WHY DO YOU PAY MINIMUM WAGE?

Why do you pay minimum wage? This question is NOT a political statement and NOT even an economic one. By “minimum wage,” I refer to the compensation (e.g., hourly rate, salary, benefits, etc.) you pay to new employees. Minimum wage is a business strategy defined by your company, not just a reaction to regulation or…

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THE DISCIPLINE OF MARKET LEADERS

Successful businesses know precisely who their customers are, what they need, and how they want to receive their product or service. They also need to choose the correct strategy to maximize their value to the market. In The Discipline of Market Leaders, authors Michael Treacy and Fred Wiersema suggest that “No company can succeed today…

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AVOID IMPLEMENTING THE WRONG CULTURE

Management guru Peter Drucker famously said “Culture eats strategy for breakfast,” and the race was on for consultants and coaches to help companies implement a winning culture. There are many stories of successes, but there are even more failures, often due to pursuing the wrong culture. Here are three examples of implementing the wrong culture.…

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A MORE EFFECTIVE ELEVATOR SPEECH

We are all taught that an elevator speech is a crucial sales practice. A well-crafted elevator speech will concisely communicate (1) who you are, (2) what you are looking for, (3) the benefit you provide, and (4) do it within 30 seconds. The two biggest challenges I have with this old approach are that it…

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HERE’S HOW TO LEAD WITH OPTIMISM

As leaders, we truly earn our positions and paychecks when things are not going well – even touching on failure. In these times, it is essential to be a role model for the business. People want to follow a leader who keeps going and keeps them going and motivated. It is distressing and depressing for…

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ARE YOU READY FOR THE “GREAT RESIGNATION”?

As the economy continues to grow, experts are forecasting that as many as 30% of employees will voluntarily quit their jobs in 2021 (over 45 million people)!  The phenomenon is called “The Great Resignation.”  At first, I was skeptical about the projections, but the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported record job quits (almost 4…

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TRUE ENTREPRENEURS POSSESS AN AMAZING SUPERPOWER

True entrepreneurs possess an amazing superpower – a peculiar type of myopia that makes everything seem possible. The entrepreneur sees a gap, an inefficiency, an opportunity, and their passion fulfills the need better. Money is never their top priority.  The entrepreneur sees the goal so vividly all the problems and obstacles fade into the background. …

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COVID-19 IS NO LONGER A VALID BUSINESS EXCUSE

COVID-19 is no longer a valid business excuse. It is more than past time to move on. While today’s economy has not fully recovered, it is more than 90% there, and the momentum is more limited by a lack of supply and employment than demand. Economic factors have not all returned to pre-COVID levels, but…

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CULTURE IS PEOPLE

Culture is the beliefs and practices of a group. The group members agree to believe (or at a minimum) commit to behaving according to the culture. Culture is not the WHY the group exists (that is purpose) – it is the HOW. Culture is not the same as values. Rather they are the expression of…

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FIRST STEPS WITH DIGITAL MARKETING

Last week, I had a great conversation with Nimie Gill, a digital marketing expert and owner of Suncoast Web Marketing in Sarasota, Florida.   We discussed how to help small companies design and implement an effective digital marketing plan. The only thing worse than no digital marketing is weak digital marketing, where money is spent without a…

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