I love Baseball! I’ve loved it since I was a kid, and we could only play softball. I was a pretty good outfielder. I wasn’t too bad at bat. There’s a lot that goes into being a successful player. With all the hard work and the best intentions, a player can swing and strike or…
I can hear you already, “C’mon! what the heck does that have to do with business?” If your couch is full of pillows, where do people sit? Go for purpose, not pillows. A story I heard, years ago, was about a startup looking for a second round of funding. Their first Investor was left sitting…
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provide steps for addressing critical social, economic, and environmental challenges. Here are some benefits of aligning with the SDGs: More Customers: Many customers are looking for products and services from sustainable companies. Reduced Costs: Energy-efficient processes and waste reduction can lower your operational expenses. Satisfied Employees: Employees are…
Language can be a wonderful thing. At times, it’s an imperfect communication tool. If you’ve ever been puzzled by a response to something you wrote or said, you may be happy to have these tips: How much do your employees need to know to take the correct action? A 432-page manual that included a history…
A friend said, “I’ve been working with this great coach for about a year now. We haven’t addressed my specific problems yet, but I’m learning a lot of stuff I didn’t know before.” That friend spent tens of thousands of dollars learning “a lot of stuff” and his company was still bleeding. You’re probably not…
He was all spit and polish. New suit, shirt, shoes, tie. He was the picture of the perfect employee. She sat across the table, looking at his resume, a mass of acronyms, military terms and titles, and countries she didn’t even know about. She looked up. “How many people have you killed?” Your answer, if…
We were settling into our room. I had just turned from admiring the view of the forest, commenting, “It’s amazing! There’s not a sign of a beetle kill tree anywhere. I wonder how they’ve avoided this.” An ominously large shadow dropped past the window. I turned back but didn’t see anything. I joked, “I think…
Landfills around the world are growing by the minute. They pollute everything around them, poisoning air, food, and water. There seems to be an endless supply of waste.A small business can contribute to problem-solving. Every operation has waste. Every process can be more efficient. An acquaintance had been off work for quite a while because…
“If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself.” The trouble with that is that, if you’re a small business owner, there’s only one of you. You wind up spending all your time problem-solving, firefighting. Outsourcing locally is your opportunity to focus more attention on your customers, production, and profit. You want…