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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
The Secret to Growing a $1 million company by 5X
In my work with hundreds of small business owners, I’ve noticed that there are two “danger zones” where an owner may, consciously or unconsciously, prevent his or her company from growing any further. The first zone lies at about $1 … Continue reading
3 Responses to The Secret to Growing a $1 million company by 5X
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Small Business Owners are the Same Everywhere
I’m returning to this space almost exactly a month from my last post. It’s the longest period that I’ve missed in the last 6 1/2 years, but I heartily recommend a refresh break to business owners, and it was worth … Continue reading
One Response to Small Business Owners are the Same Everywhere
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This sounds like a fantastic trip. Fun, food, and the ability to see how the rest of the world runs their small businesses. Lots of lessons learned and ready to share. And, a hardy welcome back.
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Wageflation and the Talent Wars
Why are so many employers complaining about the availability of talented workers and the cost of hiring them? Government statistics indicate that real, inflation-adjusted wages are now below 1986 levels. In 2012, the Federal Reserve tracked both an all time … Continue reading
2 Responses to Wageflation and the Talent Wars
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John,
One very important contributor to the high wage expectation is the enormous levels of student loan dept new entries to the workforce bring with them. My friend, an experienced engineer out of work for a year, was recently offered a job at $20 an hour. He requested $24, largely because at $20/hour and a relocation to suburban DC he couldn’t have made ends meet. His prospective employer passed, and cited the position as being done away with.What happens to our spending-driven national economy with graduates saddled with life-long levels of college loan debt? What happens to home sales?
More importantly, what happens to future generations in terms of saving for college for their children,l and what appears to be a self full-filling prophecy for generations to come?
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Reputations are Sticky
“We have a great reputation in our industry.” In thousands of hours of coaching and facilitating I’ve never heard a business owner say “We have a lousy reputation.” The myopia of working hard to deliver a product or service leads … Continue reading
One Response to Reputations are Sticky
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Great topic. This is a continuing problem with most businesses. They have blinders for their own reputations or they don’t really want to know the answer to the question from former customers or people who’ve never bought. Asking the really hard questions is never comfortable.
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My Interview with Bob Morris: Part II
Robert Morris is the number one reviewer of business books for Amazon.com. A few weeks ago he posted a great review of Hunting in a Farmer’s World, and asked if he could interview me. Bob’s questions were really fun, and the interview … Continue reading
2 Responses to My Interview with Bob Morris: Part II
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Really interesting interview. Just wanted to say thanks
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I missed this when originally posted, but I found under your Top Posts. I really enjoyed the interview and hope you make the NY Times best sellers list soon!
John, Very true. Setting and achieving growth goals as part of every day business is what it takes to grow from a $1 Million a year company to one 5 times larger. This was a practice that we used to grow my company from $100K to $5 Million in less than 5 years and be on the INC 500 list as one of the fastest growing privately held companies in the U.S.
Larry Amon
Thanks Larry! It’s always nice to have “real world” support for my own experience.
Although occasionally I have run into a business owner with a personal bias with regard to anything perceived as “corporate”. So implementing processes, or giving up tight control, is avoided. But for many SMB’s the observations shared in your post should are exactly what is needed.