Posts Tagged ‘Planning’
Business in Action: Leadership Retreats
According to “Fast Company” magazine, there are some key ideas to consider when planning a fun leadership retreat: seek new scenery; know that it takes time to build strong teams; incorporate fun into the regular work experience. Choose an appropriate facilitator. Depending on your organization, this may mean hiring a professional. Know your goals and…
Read MoreHow Post-It Note Flowcharts Can Help Business Planning
Flowcharts are useful collaboration tools that are widely used in business. In the most basic terms, a flowchart is a diagram of the flow of a process or algorithm from start to finish. Essentially, each step of a process—including the start/end points, actions and decisions—is added to the chart, with arrows connecting the various steps.…
Read MoreWhat You Absolutely Should NEVER Outsource in Your Small Business
It’s so easy to outsource projects and tasks in your small business today that the possibilities seem endless. In fact, your small business can economically accomplish a lot of things that yesterday could only have been achieved by a much larger company with significant resources. However, it’s wrong to think of your global outsourcing ability…
Read More5 Tricks for Due Diligence on a Franchise
If you’ve been exploring the waters in the world of franchising, you’ve come across the term “due diligence.” This marks the final phases of committing to purchase a franchise. By this point you’ve: Chosen a franchise model; Determined regional appeal; Completed market research and analysis. You’re convinced that this franchise is a business you want to…
Read More4 Pitfalls Successful Startups Must Avoid
Starting up a company is inevitably going to be a stern challenge and a steep learning curve, whatever your goals are or what your role in the process happens to be. As well as a workable concept and a reliable strategy, startups usually need a fair helping of good luck along their way to success.…
Read MoreNo Blunders! Avoid These 5 Startup Mistakes
Why do startups fail? Is there a recipe for success for your new and exciting business venture? Unfortunately the answer is no. There is no way to guarantee success in your new business. While there may be recipes (or templates) you can use to help you on the path to success, it’s also useful to know…
Read MoreHow to Practice Sticktoitiveness and Succeed in Business
Sticktoitiveness? Yes, it’s a real word. I checked! Dictionary.com has the definition: noun: dogged perseverance; resolute tenacity; also written stick-to-it-ive-ness Example: The only way she has published so many books is through stick-to-it-ive-ness. Funny how the example above matches my blog post today… perfectly! It is with great joy that I officially announce the addition…
Read More3 Ways to Improve Your Budgeting and Forecasting
Budgeting and forecasting are two of the most important financial exercises performed by businesses, regardless of their size. Unfortunately, they are also two exercises that many businesses fail to perform accurately or efficiently. The biggest common problem is that most budgets and forecasts are created without any room for flexibility. Managers are told at the…
Read MoreDouble Down!
This piece of wisdom came from Jeff Bezos, founder & CEO of Amazon, during a board meeting for one of the companies where he sits as board member. Jeff asked the question, “Is there anything big or small, which is working better than you expected? Is there anywhere we could double down?” Bezos’ point was…
Read MoreWhy You Should Compete in a Saturated Market
How can you win in a saturated market? This is something I hear a lot about through our social media platforms and through emails from Secret Consulting, a program I created to help mentor aspiring entrepreneurs. Throughout my experience creating multiple businesses and helping others do the same in saturated markets, the odds always seemed to be against me—or…
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