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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: leadership
Do You Have a Director of GSD?
One of the biggest challenges for a small company in dealing with a giant customer is navigating bureaucracy. When two smaller businesses are working together, there is discussion, negotiation and decision. In a big organization, that is just the beginning … Continue reading
One Response to Do You Have a Director of GSD?
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Measurement is Not Management
“The employees respect what the boss inspects.” Since Frederick Winslow Taylor published The Principles of Scientific Management in 1911, breaking down tasks into measurable pieces had been the cornerstone for employee training and tracking performance. Why then, do many large organizations with … Continue reading
4 Responses to Measurement is Not Management
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Could not agree more!
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In French the word is Saboteur for throwing you wooden shoe into the mill to stop the work. before Mr. Taylor or you friend experienced in in the bottle factory. That is the real issue. why do we keep reinventing the wheel? people don’t change – the environment in which they work and are surrounded does. They are not guinea pigs to experiment on. The real issue is what knd of employee do you reruit and grow within your organization.
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I’m impressed by your awesome insight as usual. I’ll keep your article in mind as we manage by statistics.
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Is There Anything CEOish for Me to Do?
The line is from one of my favorite New Yorker cartoons. It’s being asked by an executive of his secretary. It is also a common question of business owners who have built successful organizations. The need for a CEO is present … Continue reading
2 Responses to Is There Anything CEOish for Me to Do?
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That is right on for a successful company. I continue to stimulate with outside influences and appropriate the time for projections on business needs and direction along with diversification. Good and simple read, but most overlooked in small business. Good job John!
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Well put, as always! When I was running my computer service company we moved to a new building, and I was a little embarrassed at the size of the CEO office that the new office layout had. The thing was huge with a cathedral ceiling, and I always felt that you could play basketball in it! I was talking to a consultant one day who was helping me with strategy, and I mentioned my thoughts to him. His reply has always stuck with me and is germane to your point: “Your job is to sit in your big office and think the big thought.”
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Companies Sell for a Multiple of…What?
Last week we discussed the difference between Main Street and Mid-market companies regarding their prospects for finding a buyer. You can read it here, but the short analysis is that the market is tightening for Main Street businesses, while the … Continue reading
5 Responses to Companies Sell for a Multiple of…What?
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Right on target. Thanks for the article. Thought: The experts who have never bought oe sold a business,,, are they experts?
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Hi John.
If I am representing a buyer, we would look at the discounted cash flow of four year projected earnings, plus a terminal value, particularly if the buyer is using some debt to make the acquisition.
David. -
Good article. The truth is that a business, any business, is not worth what the owner think is worth, and is not worth what the buyer think is worth; it is somewhere in between, but how do you convince both parties of that?
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One Response to Owners Live in Two Different Worlds
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There is no question about the difficulty in the Main Street market. Another strategy besides fading into the night is to find someone to pass it on to. That likely means finding someone years in advance, nurturing them and at some point starting to share equity. Having said that, I fully recognize that many small businesses are not in a market where a successor is easy to find. While I own a small software company, it is not so easy to find someone willing to start work at 3 AM so there are fresh bagels ready by 6 AM. Thank goodness there are such folks.
These characteristics of dealing with large businesses can be wonderful barriers to competitors once you get in, and they are very similar one to the other. They are used to paying considerably more because of the few small businesses who go after them.