Over the weekend, I went to a trade show and met a number of very interesting people working on very interesting projects. One conversation went down the rabbit hole of the benefits (tangible and intangible) of networking. We agreed it best to approach networking from the standpoint of curiosity and learning (what’s your story? what…
There’s a type of business (and owner personality) that I like to refer to as a GrowthCo (short for high growth company). We can learn a ton from these rare breeds. These businesses want rapid sales growth above all else, and they aren’t afraid to outspend their profits to achieve it. How do they stay alive? Usually…
We’re big fans (and users) of Gino Wickman’s EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System), which outlines a useful framework for business management. I’d highly recommend if you’re in need of a basic structure for meetings, people management, and setting a company vision. What it lacks is a robust financial management structure, or what I’ll refer to as a Financial Operating…
You might see this title and scratch your head, wondering why you’d want to read about turnarounds or business failures. It turns out there are incredibly valuable nuggets of wisdom in these stories. The foundation of any successfully run business is a strategy everyone understands coupled with a few key measures that are routinely tracked….
I’m tired of seeing crummy articles about building a budget, forecast, model, etc. so I decided to create this incredibly simple yet practical guide to budgeting. [In case you didn’t pick it up, I use the terms budget, forecast, and model interchangeably.] What are the steps? You likely already know what a budget is – we’re trying…
When it comes to managing a business, there are typically 2 schools of thought with staunch defenders on each side: (The latter is sometimes referred to as micromanagement.) In his recent article Founder Mode, Paul Graham (founder of startup incubator, Y Combinator) compares the hands-on management approach (Founder Mode) with the traditional delegation approach (Manager Mode)….
Ever feel like running a business is a lonely endeavor? When starting or running a business, going it alone certainly allows for more control but comes at the expense of added stress. I’ve heard some experts say that every business owner should have a coach, or mentor, or some other support. But what does that…
Can you give a quick and straightforward answer to questions like: If you’re anything like most business owners I know (myself included), then you probably live in a real-life version of whack-a-mole with tasks, details, decisions, and fire drills coming at you daily. I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase (cliché?): work on your business, not in it. Let’s walk through…
The basic steps for getting things done could be summed up as: I’m always looking for new ways to compartmentalize work and life. Lately, I’ve been using a simple framework referred to as the “Action Priority Matrix.” It’s a close cousin to the Eisenhower Decision Matrix which blends urgent and important tasks into categories of: do, schedule,…
Writing out a yearly plan is a fairly simple process. In a nutshell: This year, I’m creating a “business bingo card” for a quick overview of the things I want to accomplish in 2025. That way, I’ll have a nice visual layout of my goals and everything lives on one page. How it will work…