Category Archives: Protecting the business

Why we should fire fast, not last!

Our first reaction to marginal performance. Here is one that takes a real leap for a younger manager or CEO to believe.  After hiring someone with all the attendant enthusiasm followed by the training and learning curve, if an employee … Continue reading

Posted in Depending upon others, Protecting the business, Surrounding yourself with talent | 1 Comment

Are you or your business “time bankrupt?”

Time bankruptcy results from the deliberate over-commitment of core resources. You’d know the symptoms, if not the name.  You’re fighting to put out the fires from customer complaints, or incomplete work, or are suffering from an inability to focus upon … Continue reading

Posted in Protecting the business | 2 Comments

A personal story about quality control

So, I tell personal stories to show that we all should look for lessons learned by others.  Here’s one that is “on me.” As my enterprise computer software company which produced innovative lodging systems for hotels and resorts grew quickly, … Continue reading

Posted in Depending upon others, Protecting the business, The fight for quality | 2 Comments

A heartbreaking story about time and money.

First, think about your time as money! We’ll get to my heartbreak in a minute. But first… There is a relationship between timeand money that is more complex than most managers think.  Fixed overhead for salaries, rent, equipment leases and … Continue reading

Posted in Depending upon others, Finding your ideal niche, Protecting the business, Raising money | 3 Comments

Everything changes from concept to release.

You can take this headline as a rule, not an exception.  You’ll recognize the truism, “No battle plan ever survives contact with the enemy” first stated by German Field Marshall von Moltke in the 19th century. This variant of the … Continue reading

Posted in Finding your ideal niche, Protecting the business | Leave a comment

Ouch! If I had only learned this before losing millions!

Know your market and competition, or don’t spend a dime on anything else. I love absolutes – statements with no wiggle room for gray-area responses.  Well, here is one of those, and it deals with market research first and foremost. … Continue reading

Posted in Finding your ideal niche, Growth!, Protecting the business | 2 Comments

What’s the difference between your budget and forecast?

Hold it! These are confusing terms. When does a budget become obsolete? Do we rely upon constant changes and call it a forecast? So, let’s spend a few moments defining this sometimes-confusing set of terms. This is a budget: A … Continue reading

Posted in Positioning, Protecting the business, Raising money | Leave a comment

Protect your company secrets!

Let’s create a use case. Most senior and middle level managers will understand when a subordinate comes to them to resign and begin a new business.  But all will immediately question whether the new business will compete in any way … Continue reading

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Are you at risk for tech killing your job?

Stop me if you’ve heard this story before. “My job as a (newspaper publisher telephone installer, stockbroker, travel agent, retail store manager) writer, poet, commercial artist – is safe as this economy continues to grow.”  Yup. Thought so. We are … Continue reading

Posted in Depending upon others, Protecting the business | 2 Comments

What are the odds of your startup’s success?

Well, the numbers don’t lie, even if there are several sources of these statistics.  Starting a company is HARD – in so many ways.  And risky too. Let’s start with a restaurant -not our thing. But… I read several years … Continue reading

Posted in Growth!, Protecting the business, Raising money | Leave a comment