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As a business owner, you know what it’s like to lie awake at 2 a.m. Maybe it has happened when you are excited and full of new ideas for your business. More often, it’s because you are worried about issues you will face the next day. Sometimes, it’s because you just woke up with the solution to a problem. I’ve experienced all those emotions about my businesses over the years. Awake at 2 o’clock? is where I share them with you, and hopefully help with answers that will let you sleep.
John F. Dini, CExP, CEPA
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Small business owners are the Hunters of the 21st century. We are 3% of the US population, and yet we create over half of all American jobs. As Hunters, we may not be inclined to manage by the numbers or stick to systems. Are you a Hunter or a Farmer?
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How prepared are you to exit your company?
The Assessment breaks down the four major categories of exit readiness; Finance, Planning, Operations and Revenue/Profit.
Tag Archives: employees
Meetings Part III: The Meat of the Meet
We will presume that you’ve started your meeting with the proper preparation, as discussed in last week’s column. Now it is time to get into the business of the meeting, the meat of the meet as it were. This week, we will … Continue reading
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Tell Me What I Want to Hear
Those of us who are Hunters tend to be in a hurry. Hunters are linear; we move from objective to objective in as close to a straight line (allowing for our ADD “squirrels”) as we can. The completion of any … Continue reading
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From a definite hunter, I would agree that farmers prefer cycles and prefer predictability. However, I would also argue that farmers, at least real ones, are some of the best there are at dealing with variables and unpredictability. They know what the optimum cycle should be, and they know that the weather is unlikely to cooperate, the price of fuel is volatile, and they have to plant today to get commodities prices they do not control six months later. Throw a wrench into the engine and most real farmers will figure out a way to fix the fan blade to finish the plowing.
Hunters might adapt by choosing a different goal or strategy. Farmers adapt by fixing the specific issue to get the cycle back on track.
The difference in communication style is real. Metaphors only go so far.
David Basri
http://www.pointent.com
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Business Owners are Glubricants
Utility Infielder, Jack-of-All-Trades, Mr. Fixit, Chief Cook and Bottle Washer, Know-It-All, Do-It-All, Swiss Army Knife, Center of the Universe. There are many ways to describe the myriad business roles filled by the owner of a small business. Here’s another. The … Continue reading
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When an Employee Can’t Grow With You
Every business is an organism. It is either growing or dying. I’ve met a few owners who said “I want everything (sales, staff, profits) to stay exactly as it is,” but none who were actually able to pull that off. As we … Continue reading
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You Make Two Types of Decisions
The principle function of leadership is making decisions. Whether you own a business or direct the work of others, your employees come to you with issues they can’t solve themselves. There are two types of decisions. One is easy; you just know something that … Continue reading
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I would like to use “You Make Two Types of Decisions” on my facebook page, BizProfit.
One more item for the “meat of a meeting”. Punctuality. A company I was with in the ’80s charged $1/minute after 3 minutes. The money went in a jar (literally) and when there was enough we all went out for a round of drinks after work. This policy did not hurt anyone financially, but it had a huge positive impact on punctuality.