Do you know who you’re marketing to? And, more importantly, do you know if your message is reaching them? As businesses, we’ve probably heard that the greater number of consumers we target, the greater our chances are of being found. Wrong! While that may be true for big box stores, national chains and brands, small […]
“Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome.” – Booker T. Washington While we all want to succeed, we know success is a process, and not an outcome. If we achieve it once, we know we haven’t found […]
“Major Strasser has been shot. Round up the usual suspects.” – Captain Renault in “Casablanca” Any aficionado of old movies will recognize those classic lines from the last scene of ‘Casablanca.’ And, although Rick (Humphrey Bogart) shot Strasser, no one questioned Renault’s (Claude Rains) order, because it was typical both of him, and of the […]
Big meeting. Sales presentation. In-laws anniversary party. If you’re like most people, public speaking doesn’t come naturally to you. The truth is that while most people prepare diligently and may even know their lines by heart, they’re so concerned with themselves and their presentation, they fail to remember that when we speak, the intent is […]
As small businesses, we spend a lot of time focusing on getting consumers to buy from us. Common sense tells us the first thing to do is to get their attention. So, you do that: You try to impress them with your credentials. You try to tempt them with your products. You try to grab their attention […]
The other day, I ran into an old friend I hadn’t seen in a few years. He had been working hard, trying to get his business going to the point where he would have enough long term clients, he wouldn’t have to worry from month to month on how to pay the bills and have […]
You don’t know it all and you’re not ashamed to admit it. That’s good. It provides you with both opportunity, and a decided advantage over those leaders who claim to know it all. They don’t, you know. They just have ego problems. You don’t. You remain humble. You know the way to succeed is to […]
‘If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will get you there.’ – Lewis Carroll That little quote from ‘Alice in Wonderland’ speaks directly to the heart of why having a sound business strategy is the most important element on your road to success. After all, you need to know where […]
As children, we believed our superheroes were invulnerable. As adults, we think our leaders are. Made of steel. Larger than life. Superheroes that can do no wrong. But these are just perceptions, and not reality. Our superheroes were vulnerable. They had flaws: Superman’s powers were no match for kryptonite, which rendered him […]
“Stress is when you wake up screaming and you realize you haven’t fallen asleep yet.” – Anonymous Business and stress go hand in hand. In small doses, it’s manageable, and in fact has even be shown to be healthy. It makes us sharper and more productive. But like everything else, too much and […]