Recent Blog Posts
Finding Sanity in Small Business
Where did the time go? Why don’t I have time to do the things I want to do anymore? Sound familiar? It probably does if you’re a small business owner. Small business owners often forget about finding themselves a little piece of sanity in the large responsibilities of...
Making It Difficult
I was talking to an acquaintance the other day and he was telling me about a new business he was starting. He's doing custom promo kiosks for local businesses. He was telling me a bit about his process and how he goes about creating the graphics. Long story short he...
Are You Really an Entrepreneur?
I often have thought of myself as an entrepreneur with what I do with my web design business, Liquid Mechanix Studio. But after a conversation with Linda on a project we are working on for Changing Lanes, I realized I’m not an entrepreneur. We were trying to break down and analyze different types of entrepreneurs which caused a flood of thoughts. First, entrepreneur by definition is this: one who organizes, manages, and assumes the risks of a business or enterprise. But that really isn’t what being an entrepreneur means any more. I think of an entrepreneur as some one who who organizes, manages, and assumes the risks of a business or enterprise that will change how we do business. Some one who creates a fresh idea or puts a twist on a current idea. Some one who is a game changer. With that thought, I am not an entrepreneur. So what am I then?
The Cost of Convenience
Like most people, I'm lazy. No wait let me rephrase that, I like things that make life easier; like the right tool for the job. But these conveniences, even though they make my life easier come at a price. A price that I don't think most people think about. So let's...
Expect the Unexpected
Be Prepared - the motto of Scouting, boys and girls, and a adage I hold dear. To be prepared requires a little planning especially in an age of digital dependence. With the season of storms upon us, we need to take stock in our businesses and be ready for electrical...
Handling Complaints
Have you noticed lately when you have a complaint to a company the voice on the other end offers a cheap discount and ends with “Is there anything else I can do for you?” Since when will it be okay to give three free months of a service that does not have anything to...
What Makes a Good Employee?
Last year I was chatting with a business friend who manages a small office. They deal with sensitive information on a daily basis so there is a policy that all paper trash is shredded at the end of the day. All they have to do is dump their paper trash into a hopper...
Ethical Culture
Last year, JPMorgan Chase paid $15,600,000,000 (that is billion) to settle two different charges on ethics that were part of the cause of the 2008 financial meltdown and their complacent knowledge of the Bernard Madoff scandal. Both of these were ethical lapses and...
Happy Employees
Recently we celebrated “Equal Pay Day” which means if you do equal work, the pay should be equal. This isn’t socialism, it is common sense. If you are running an ice cream store and all the employees are new this year and you decide to pay those with blue eyes more...
Bad Employees Can Ruin Good Employees
Bad employees can ruin a business from the inside out on various levels. They can fail to complete projects on time or at all, spread negativity, drive customers away, just to name a few. But even if your employees are resistant to the bad employee it can still cause...