Do you remember the game show “The Price is Right”? Show participants were asked to guess the price of certain retail products. The closer they guessed to the actual sales price, the greater their chances to win prizes. Fun game to play and watch. I like to simulate this game in the SBDC GrowSmart classes Read more about How Much is Your Hot Sauce?[…]
There are thousands of marketing books written every year. Topics include the use of social media, advertising, sales, and so on. Try to find a book on pricing. There are very few. And yet, pricing may be the most powerful marketing tool of them all… and perhaps the least understood by many. Hermann Simon is Read more about Book Review: Confessions of the Pricing Man[…]
It seems to becoming harder and harder to predict each year what will happen next. Whether it’s politics, the economy, or even sports (see Falcons, Cubs, Villanova, Roger Federer, et al); guessing the future of anything is not getting any easier. With that said, here are my fearless predictions for small business in 2017. I Read more about 6 Fearless 2017 Small Business Predictions[…]
I loved “The Power of Habit”. Have you ever wondered how habits are created? Brushing our teeth. Watching our favorite television show. Attending a business meeting and always sitting in the same chair. These are all examples of habits that are developed over time. Where do they come from? Award-winning business reporter Charles Duhigg researched Read more about Book Review: The Power of Habit[…]
This is the time of year that everyone makes predictions for 2017. Ten years ago, I made nine small business predictions for the year 2007. Some were way off, some were dead on, and some are still trending today. 2007 Small Business Predictions 1. Small business owners will continue to shift larger portions of their Read more about Ten Years Later: A Look Back at My 2007 Small Business Predictions[…]
“Punished By Rewards” by Alfie Kohn For many years I have been a believer in rewards. Rewards for kids for doing their household chores. Rewards for students that perform in the classroom. Rewards for employees doing their jobs. I always believed that you “get what you reward”. Until now…”Punished by Rewards”, written by Alfie Kohn, Read more about Book Review: Punished by Rewards[…]
This time of year I am prone to reflect on the gifts of life for which I am most thankful. I hope that by sharing my list with you that you might do the same with your own list with those for whom you care the most. I am thankful for the clients I work Read more about It’s the Season of Thanksgiving[…]
From Webster’s dictionary: Onboarding: “The process by which a new employee learns the ropes and gets settled.” Waterboarding: “An interrogation technique in which water is forced into a detainee’s mouth and nose so as to induce the sensation of drowning.” Finding and retaining top talent has never been harder for small businesses. Research indicates that Read more about Employee Orientation: Are You Onboarding or Waterboarding Your New Employees?[…]
“TED Talks” written by Chris Anderson I love TED talks. TED.com has been my favorite source for inspiration, education, and personal growth now for many years. My favorite TED talks include Seth Godin, Simon Sinek, Daniel Pink… the list goes on and on. The President of TED, Chris Anderson, has recently written a great book Read more about Book Review: TED Talks[…]
“If you are not genuinely pained by the risk involved in your strategic choices, it’s not much of a strategy.” – Reed Hastings, Netflix How often do you get “stuck” on a big strategic decision? If you are like many small business owners, the answer is “too often”. It may be a key employee hire, Read more about J Curves: How to Map a Big Strategic Decision[…]