The Freestyle Entrepreneur

I got swapping motivational business stories yesterday with a new business associate.  We talked about Steven Covey and W. Clement Stone and other biz authors we had both read, so we had terrific issues in common, almost like we had been referred by mutual friends.  
We also both laughed at how we had come roaring out [...]

Popularity: 4% [?]

Why is it that great leaders have great teams while lousy non-leaders tend to have lousy teams?  Look at the approach to hiring.
 
Great leaders are not afraid of being upstaged by an employee.  On the contrary, truly great leaders are always looking for their own replacement … because they know they still have higher places [...]

Popularity: 3% [?]

 “Successful people are not just those
who are good at what they do,
but those who are good at
selling the idea that
they are good at what they do.”
 – Jack Gordon
[This article first appeared in Corporate Report Wisconsin.] 
As an SBO, my marketing budget ranges somewhere between non-existent and who-are-you-kidding?  One space ad, no matter how strategically placed, could set [...]

Popularity: 5% [?]

As a businessman, I have learned that the one sure way to destroy what you are trying to build is to cut ethical corners.  The real irony is that it is almost always the finger-snapping smart alecks, the know-it-alls, who end up getting entangled in their own cool schemes and easy-mark snares.
 
The fact is that [...]

Popularity: 6% [?]

Divorce under any conditions can be a messy affair.  Roll a business into the equation, and divorce can become emotionally and financially devastating, not just for the divorcing couple and their family, but also for the business’s employees and co-owners.
Part of the problem is that business can be high-stress and demanding.  I don’t know if [...]

Popularity: 8% [?]

(The following article first appeared in Corporate Report Wisconsin.) 
Sometimes we forget just how important the customer is.  And when we do, it costs us.  So, ask yourself, what have I done today to make my customers and prospects feel special and valued?
 Example # 1:  I needed a washer repaired last fall.  I called one service [...]

Popularity: 7% [?]

 Used to be that networking meant you joined the Rotary and golfed at the country club, got together at the meet-and-greet cocktail hour to swap business cards and, almost as an afterthought, mentioned what you do for a living to your son’s friend’s father in the bleachers at the softball game.
Well, networking has grown up, [...]

Popularity: 10% [?]

Don’t love what you do.  Do what you love!  When I first started my business nearly 25 years ago, I would leap out of bed every morning at 5:30 eager to get down to work.  I loved it.  Well, I admit that over the years, there were some long stretches when I found myself bored, [...]

Popularity: 9% [?]

 There are many ways for a small-business owner to fail.  Most are within his or her control to avoid.  In the following, let’s just say that the “I’s” have it.
 Incompetence:  You probably know what you’re doing, but does your staff?  There’s a certain restaurant I go with friends.  The place is convenient, the prices reasonable [...]

Popularity: 9% [?]

Keep good records.  Track your activity.  Maybe in a go-go economy, you can afford to slop along and stay in the black.  But survivors and thrivers in business these days know which products make the biggest profits; which customers generate the most sales; which employees are worth their wages.
 
Most of all, don’t just set goals [...]

Popularity: 8% [?]

Enthusiasm is the key to success in sales. 
Yes, it’s good (sometimes even important) to know your products and to understand proven selling techniques.  But the catalyst, the spark, the firing pin to a successful sale is enthusiasm.
Tell your story and tell it with passion and excitement.  Work hard.  Make money.  Have fun.  — jri
“A salesman [...]

Popularity: 10% [?]

I don’t think I’m the only one.  As a business owner, I find myself pretty much constantly thinking about (actually, worrying about) money, about sales, about taxes, about getting clients, about losing clients, about making sure that every project is top notch.
In other words, I’m a bit paranoid.  And that’s good.  That keeps me on [...]

Popularity: 9% [?]

We all sell something, and we always sell all the time.
When we smile, we sell a relationship.  When we short-change a customer or client, we sell doubt and distrust.  When we fail to persuade prospects to buy our product, we have sold them on our lack of ability to meet their need. 
The bottom line:  Every [...]

Popularity: 8% [?]

A recurring dream:  Employees who go the extra mile, take pride in their jobs, seem not just satisfied, but enthusiastic and, most of all, productive!  Just a fantasy, you think? 
It’s called employee motivation, and, when achieved, it can transform a business into a dynamic, growth organization.  The question is how…and at what cost?  
Does true motivation [...]

Popularity: 10% [?]

Creating a marketing plan is a pain,  reminiscent of an annoying school assignment.  That’s why most business owners will do just about anything to avoid the task of putting one together.  However, those who do are  glad they did. 
Your marketing plan is your treasure map, with X marketing the spot where customers, sales and profits [...]

Popularity: 13% [?]

When I was young(er), I saw business dealings as winner-take-all propositions.  I wanted the whole pie! 
Then I learned that the best way to get what you want is to help others get what they want.  Rather than battling it out with competitors in a bunkhouse brawl in which everybody came out bloodied, I now have [...]

Popularity: 13% [?]

The best part about being in business is that there are no guarantees.  It’s not a pony ride at an amusement park; it’s an extreme adventure without a safety net. 
 
I still get the biggest thrill in the world when I land a new contract…and just about die from despair when I lose an existing client.
 
The [...]

Popularity: 14% [?]

Honesty pays.  It’s as simple as that.  Unless you’re in business to make a one-shot killing and then plan to take the money and run, honesty will always be the best policy. 
Business owners who fail to play straight — whether it is with their employees, their suppliers or their customers — eventually undermine the value [...]

Popularity: 14% [?]