A Sense of Desperation

We are all going to experience failure and disappointment in our lives. The key to success, including in business, is reacting the right way. We all need that sense of desperation, that driving motivation to do whatever it takes to make it. We need to feel a little uncomfortable and use that as a spur.
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When Less Is More

When it comes to running a successful business, the things you do matter. But perhaps just as important are the things we decide not to do. Identifying what activities to put in each category helps productivity, efficiency, and overall effectiveness.
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Why We Miss Our Goals

Tell me if this scenario sounds familiar. You know exactly what you want to do. You have it all figured out. And then somewhere along the line, something happens. You’re not even sure what it was—all you know is the end result: whatever it was you were planning, it didn’t get done.
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Keeping the Entrepreneurial Spirit Alive

As any business ages and grows, it will change. You don’t always do things the same way you did as a startup. The quest for innovation and new approaches to problems often gradually give way to a focus on incremental improvements and doing what you’ve always done, just a little bit better. This problem is part of what is widely known as The Innovator’s Dilemma, after the title of the book by Harvard professor Clayton Christensen.
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Email Security

There are an alarming number of ways that email can be intercepted or hacked. When you are transmitting personally identifiable information, such as social security numbers, bank accounts, credit card information, and more, you must take important precautions.
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Encourage Independent Thinking

Encouraging independent thinking among your team members will generate new ideas and give everyone a stake in your business’s success. To make it happen, you must be willing to listen and engage with everyone, taking advantage of the different experiences and perspectives of your team members.
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Bad News Doesn’t Get Better with Age

Small business owners have to deal with reality. You cannot solve a problem by ignoring it. Bad news will not get better with age. An open culture means being open to honest feedback of any kind, whether positive or negative. Mistakes are ok, but you have to recognize them and move on.
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Don’t Fall in Love with Your Ideas

Being excited about your idea is a good thing, but you need to stay objective about it. Remember that for every idea that works out and turns into a great success, there are many others that don’t. It takes a lot of strength to move on, but sometimes you have to do it.
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To Succeed, You Must Be Willing to Fail

It’s not use to be afraid of failing. Everyone fails. The difference is how you respond to adversity and failure. Successful people get up, think about what happened, identify ways to get better, and use that knowledge to succeed the next time. Do you see failure as an obstacle, or an opportunity?
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