Saturday, September 4, 2010
James Baldwin once said “People can cry much easier than they can change.” And it’s how I felt earlier this week… mostly about myself. I slipped home from work Wednesday night completely bushed, dog tired and sick of several “stupid things” I’ve had to deal with.
As I retreated to my favorite thinking spot, I couldn’t help but think, “Why is this so difficult!?” That’s when it hit me: my business is in a state of change. And most of the time trying to create brisk growth is really tough.
Monday, July 19, 2010
The difference between my money management attitude as a manager/executive and as a business owner can be summed up by a version of the famous ham and eggs breakfast-making fable: the chicken is involved but the pig is committed. As a young exec, frankly my sense of responsibility resembled that of the chicken but as a business owner am now much more like the pig.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
I hear often about new entrepreneurs seeking to expand their businesses. This week a friend told me about someone who is bootstrapping a traditional business in a crowded space.
She’s been in business for less than a year, is the company’s only employee, and works out of her home. Now she’s decided to hire quickly – in fact, she’s determined she wants to immediately hire three people full-time. Presumably she’ll instantly take her payroll commitment from providing for herself to somewhere in the ball park of $100,000 – $150,000/year.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
I’ve always wanted to build a business that could make money without me – undoubtedly an aspiration of many. My ideal is the type where engagement takes the form of strategic oversight and occasional interesting deep dives.
But as many others have learned before me, growth requires giving up quite a bit of control. And stepping back doesn’t come naturally, especially to those whose “control” has helped shape the business. Continue Reading
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Though my wife and I live in Atlanta, the custom-made blog site you’re reading was actually created by a team of expert WordPress programmers in the Ukraine. I’ve never met them or even spoken to them on the phone, yet they put this micro-site together. And they built it for a fraction of what it would have cost to have the work done by my web programming contacts here in the States.
Outsourcing is nothing new and virtually every business regardless of its size has processes that should be outsourced for greater cost effectiveness. Even individuals can free up time by outsourcing personal tasks, regardless of whether you’re a CEO or wageworker.
Continue Reading
Sunday, December 6, 2009
I spent a couple of hours last night talking shop with a friend. While sitting in his garage converted into a smoking lounge, he asked if I missed my past corporate job (I’m now a small business owner). I’ve been asked this before, and I told him I missed two or three things about it.
But overall I really liked where I am and shared why: As a small business owner my wife and I are able to live well financially (though there is no private plane purchase on the horizon) as well as enjoy quite a bit of freedom as to to how we spend our time.
When it comes to business size, traditionally bigger has often been considered better. Though I’ve never run a big business, I’ve noticed something that you probably have as well… Running a larger business usually requires greater management responsibilities and time commitments from the leader. If you desire free time in addition to financial reward, a profitable small business could very well be the vehicle that helps you attain a great quality of life.
Saturday, November 28, 2009
In an ideal world virtually everyone would build a business…at least if they’re interested in getting paid twice for their hard work. For a number of reasons building a business is a good decision.
Three are the most obvious and popular – making money, working less, and future saleability. You’ve most likely read about the first two. This post will focus on that third reason, which is perhaps the most important – future salability…how you can get paid twice for all of your nine-to-five effort.
Friday, November 20, 2009
A college acquaintance of mine that I hadn’t heard from in a number of years emailed me about a week ago saying that he wanted to reconnect and asked for my home address so he could send a Christmas card. Glad to hear from him I promptly responded. A couple of days ago a package arrived with his return address. But rather than a Christmas card it was material promoting a multi-level marketing system. Frankly, it went straight to the recycle bin.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
As I mentioned in my bio, I’ve recently become addicted to off-road motorcycling. It’s full of freedom, adventure, and the challenge of improving your skills. It’s my new passion and, without really meaning to, I’ve stumbled upon a way to make it pay for itself. By leveraging three basic strategies you can too.
