Do you have dreams that you would like to pursue but have never been able to figure out how? You Are Not Alone. It seems that in today’s fast-paced, every-second-micro-managed society everyone is facing the same challenges; time constraints;insufficient funds, and;day-to-day commitments such as family, work and social obligations. These are just a few of the obstacles most people face when trying to create a plan for a better life. ...
Give-to-Get and the Business Power of Cooperatives In my article, Working with Charities, I expand on the fact that although most people do a good deed for the simple act of having helped, if examined further these types of feel-good actions can actually benefit a business in lot of ways. Some returns are obvious, like tax deductions, but other rewards are not so obvious; like cross-promotions and marketing value. An...
I've been reading a lot about the apocalypse that was supposed to happen today, and pondering whether there were people out there who were actually silly enough to go out and stockpile things to prepare for it. Since you're reading this instead of huddling in your basement trying to escape impending doom, it's pretty obvious that the world didn't meet its untimely demise, and the end of the Mayan calendar...
I've spoken at length in a pair of previous articles about what debt can do to a business (in a two part article, found here and here). But what about the other side of the equation? It's one thing to be in debt yourself, but what if one of your clients becomes indebted to you? Obviously this is a situation none of us wants to face, but it can, does,...
It's very easy for anyone in any industry to think that competition is a bad thing. After all, there's somebody else out there offering a similar product or service and making money on it. Money that could be going to you. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth. Competition is actually a very good thing. You see, with a competing service out there, it inspires you to try...
If you're like me (and you must be at least a little, if you're walking the path to PIE), you are a highly motivated, self-starting individual. You have an unending drive for success. You are tenacious. You have a tendency to go-go-go, until you attain your goals. The word stop just isn't in your vocabulary. And that is completely fine. But there's a difference between stopping and slowing down a...
As I previously discussed in my two part post on The Art of Negotiation (Part 1 here, part 2 here), everybody loves a good deal. There isn't a person alive who can resist a sale or special, especially on a product or service they've actually been looking for. Or even on things they haven't. Impulse buys play a big role in pulling in business during a special offer as well....
You hear about it almost every day. Another company faced with a multi-million dollar lawsuit, brought forth by a former customer or employee. Another business owner facing charges for illegal practices (more often knowingly than not). Now fortunately, as a small business, your chances of being waylaid with a gigantic seven figure lawsuit are extremely low, though the possibility of being sued should something along the way be less than...
Happy Friday everyone! Welcome to the continuation of Wednesday's article on The Cost of Debt. At the end of the article I asked you all to think how having so much interest accumulate on a small debt that it would take 19 years to pay it off could negatively impact a business. I don't want to get into too much detail here as we've already discussed this, so let's get...
The world is cyclical. This is scientifically proven fact. Ice ages come and go, weather patterns change, and then change back. Animals migrate to one area, only to later head back to where they started. This is as true in business as much as it is in nature. Look at how many products that were once popular, died away almost entirely, only to come back again years later. Bell bottoms...