Strategy
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.…
Read MoreI’M SEEKING 10 BUSINESS OWNERS WHO ARE TIRED OF PRETENDING THINGS ARE “FINE.”
I’m seeking 10 business owners who are tired of pretending things are “fine.” It is a common situation. More than one might think. Not always from the same cause, but for the same reason. For example: • The company is successful, but you are frustrated at the slowness or lack of growth. • The company…
Read MoreUSING AVATARS TO GROW YOUR BUSINESS
I ask business owners, “Who is a good customer for you?” I find that more than half answer some form of either “Everyone” or “Everyone who wants to buy what I provide.” Disappointing. If your answer is the same, your marketing activities are equally broad. And ineffective. A more effective method is target marketing. To…
Read MoreTHE REAL REASON COMPANIES DON’T GROW
After years of monthly conversations with dozens of business leaders and owners, unsurprisingly, one of the most common topics is about growth and how to grow. From these discussions, the single, most common reason many companies don’t grow has become evident. They don’t want to. Now those are not the exact words they use. Instead,…
Read MoreHERE’S HOW DAVID BECAME GOLIATH
At the end of 2012, T-Mobile found itself in a troubling situation. A planned merger with AT&T had just fallen through, leaving it the smallest of the four national providers (Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile). Compared with the top two brands, T-Mobile only had about 30% of the subscribers, weaker national coverage, and a consumer…
Read MoreTHE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO KNOW IN THIS ECONOMY
The most important thing to know in this economy is two-fold, “Who is my customer?” and “Why do they buy from me?” I know these are fundamental questions in any business, but the key is, things have changed. The pat answers that were true in March 2020 are now likely to have changed. And the…
Read MoreLET’S GET REAL. HOW CAN I HELP?
There are so many different organizations with different issues these days, and there is so much to write about, I thought I’d ask directly, “What is the top issue you are facing today?” Please respond by return email. I will keep all responses confidential. No individually identifiable information will be published. I will use the…
Read More5 THINGS A SUCCESSFUL PIVOT CAN IMPROVE (AND 3 IT CAN’T)
A pivot is a shift from a fixed point to gain an advantage. Essentially, a pivot is a change in strategy to focus the company on an existing internal strength or a gap in the market, it is equipped to meet. Here are 5 things a successful pivot can improve for your business. Target the…
Read MoreEMBRACING FAILURE
I was having lunch with a friend of mine. He asked, “Have you ever failed at anything?” “Yes,” I said. He seemed surprised, “I mean something really big, something that matters.” “Absolutely,” I said and gave him a couple of examples. My friend spent the rest of the meal trying to convince me that either…
Read MoreARE YOU READY TO PIVOT?
We’ve all heard “ready, aim, fire,” as the instructions for hitting a target. We often use it as a metaphor in business. The first stage is ready. What does it mean to be ready? In business, ready is preparation. Target is the goal setting. Fire is the execution of the plan. Consider target shooting as…
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