Key Business Insights and Tools

Most people recognize that markets don’t stand still.  Customers, competitors, and technology are constantly changing. Although most...

Its Valentine’s Day – a day when we celebrate the role that marketing and sales plays in our personal lives.  And in honor of Valentine’s...

I was in a meeting this week with a client, and they were talking about the gigantic case they take to trade shows – which is called “The...

AI and machine learning have exploded onto the business scene in 2017.  If you haven’t gotten an email asking you if you want to learn...

Updated June 2, 2021 As a small business coach, I’m always interested when the conversations I’m having in my client strategy meetings...

My daughter is a huge Harry Potter fan, and she has been smitten by the frenzy of the release of Harry Potter & The Cursed Child. So...

Updated May 11, 2021 Two ways to go with the flow: business strategy that works In the past, I’ve had strategy meetings where the simple...

Here’s a universal truth that doesn’t get enough airtime among business leaders – and that many leader teams, therefore, don’t fully...

Updated May 18, 2021 As the writer of this article, I’ve evaluated all of the possibilities I could focus on, and decided that we should...

Updated June 2, 2021 A few years ago I wrote an article about why it’s important to do both strategic planning and budgeting. Today,...

Making Better Goals with a Strong Annual Planning Process Although it seems like just yesterday that the days were hot and we were at the...

Updated June 2, 2021 The challenge of the sales process We have to talk about an important part of the sales process. If you want to get...

If there’s one thing in Stage 2 companies that does not take a lot of thinking, it’s identifying who your “High Potential” staff are. ...

If you've found this post as you're thinking about how to handle a COVID-19 world, you might also be interested in my free ebook, Winning...

Updated June 2, 2021 Sometimes I’m asked to help companies find the right path for their next 3-5 years – which qualifies as “long-term”...

Many of you reading this post are 10%ers. And there’s something in the back of your mind eating away at your conscience. You know...

Your sales process sets up the success or failure of your production team. I’ve often been in meetings with operational people who are...

Updated June 2, 2021 I like SWOT assessments (you know — strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) for getting people’s thinking...

Updated June 2, 2021 Several years ago, I got the opportunity to attend a workshop by Shane Yount of Process-Based Leadership. In that...

Updated June 2, 2021 Loch McCabe of Shepherd Advisors uses an interesting frame for thinking about your company’s health and growth. What...