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Category Archives: Protecting the business
Missed Expectations and The Eighty Percent Acquisition Rule
Eighty percent of all businesses purchased by another company or by a new investor-operator fail to meet the stated expectations of the buyer after one year. As with the fifty percent rule discussed last week (fifty percent of startups fail … Continue reading
Are you wasting money filing patents?
I’ve been working with early stage companies and their intellectual property protection plans for years. But only recently did I read a clear document on the risks and rewards of patent strategy. Thanks to Russ Krajec, a patent attorney, for … Continue reading
What two words are most valuable for your business planning?
One of the most valuable tools in an executive’s arsenal is the use of the question chain in planning meetings or to analyze scenarios that might result from an action. The powerful words are “What if…” followed by an ever-deeper … Continue reading
Posted in Growth!, Protecting the business
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Have you experienced your “Every Three-Million Dollar Crisis?”
Here is a phenomenon I discovered over time when dealing with many small start-ups in their early revenue period. A very predictable series of rotating crises seemed to befall most every one of these young companies. These became so predictable … Continue reading
Are you the bottleneck in your organization?
At many board meetings, I can be counted upon to ask, “Where’s the bottleneck this month?” Senior management is usually prepared with an answer, and a good discussion of resource availability and application follows. Sometimes, the bottleneck is not so … Continue reading
Business risk: Bet the farm only when the crops are on fire.
How much risk you and your company are willing and able to tolerate over time? Most people believe that early stage companies should take risks aggressively because there is less to lose and much more to gain with each risky … Continue reading
Posted in Protecting the business
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You are watched, mostly when decisions are tough.
If you have been in management or an entrepreneur long enough, you will have experienced the gray area of decision-making where ethics, the law, your needs and expediency all collide. This is the time when you are paid the big … Continue reading
Posted in Protecting the business
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You are your company’s moral compass.
Here’s yet another story that you may identify with – or have yet to experience in your business life. It’s one of those that define your leadership for all to see, sometimes based upon decisions made in the moment – … Continue reading
Here’s a rule for companies with outstanding loans
Here is one that is so important to the continued health of a growing company that it cannot be overstated. It’s a bit complex for novices. But hang in there as I explain a bit about accounting classification of … Continue reading
Posted in Protecting the business
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Have you made the mistake of hiring too soon?
Well, you may not be alone. Many executives and managers have made the mistake of using the financial and sales forecast to plan and execute hiring of new employees – so that they could be trained and up to speed … Continue reading
Posted in Growth!, Protecting the business
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