People ask us how to know when administrative people “own” their jobs. What behavior convinces us that we can depend on them? How do we know when they take responsibility for the outcomes related to their performance? When can we stop worrying about them and stop micromanaging them? It’s when they become proactive. One dictionary [...]
Scheinfeld Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation
Santa Barbara has always been our favorite Southern California town – great biking, hiking, surfing and culture. But today, we discovered a whole new reason to love this gem of the Pacific Coast, The Scheinfeld Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. This unique school takes the increasing demand for entrepreneurial education head on, and at the [...]
Tailor Your Message to What Your Audience Wants to Hear
If you want to make a statement, tell them what you want to say. If you want to make a deposit, tell them what they want to hear. Sounds simple enough, but what do they want to hear and who are they anyway? Every successful business learns eventually that there are a whole lot of [...]
Find Good People – Make Great People
People always ask us what we look for in a job applicant because we had such a great staff. Sure, we looked at qualifications, but we looked beyond that. We wanted people who were not only qualified, but also had foundational qualities we could build upon. We wanted to see our staff achieve the highest [...]
A College Degree Can Give You an Entrepreneurial Edge
This year’s grads face serious employment challenges, but there’s probably never been a greater opportunity to create your own job. According to Robert Reich, former US Secretary of Labor, the job prospects look rather dim due to the economic down turn. He cites some trends that may throw into question the very value of a [...]
Grow Your Business Faster by Sharing the Wealth
Henry Ford used to say he’d rather have 1% of what a hundred others made working for him, than 100% of what he made by himself. Some business owners want to have it all, but in the process, cut off the very folks they need to get what they want. Our business colleagues have chastised [...]
Job Descriptions – A Portrait or Snapshot
Job descriptions seem to have a certain amount of authority built into them. They can describe the job for the new hire and be a reference for the last word in duties. The problem is that nothing remains the same for very long. Constant operational changes and market pressures can make even new job descriptions [...]
5 Ways to Increase Your Service Business
In this two part series we are addressing service businesses. Last time we identified a way of classifying your clients and customers. This time we will offer some ways to increase your business. Your goal is to get more referrals. These are new customers who were sent to you by your existing customers. They will [...]
The Advantages of Being a Small Start-Up – Part 2
This is the second installment in a four-part series designed to encourage small start-ups by recognizing some of their inherent advantages. Small start-ups face a myriad of challenges. They are undercapitalized, unproven and have no market traction. They are up against the status quo that will use its established power and influence in the marketplace [...]
The Advantages of Being a Small Start-Up – Part 1
Today we need new products, new services, and new ideas to invent our way back to prosperity. Small start-up producers have always been the backbone of the economy, not just because they provide the most new jobs, but because they improve the very quality of our lives by bringing more good ideas to the market. [...]
