Distributors do a lot of heavy lifting by managing all your small orders and packaging them into one neat number for you each month. They’re also the gateway to a lot of retailers and other businesses. One of the misconceptions about distributors is that they go out and sell your stuff for you. Most do, … Read more
The main goal of a not for profit company is to leverage good-will from the community to make life better for those less fortunate. They get a bad rap a lot of times because some of them are started with the only intention of making a profit for the people who started them. Bad NFPs often … Read more
Some people are good at “this”. Other people are good at “that”. Your personality should fit the needs of the business you’re in. There are some personality traits that are well suited for most businesses in general. But some business ventures require certain personality traits to really solidify success. And some, just require “personality“. Some Horses, A Carriage, … Read more
It’s always very important to look at both the big picture and the details of any business deal. While the big picture can give you a rough idea of how things look, it’s the details that can add up, either in your favour, or against you. To give you an idea of how important the … Read more
There are a lot of ideas about how long it should take for a business to become financially self-sustainable. I’ve heard people say that it takes anywhere from 3 to 5 to 10 years to get a business off the ground. Most of those ideas come about to justify the poor performance of a floundering … Read more
A lot of entrepreneurs run into trouble when they don’t go out and actively sell. Selling is hard. And most people are not natural born sales people. But it’s selling that brings in the bread. Nothing else you do matters if you’re not out selling. The best thing most companies can do is find someone who … Read more
In the ’90s, screenwriter Ron Bass was a screenwriting machine. He wrote many well known films including Rain Man and a number of Julia Roberts movies such as Sleeping with the Enemy, My Best Friend’s Wedding, and Stepmom. He didn’t do it all alone. And he received a lot of criticism for this. But it’s … Read more
Good negotiation skill in business is critical to success. You’re buying, you’re selling, and you need to get the best deals possible or the numbers won’t add up. In The Art of Negotiation I layed out the basics of preparing to negotiate. I also stressed the importance of a win-win situation. The object of a … Read more
Success happens when you do the right things and do them in the right order. In business, that means following the business chain. Companies that follow the business chain succeed. Those that don’t, fail. And it’s not just a formula for building success. It’s also a formula for trouble-shooting problems in your business and getting … Read more
There are a few scary things that you have to face in business. Whether or not you’re going to get paid, and what happens if you don’t, is a big one. Especially if your business in new, small, and strapped for cash. That’s okay. There’s some things you can do. And for the most part, … Read more