Category Archives: General

Go ahead! Drive with no speedometer!

Have you ever driven a car that had no speedometer?  I had that thrill when a student at the Richard Petty Stockcar School of Driving at a motor speedway in California.  With a wide track, angled aggressively at the curves, … Continue reading

Posted in General | 1 Comment

You’re the general. So, make your strategic plan!

Continuing the process of planning… So now we’re getting organized.  There are many ways to express the roadmap for your enterprise.  One of the most popular was used by the U.S. Army late in World War II and adopted by … Continue reading

Posted in General | 1 Comment

Fewer words, greater effect.

I have a good business friend, an experienced manager and teacher with a Harvard MBA, whose creativity and intelligence are admired by many.  But he dilutes his effectiveness with wordy PowerPoint presentations.  It has become a long running joke between … Continue reading

Posted in General | 2 Comments

Nothing good happens after midnight!

Here’s another one from my Dad, a very wise man. He gave me this advice right after I received my driver’s license years ago.  It took years to understand the importance of this prophetic statement. Taking this advice literally: Gun … Continue reading

Posted in General | 2 Comments

So, what’s a company board good for, anyway?

Some of you have gotten along forever without a board of directors, or used your spouse as the “other” board member from the start.  But there are some very good reasons to build a great board composed of some outside … Continue reading

Posted in General | 4 Comments

Well, now we know how bankers control our business lives!

Let’s get right down to it.  Your banking relationship can be like a great marriage or a bad trip to the DMV.  In most cases it is strictly your choice.  But the results of that choice will reverberate for what … Continue reading

Posted in General | Leave a comment

About personal use of corporate assets

Here’s the IRS take on the issue: It is no secret that the IRS carefully looks below the surface for personal use of company assets (including cash) in its corporate income tax audits.  This insight addresses more the impact of … Continue reading

Posted in General, Hedging against downturns, Protecting the business, Surrounding yourself with talent | 1 Comment

You name the price; I’ll name the terms.

I admit that my dad taught me this when I was just a fifteen–year old kid starting a business and negotiating with suppliers for the first time.  But I learned it again and again in my various business lives. Here’s … Continue reading

Posted in General, Positioning | 1 Comment

HIRE for talent. RENT for experience.

Want the best way to create your core competency quickly and inexpensively?   Think like a startup, with little resources, a limited window of time, and few dollars to spend on expensive experts. Divide the hiring decision into two boxes. This … Continue reading

Posted in General | 1 Comment

Employee vs. contractor: Here we go again.

Why revisit this issue now? Several years ago, I wrote an extensive article on the ten most important tests of a company in classifying a person as an independent contractor.  See https://berkonomics.com/?p=662 for that important insight.  But things have gotten … Continue reading

Posted in Depending upon others, General, Protecting the business | 4 Comments