Top athletes recognize the value of sleep, exercise, diet, meditation and other calming practices and mind-body fitness for peak performance. “Getting in the zone” is proven by a number of studies. [Read more…]
5 Tools of Engagement Discernment
One of the keys to success for any business is attracting and retaining the right mix of clients or customers. Conversely, one of the keys for the consumer or business that wishes to transact business is to ensure that the right firm is engaged to provide the product or service desired. In simple terms, the “fit” must fit. [Read more…]
Seven Questions to Ask Before Quitting
Your parents drummed into your head never to do this.
You walked off your job as a paperboy at age 12, and feel guilty to this day.
Your high school athletic coach yelled at you.
You stayed with a girlfriend/boyfriend/significant other/spouse longer than you should have before exiting a toxic relationship.
Not quitting seems to be bred into us. But is quitting ever a good thing? Is it ever a good idea? [Read more…]
Busyness versus productivity
Many of us, entrepreneur and hired hand alike, add up the excessive hours we work and display them as a quasi-badge of honor. True, employers often demand more than the eight hour day from their employees. Moreover, if you own your own business, you know that there is always something more you can do, more time you can spend.
Yet, do hours worked equate to accomplishment?
I dug a little bit into recent statistics on productivity, both in the United States, and in various European countries. I found the numbers thought-provoking (okay, I am a bit of a geek). Various tables tell us the number of hours worked by the average worker, and the gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, a commonly used productivity metric. When combining these statistics, a fascinating tale is told. [Read more…]
Seven reasons why you can’t shut down your business and get a job — occupational revelational
You’ve had it. You are tired of banging your head against the wall every day trying to make a go of your business. Lately, you have taken to reading online job postings. You start dreaming of regular paychecks being directly deposited into your bank account. Maybe you could actually pay your credit card bill with something other than a cash advance check from another credit card offering. [Read more…]
What are the 10 mutable laws for entrepreneurial success? – Part 10
[This is the last installment in our series on this topic.]
Mutable law #10: Have a set of core principles for your business, and be mindful of when you step away from them.
Core principles are like the soul of your company. These are the foundational truths by which you perform your work and conduct yourself as an entrepreneur. [Read more…]
What are the 10 mutable laws for entrepreneurial success? – Part 7
[This is the next installment in our series on this topic.]
Mutable law #7: Hire your first employee (and any subsequent ones) only when you have no other choice.
Congratulations! Your business has done well. Youʼve grown your firm to the point where youʼre working way too many hours, but getting rewarded in that the revenue stream is steady and impressive. You feel you are ready to obtain help. This is a big decision for an entrepreneur.
So now you reach that question. Who do you hire? [Read more…]
What are the 10 mutable laws for entrepreneurial success? – Parts 3 & 4
[This is the third in our series on this topic.]
Mutable law #3: There is one secret to virtually every successful business.
You’ve seen the titles on books in your local bookstore or on library shelves. Perhaps you couldn’t sleep one night, and the half-hour infomercial proclaimed this loudly. Or, you even received a solicitous e-mail, flyer or similar communication from an information-seller. [Read more…]
What are the 10 mutable laws for entrepreneurial success? – Part 1
Every organization has at least one. Perhaps it could be as simple as a mission statement or a credo, or as complex as a policy manual or sacred text. Every grouping of humans since we learned to write, and possibly before, sets down thoughts for acceptable and unacceptable behaviors, aspirations or simply dreams. [Read more…]