Its time for a confession. I have had a negative mindset lately. Like really negative. Here are the symptoms: I’ve been rough around the edges with my kids, I’ve been grumpy with my wife, I’ve gossiped about others, I’ve marginalized…
Activity Leads to Productivity
A friend of mind is starting out on his own. He’s launching a business for the first time in his life. I reached out to say “congrats” and “welcome to the club.” I let him know he can call me…
The Hiring Decision
Hiring will (and should) change your business. Hiring an employee, especially your first employee, means you have more mouths to feed. At first, my business was just supporting me and my family. As soon as I added an employee, the…
The Agora Awards
An Agora is an ancient Greek word denoting an ancient Greek concept; an ‘open place of assembly’ where citizens from all walks of life would gather to talk and to trade. Philosophers, Socrates himself, strolled barefoot through the square, sparking…
Bedside Manner
Your bedside manner goes a long way – good and bad – with your customers. It doesn’t matter if you’re actually in sales, marketing or customer service, if you interface with clients you should have good bedside manner. We condition…
DisasterProofing Your Small Business
Coming off the tail end of the Great Windstorm of 2015 (AKA, #InlandWind, or the #Windocalypse) and contending now with the regular variety of snow and ice (#SpoSnow, and #Spice?), there seems no better time to discuss small business preparedness…
Smart Enough to Know Better
A friend of mine said to me while discussing a work issue, “I’m smart enough to know better, but not smart enough to know why.” His meaning was that he knew he was being taken advantage of, he just didn’t…
Entry Points for Failure
As a small business owner, the world can seem overwhelming at times. There are so many hats to wear, and so many fires to put out. Sometimes, you have approach things from a different angle. Instead of being reactive, think…
Start-Up Some Disruption
Sometimes startups are feared because of the disruption they cause. Think Google and how they treat employees (dog-friendly, free food, etc.). Think Uber or Lyft. Think Airbnb. Don’t fear the disruption. Embrace it. Corral it. Train it to be disruption…