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Bosses Who Blab Can Kill Their Business

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Do you know a boss who talks too much? Artwork by Matt Devicious.

Do you know a boss who talks too much? Artwork by Matt Devicious.

Bosses who talk too much or blab can hurt their businesses more than any cyber security leak ever could. The results can be disruptive enough to kill sales, drive away staff, prevent being granted a patent, or potentially kill the company.

They can also be harder to stop because frequently the boss doesn’t realize they’re doing it.

Big Mouth Examples

Here are eight of the worst blabbermouths and what happened (or could have happened) to their businesses. See if you recognize these or maybe you are guilty yourself.

• Sharing Secrets

The food manufacturer responded to a simple question from someone she just met by revealing her secret way to solve a major production problem. She was too proud of what the company had done to keep quiet about it. Good product but the idea of protecting trade secrets was foreign to her. [Read more…]

Wasting Time: Good & Bad for Business

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A little time wasting goes a long way. Photo by Cleaver.

A little time wasting goes a long way. Photo by Cleaver.

No business can afford to have employees waste time or effort.  No manager can expect employees to be 100% efficient either. Some time wasting activities can actually be rejuvenators according to an article on finding a productivity sweetspot by NICE Systems. [Read more…]

Business Owners Hierarchy of Needs

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What motivates business owners? It depends on where they are in the owners' hierarchy of needs.

What motivates business owners? It depends on where they are in the owners’ hierarchy of needs.

You’ve probably heard of Maslow’s “Hierarchy of Needs”. He identified how a person’s needs dominate motivation and behavior and that there is a specific order in which they should be met.

His theory suggested that the basic needs (physiological, safety, love and belonging) had to be met before the individual will desire and pursue higher levels of needs (esteem, self actualization, and self transcendence).

If a need is not met, the individual will feel tense and anxious. Although people may have several needs at any time, one will dominate their actions. [Read more…]

What a CFO Can Do to Improve the Sales System

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Role-playing dice have nothing on the role-playing CFO when it comes to improving the sales system.Photo by cal-harding from flickr. Role-playing dice are like the role-playing CFO whose job includes improving the sales system. Photo by cal_harding from flickr.

Role-playing dice have nothing on the role-playing CFO when it comes to improving the sales system.Photo by cal-harding from flickr.

What can a CFO do to improve the company’s sales system? What do they even know about sales?  You’d be surprised.

If you’re the CFO and CEO, the following applies to you. If you’re both of these plus the Director of Sales and maybe even the Chief Salesperson, you still need to include the tasks below in order to improve the results of your sales system. [Read more…]

6 Ways to Improve Your Sales Projection Formula

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Measure sales carefully to be profitable.

Measure sales carefully to be profitable.

Your sales projection formula is key to more accurate financial projections and to the success of your business.

Sales projection formulas are always wrong. Here are six ways to improve them.

Sales projection formulas are wrong because…

  1. Sales projections are not supposed to be right.
    They’re a snapshot of what to expect each month based on relevant criteria and are defensible. Improve the sakes projection formula you use by making sure you don’t accept the projected sales numbers without question. The answers you get from salespeople in terms of what they think will close have to be reasonable and with some sort of basis not just hope. [Read more…]

7 Ways Conflict is Good for Business

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Positive Conflict™ requires thinking outside the box. Illustration by Mamadob

Positive Conflict™ requires thinking outside the box. Illustration by Mamadob.

Conflict is valuable in the workplace. In fact, it’s actually good for business.

You might not have thought of it as being positive but it can be when people use care with each other and stakeholders. They also have to put something like the BSC’s Fight Fair™ strategy  in place.

I just had the opportunity to spend two days working with the staff of an Inc 5000 company on improving their communication. This is a high quality small business but staff members and the owner wanted to make sure they were dealing effectively with the internal and external conflicts that come up in every business. [Read more…]

Partner or Strategic Alliance?

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Partner or Strategic Business Alliance? Photo by Giorgio Montersino.

Partner or Strategic Business Alliance? Photo by Giorgio Montersino.

Partner or a strategic alliance — which is better for business growth? Many business owners want a “partner” to  share the load. Partners exert a lot of control no matter how little of the business they own. Use a strategic alliance instead to grow your business and  keep more control.

What is a Strategic Alliance?

The most accepted definition of a strategic alliance is that it’s “a formal or informal agreement between two or more individuals or entities to achieve a common goal”.

In 2005, companies reported that 18% of their revenue was generated through strategic alliances. The economy has changed but there are still thousands of alliances formed each year.

I agree with Winston Churchill. “If we are together, nothing is impossible. If we are divided all will fail.” [Read more…]

Use Family Business Loan to Hire Employee Gems

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Austin’s Family Business Loan was described as a way to encourage small businesses to hire at an Austin Human Resource Management Association meeting.

It’s financed under the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development  (HUD) Section 108 Loan Program in association with the U.S Small Business Administration, private banks and credit unions. The funds are to benefit businesses and people who fit the profile of “HCU”, hard-core unemployed. [Read more…]

IRS Tax Calendar: Protection for Small Business

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Get the IRS Tax Calendar for the safety and protection if you're a small business owner or self-employed.

Get the IRS Tax Calendar for the safety and protection if you’re a small business owner or self-employed.

Protect your small business with this year’s IRS Tax Calendar. This is also known as “The Tax Calendar for Small Businesses and Self-Employed” (Pub. 1518, Catalog Number 12350Z). It’s a scary world out there!

It’s back in print. Hurrah! We’ve missed having them. We used to give these out each year to our clients because they are really valuable. They have also been known to cause nail-biting and hair-pulling. Unfortunately, all the Spanish language wall calendar print versions are gone and will not be re-printed. Maybe next year they will print more since Hispanic businesses are one of the fastest growing startup groups. [Read more…]

7 Ways to Have a Strong 4th Quarter Finish

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Still time for 4th Quarter growth in your business. Photo by ItzaFineDay.

Still time for 4th Quarter growth in your business. Photo by ItzaFineDay.

You deserve to have a strong 4th quarter finish. It’s time to harvest what you have reaped all year.

If you still need to sew some seeds to accomplish goals, we recommend the following: [Read more…]