Look for the Customers You Have Pandemic hits. Business slows to a crawl. Must redirect. As I stated before, some owners have pivoted so many times in the last 10 months I suspect their hips hurt. I do not deny that the shut down and phas…
Continue readingNovember 2020 Could be the Best Time Ever to Open a Business Businesses are suffering in a way we never imagined. Even the best run family operations wouldn’t have contingencies that addressed an 8-24 month virus related shutdown that for…
Continue readingBusiness Owners—11 Things You Must Do Now During the CoronaVirusYou did well in Q4 of 2019 to plan your business goals for 2020 but right now your 2020 plan just hit a wall and MUST change, or you may not survive. The time is now to be nimbler and mor…
Continue readingJust think, If you only knew your numbersGetting in touch with friends this week inspired me to make this point; just think where you could be if you only knew your numbers. Yes, I just said that. Easily the greatest number of business failures occur …
Continue readingR.I.P. Restaurant in Peace (The Finale)This will be my third and last column on why so many independent restaurants fail. I much prefer focusing on strategies to improve success, however this little series on failures highlights a tough industry and, …
Continue readingR.I.P. Restaurant in Peace, Part 2After my last column I received considerable response to the reasons why so many independent restaurants fail. As a brief reminder, these included failing to be entrepreneurial in place of being a wonderful cook, fail…
Continue readingR.I.P. Restaurant in PeaceThere is a unique perspective which I’m fortunate to possess and share. Currently I enjoy life as a business coach to the owners of small businesses but a number of you know that I spent 26 youthful and very busy years in the…
Continue readingLet Go of the Small StuffFive years ago this week my dad passed away. It’s a rare hour when I don’t think of him. He owned a bit of celebrity in this town because he took care of so many Gaston County children and I’m stopped by those folks or their pa…
Continue readingDean Smith Coached Me on Paying AttentionI’ve missed a month or so of writing. This has everything to do with a lack of inspiration. Normally I wait for some aspect of business to show itself, define how an improvement on that might affect your busines…
Continue readingHiring in this Full Employment EconomyA short while back my clients and others in business were focused on one thing that was most important, time. My time is getting away from me, I’m not as productive as I use to be and I have other interests but can…
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