Business Success Center CEO Jan Triplett will be the guest speaker at the July CoFounders Austin Meetup. She will be sharing 7 characteristics of success & how to do your own self assessment that you can use to find partners, employees, and the right customers.
The True Value of 1st Quarter Financials
Evaluate your 1st quarter financials to get higher profitability going forward. Image by Photosteve101 from flickr.com.
The true value of 1st quarter financials goes way beyond just the raw numbers. Because of that, your monthly close out is more important and there are do’s and don’ts that are unique to this quarter.
Completing the prioritized tasks gives the owner or manager a perfect opportunity to refine their vision for the year. Using the resulting information can make the last three quarters more productive and more profitable. This will keep you out of the weeds and create the 40,000 foot owner/investor perspective you need to make a better future. [Read more…]
Overcoming 5 Business Challenges in Tough Times
Business Challenges: What Goes Up Must Come Down
Sir Isaac Newton statue from Trinity Chapel. Photo by Harlequeen.
Sir Isaac Newton proved it. David Clayton-Thomas wrote about it in the “Spinning Wheel” song. BS&T (Blood, Sweat & Tears) and Dame Shirley Bassey covered it in their albums.
Songwriter & singer Dame Shirley Bassey.
How many ups and downs has your business experienced? Since we started our business, we have been through seven ups and downs – oil, banking, real estate, savings and loans, dot.com, Wall Street, and now real estate again. It has caused us to refine and redefine our business at least that many times.
If it’s a part life, it does not make sense just to try to survive this one. Another wave is coming. If you own a business, the wave that could take you under could be something global like this “Great Recession” or something unique to you and your business. So be watchful; be prepared for those business challenges that are out there.
[Read more…]
22+ Reasons Your Small Business Is Keeping You Up at Night
Owners are often insomniac. Photo by Olivia Townsend.
News 8 reporter Harlan Schmidt interviewed me about why Austin is a good place to start a business. I told him it was Austin’s “can do & it’s ok to fail” culture. And it is also about the fact that we have a highly educated population which means we can learn from our mistakes.
Then he asked me what needs to be done to improve our ability to sustain businesses. After all, it is not about starting — anyone can start one. It is about keeping it going — although not necessarily growing as large as, say Dell. [Read more…]