This should be so horribly obvious: Your business exists to make your life better. Not vice-versa. Don’t live to make your business better. Obvious? Sure. But people forget. Do you use what you “have to do” for your business as the constant recurring excuse for missing things that matter to people you love – soccer games, … Continue reading Startups and Business Owners: The ‘Have to Do’ Factor is Infinite
I was asked once again for my 10 top tips on business planning. I can’t do that without noting the different uses of business plans in different situations. I ended up with more than 10 tips, but they are more specific to context. 5 Major tips for all business planning Form follows function. Like anything … Continue reading Top 10 Tips for Business Planning
These are my top 5 favorite small business tips for business owners. Sure it starts with cash, but some other points on this list might surprise you. This is my best shot on high-level advice earned the hard way over several decades of running a business.
The guy seems callous, selfish, as he dismisses his wive, lover, or child, with frustration. “Don’t you get it?” he asks. “Don’t you know I’m trying to build a business here?” And sometimes there’s the variation, “I’m doing this for you.” And of course there are lots of other versions. Do you recognize that scene, … Continue reading Startup Advice: Don’t Let Life Get Lost in the Shuffle
So things don’t go according to plan. Big deal; change happens. Does that mean your plans failed? No. Not if you understand planning and work it correctly; at least, not with business planning. I don’t know about diets and life…
No matter what your business planning objectives, cash flow is still the most vital resource in the business, and managing cash is the single most important business function. Without cash, you go under. So I always assume cash flow is included in every kind of real business plan. And it is the most important component … Continue reading Standard Business Plan Financials: How to Project Cash Flow
I received an email today, Valentine’s Day, with this juicy data from a Manta survey on marriage and business: … a new study … shows small business owners are mixing business with pleasure. The survey of more than 1,100 small business owners shows one in four work with their significant other and nearly 60 percent … Continue reading Love, Sex, and Small Business. Wait … What?
This morning I’m just plain grateful for what I just read. Towards the end it includes this quote containing two quotes: In his beautifully crafted The New York Times article, You Are Going To Die, Tim Kreider writes, ‘You are older at this moment than you’ve ever been before, and it’s the youngest you’re ever … Continue reading A Must-Read Piece on What Really Matters
(Note: I’m posting here my latest column for the Eugene Register Guard Blue Chip monthly magazine. These are not new themes for this blog, but I like what I say here. This is reposted here with permission.) Let’s put startups, entrepreneurship and life in proportion. A webinar participant asked me last week about what I … Continue reading Biggest Mistake? Mistaking Business for Life
I’m proud to say John Jantsch, the world’s number one expert on small business marketing, is a friend of mine. I’ve worked with him for years and I’ve learned a lot from him. For example, I still use his definition of marketing (“getting people to know, like, and trust you”) almost daily. His wisdom has … Continue reading A Marketing Expert’s Must-Read Advice on Living Better
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