it up on volume.  Look for them to go belly up in the first quarter of [...]

Who’d have thought that getting paid would be so tough?  Well, welcome to the recession, often evidenced by customers who try to stretch their payments as far they can.  What to do to collect on overdue bills?  Try the following ten ideas:
 
1.     Have a system in place to deal with delinquencies.  Establish good collection practices.  This [...]

Like Charlie Brown in a Peanuts cartoon standing by the mailbox in hope of receiving a Valentine’s Day card, too many of us small business owners  these days find ourselves anxiously waiting for the arrival of that overdue payment. 
If the problem gets too serious, it can domino-affect our entire lives –  as we stretch our [...]

With hundreds of thousands of jobs being lost monthly, workforce reductions today create  massive liability for businesses.  Regardless of how it’s done, there is exposure to liability.  However, how it is done can still reduce liability.
John Haase, Managing Partner, Labor & Employment Litigation Leader for the law firm of Godfrey & Kahn, Green Bay, Wisconsin, offers specific steps [...]

There’s a good chance your business will be knocked for a loop if you die or become disabled … that is unless you make plans in advance.  One option worth exploring is a buy-sell agreement.
A buy-sell agreement answers the “what if” question about what will happen to the business if one of the owners dies [...]

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 [...]

Some law firms are calling it a “perfect storm.”  Between the weak economy, which has businesses looking for ways to cut corners (and often turning to layoffs as a solution) and a pro-employee administration in Washington that is making it harder and harder for businesses to defend themselves in court, lawsuits against employers are at [...]

Some businesses have an atmosphere of quiet competency, confidence and professionalism.  You can walk in the door and almost feel an overwhelming sense of purpose and belonging.  Everyone, from file clerk to CEO, looks as if he or she has an important, clearly defined and respected place in the organization. 
It’s called a team.  Consistently [...]

Time!  As a business owner, time can be your worst enemy or your best friend…depending on how well you manage it.  The successful business owner sees it as a key ingredient to success.
We all get the same allotment of 24 hours each day.  For the disorganized, who squander their time, it is an enemy.  But for [...]