I’m sure you remember me talking about one of my B2C clients. (You don’t? Shame on you!) In that piece, I discussed why we need to focus on how each of our actions mesh with our vision, mission statement, and operational plan.
Continue reading Profits < > Positive Cash Flow
I met with some new ventures this week. OK. I met with some folks with ideas for new ventures.
One of the first things I reminded them about is that business is operational- not asperational. That means one starts a business- small or large- by making things work. Getting cash flow. Trying business models to see what works.
Continue reading Ready. Fire. Aim.
We are generally an optimistic people. We tend to believe that the best is yet to come. And, entrepreneurs- they are really optimistic. After all, if they didn’t expect things to work out- and work out well- why would they spend any time attempting to build a new venture?
Continue reading A commercial message?
The entrepreneurial spirit. It is alive and well- even if the potential rewards are attenuated. And, I’m honored to be able to help those on their journey, their quest to prove a new concept, a new methodology, a new operational mode.
Continue reading Let’s grow a new one
I can’t recall when I first met George Gilder. The years and meetings blend together after a while. But, whether it was when we first made the Inc. 500 (the first two years of the program’s existence) or at one of the first Arthur Young’s Entrepreneur Conferences, it makes no real difference. It’s been some 35 years, at least.
Continue reading Knowledge IS Power
What do we do if we don’t believe holacracy (which we discussed yesterday) will work in our company? Do we just give up? I don’t think so.
Continue reading Jack be nimble…
I was honored to be invited to a wedding of two friends- Rick and Maraji. These two wonderful people decided to have the ceremony in their home on Rosh Chodesh (the new moon) of Chanuka. (Oh, it was also on a Tuesday- the day of creation when Hashem said it was a good day- twice!) The wedding was wonderful- their words to each other- and us- clearly evoked my emotions. And, the toast- by their daughter- custom made lyrics sung a capella… You just had to be there. Continue reading What I learned from Chanuka- and a Wedding
The time is now. The economy is changing- ever so slightly. But, the reality is that the American Dream is being shattered- the only way you can make that come true for yourself is to start your own business.
Every business is different. Yet, every business has many, many similar components. Serving as the CEO for jewelry manufacturing venture is different from serving as the CEO for a dialysis clinic- and different still from being the managing director for a law firm. Right now, I am considering whether I wish to help start- and then manage a new health care clinic- one with a business model that will be radically different than what is normally seen.
Continue reading Are you ready?
When we setup our first consulting firm, we had long discussions about rates and collections. These are not idle issues- and they are related. Having a written plan makes it easier to deal with problems when (not if) they arise. To do this properly, we had to understand our market. Were we going to be a local entity, a national entity, or an international one? And, if we were to offer our services internationally, would there be different prices for different regions? Who would be our typical client- and would it be the same in different regions? We eventually decided to start nationally and then expand to international vistas. ((OK, so we were more than a little cocky. And, that change in market focus- it turned out to be less than 18 months, when our first international client approached us.) And, we decided that our fees would not be based upon geographical region, but upon the financial size of the client. (This was a pretty radical decision back in the 70’s.) While we offered the same quality of service to all, we wanted to have the chance to be more involved in more aspects of the projects, which would typically occur with the smaller firms- and a lower pricing wouldn’t hurt our chances, either. This was before the age of websites- or we would have developed one right away. But, we did develop a logo, prepare our business cards, brochures, and secure office space immediately. And, while we were reluctant, we did elect to buy furnishings that would last at least a decade and fit the image we chose for our logo. Our logo was big and bold- certainly novel at the time. And, we wanted visitors to our office to develop that same feel- knowing they were in the office of a firm that took interest in their firms, would develop bold products and stances for their needs, but always deliver solutions with substance. 
That was an expensive choice, but one we felt was necessary to obtain our “ideal” clients. Would you expect to obtain a fine meal if you visited a restaurant whose furnishings were chipped plastic and school house seats- or one with clean tablecloths, decked with silverware, and plush seating? Continue reading Rates and Image