Tuesday, March 31st, 2009
Okay, so we are quickly closing in on the second quarter of 2009, which can mean only one thing... unless we are manic... as in manic on steroids... we've now accomplished just about everything that we're going to accomplish in the first quarter of this year. For many, that is good news... for many more, it isn't. So, let's speak for a minute or two about what to do if the goals are a distant memory... and then let's get to work. ************************************************************************************************************…
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Monday, March 30th, 2009
Okay, it's check up time... just two days to go and
the first quarter of 2009 is in the history books. The beautiful thing about this point on the calendar is that, in terms of the goals that we have set, time is still on our side. This is all quite simple, really. After 90 days, we are either on track to hit the targets we set for the various areas of our life... or we're not. And if we're not... we either have a plan to turn things around... or we don't.…
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Tags: calendar, goals, plans, time
Posted in getting it right, leadership
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Friday, March 27th, 2009
It's really a question of integrity. Whether it is
brokers looking to hawk securities that they would never own, marketers who sell processes that they would never use, or retailers who push extended warrantees that they would never buy. Today, I heard three examples from another angle: business owners trying to make a buck teaching you how to... own your own business?…
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Tags: employees, finances, integrity, marketers, small business, small business owner
Posted in leadership
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Thursday, March 26th, 2009
So, you've probably had the same call... I'm at my desk and the phone rings... it's a broker in a boiler room somewhere between New York and New Jersey who has a can't miss stock pick, and he knew I'd want to know about it right away 'cause their records show that it's exactly the type of investment I'm looking for. That's interesting... only because when I press him for information that would certainly be on my records, it becomes quite evident that…
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Tags: brokers, integrity, investments, steve buelow
Posted in getting it right, leadership
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Monday, March 23rd, 2009
Okay, so let me start by acknowledging that in terms of a scientific study... this would fail miserably. That is, of course, unless scientific studies involved grabbing a handful of random people... asking them one question... and then extrapolating the results across the entire population! But it was interesting to me anyway. Here is what I did. Every day for about the last week I presented this question to at least one person... and…
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Tags: decision making, leader, questions, self employed, small business, small business leadership, small business owner
Posted in getting it right, leadership
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Saturday, March 21st, 2009
Well, as long as we're on the subject... I guess we do need to talk about it. I mean, I've touched on a number of
my thoughts about retirement... or should I say non-retirement, but there is still this financial component to life that never gets too far from our consciousness. So, just in case you need another reason to stay in the game... I mean a reason outside…
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Tags: family, finances, financial, health, impact, income, layoffs, leader, mentorship, money, non-retirement, relevance, retirement, small business, small business owner, stocks
Posted in getting it right, leadership
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Friday, March 20th, 2009
Quick... what's the first thing you think when you hear the word retirement? Okay, what's the next thing? Did you say energetic and engaged? How about young, fast, and cutting edge? Maybe visionary... or powerful, athletic, sharp, ambitious, or driven. Does influence come to mind... or impact? When you hear the word "retired", do you think sizzle... or sedentary? Dynamic... or docile? Dreamer... or done?
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Tags: energy, impact, influence, mission, purpose, retirement, vision
Posted in getting it right, leadership
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Thursday, March 19th, 2009
I received a call from an old friend recently who wondered at the very last minute if our family could join his for the weekend in Chicago. We hadn't spoken in quite some time... and the last three or four conversations revolved around new events and happenings in his life, not mine. I probably brought that on, of course, by asking a lot of questions... and then doing my best to not interrupt or one-up. The timing on his call…
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Tags: influence, manic, questions, retirement, small business, small business leadership, small business owner, timing
Posted in getting it right, leadership
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Wednesday, March 18th, 2009
Well, I wasn't really planning to carry this topic over from
yesterday; however, a conversation earlier today made me want to expand on it. I was asked the question whether I truly believed that a company could no longer make money marketing to the masses, lowering their service offering (quality), and competing on price. The answer, of course, is that sure... it is possible...…
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Tags: customer service, excellence, good enough, impact, influence, mass advertising, mass market, mass marketing, price, service, small business marketing
Posted in leadership, marketing
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Tuesday, March 17th, 2009
Okay, so I was speaking with several business consultants... no, that's not really true; I was listening to several business consultants, and hoping that none of what they said would rub off. Here they were, trying to make the point to a handful of business leaders that in an era where everyone is looking to save money, you should never strive to be too good. I'm serious. The goal, they said, was to be absolutely sure…
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Tags: best customers, bottom-line, consultants, good enough, impact players, leaders, processes, reputation, seth godin, small business, small business leadership, small business marketing, small business owner, strategy, top line, turnover
Posted in leadership, marketing
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