When I sit down with potential clients and sometimes with current clients, I am prepared to deliver straight talk even if it is bad news. It’s business. But sometimes what I get from clients is so contorted that I remind myself to count to ten and take deep breaths. I’ve learned to try to listen […]
I Am Saying Things Out Loud And On Purpose
What a week. The stock markets tanked on Monday. The Chinese real estate giant Evergrande may default on some of its $300 billion (with a “b”) dollars of debt. This collapse would ripple across the globe. Here I am in northeastern Indiana, but I don’t for a moment think that this won’t affect me. After […]
Aren’t We All In This For Positive Results?
From the minute you open your doors as a small business, you as the owner have your expectations. You also know that there are certain basics that are necessary for you to succeed. The right space in the right location? Check. Like-minded people with skill sets to support your vision? Check. Business plan? Check. The […]
A Last Run At 2021
What is it about September? Kids go back to school and families settle into a routine that usually lasts at least 9 months. With or without the reminder of Halloween merchandise already on display, we start to look ahead to major traditional holidays. For me, it always also feels like a second chance, a last […]
Get Back To Why It All Started
I’ve come to appreciate that everyone’s individual story is so interesting. Especially in business, I like to know why and how someone got into the business they are in. I always heard growing up, “it takes all kinds to make a world.” With the increase of news sources and social media, we now have perhaps […]
If The Core Is Solid, The Service Is Too
Ahem … a moment while I position my soapbox. I want to address a topic that I believe in, that I was raised with, and that I believe I practice. Now that America is getting back to work, I think it is important to look at the companies that survived. Sure, cash reserves were important, […]
We Should Wake Up Smiling These Days
This time last year, right? Confusion, doubt, suspicion, fear, horror. We were getting our heads around a new concept: pandemic. Ugh. It is hard to remember those several weeks of WTH?! This year, spring is so different. We have survived, although there have been so many sad losses along the way. We are wiser, even […]
Oops! They Did It Again . . .
Confidence is that feeling you have right before you know all the facts, yes? I know you know that you should regularly and religiously teach your staff, your employees, about dangerous emails and to never click on an unknown sender’s attachment. And yet—2020 was a windfall year for cybercriminals. There was an 85% increase in […]
Truth, Consequences, Fear, And Courage
Truth, consequences, fear, and courage. It is a cocktail that all business owners get served every day when they open their doors and boot their computers. I highlight business owners, but doesn’t everyone deal with these concepts and emotions in some way daily? Whether you are the CEO of Apple or a stay-at-home mom in […]
From My Common Sense Notebook—See What You Think
Grin if you have heard this one before. A friend’s husband declared that he could fix the faucet drip in their older home. He watched a video on YouTube and went to the hardware store. Several hours later, another couple of trips to the hardware store plus some curse words, and the do-it-yourselfer declared victory. […]