It is a common question when investors review their retirement planshould we include social security benefits into our retirement income projections?It seems the closer an investor is to retirement, the more likely he/she will include social security benefits into the analysis. Younger investors, however, may feel compelled to omit such benefits. They must then become mavericks on the retirement front. The choice is yours, but before you...more
Do you ever wonder why some people seem to get all the lucky breaks in business while others struggle to barely get by? They seem to be in the right place at the right time. Fact is, maybe they're not at the right place at the right time; maybe they just know how to make things "happen." As a business advisor I often see people begin and end a business before they have given it a chance to grow. For some reason, they seem to think that all they...more
Branding is one hot topic, although it is wildly misunderstood. To make things even more confusing, branding is often tossed in the same basket as marketing which makes its application to an entrepreneur or sole-practioner even more unclear.While out speaking on branding, the question that I hear most is "How do I know if my business or service is brand material?" With businesses opening left and right, and more and more closing each year, I'm glad there are smart business owners open to understanding the issue.If you've found yourself asking the same thing, don't worry you're not alone. Perhaps, this can shed some light.At a recent luncheon, the same question came up again in a different way. I was seated next to an attorney whose sole practice focuses on elder abuse cases, he asked me in rapid succession (a manner that showed me he'd be great in court):"Isn't branding for businesses that make a lot of stuff?""Doesn't branding apply only if you want to sell a lot of stuff?""Isn't branding pointless for my kind of business?"Smiling, I fired back, "yes, yes, and... no".Yes, branding is most often associated with businesses that make a lot of stuff. Yes, branding is advantageous if...more
Starting Your New Home Business The Right Way Once you have made the initial preparations for starting up your home business, it is time to think about getting a little discipline. I don't mean that in any salacious sort of way: we are not talking about chastisement involving pain and leather goods. If you are entertaining this kind of idea, you...more
The seven essentials of business communicationThere are seven essential elements to successful business communication: Structure Clarity Consistency Medium Relevancy Primacy/Recency Psychological Rule of 7±2If you are going to communicate effectively in business it is essential that you have a solid grasp of these seven elements.So let's look at...more
Everyday someone asks me, "How do you start a pet-sitting business?" I try to answer their question succinctly. But the truth is, starting a pet-sitting business, or any business is not always a succinct process. Following are 21 tips that I know can lead to pet-care business success in any economy.1. Accept what you don't know. Not everyone who starts a pet-care business is an expert on every type of household pet. Be honest with clients who call requesting care for a pet you've never cared for. Your honesty and commitment to learning from them will go a long way in building long-term trust in you and your company. 2. Commit to learning about business. Unless you've run a series of successful small businesses before, you must create a self-education plan for yourself. No matter how much you love animals (and they love you) your business will flounder without attention to the mundane details of accounting, sales, marketing and filing.3. Have a realistic budget. Set up a realistic budget for running your business. Be honest about how much money you need in order to pay your bills and invest in your business. Many pet-sitting businesses close because the owner did not evaluate how...more
Like human nature over time, the power of good public relations remains the same. Whether you are a manager working for a business, a non-profit or an association, at some point, you will want, or need to create outside stakeholder behavior change...more
We've all heard about certain ways to cut your grocery bill like avoiding the grocery store when you're hungry, using coupons on double coupons day, and buying only the items on your list. These are all good tips and we should keep using them. ...more
You excitedly signed up for that pre-made money generating website you saw in a popbehind window. You signed up for the affiliate IDs. You set up your autoresponder and signed up for several "traffic generators". You read the writings of all the...more
My experience working with thousands of leaders world wide for the past two decades teaches me that most leaders are screwing up their careers. On a daily basis, these leaders are getting the wrong results or the right results in the wrong ways....more
Each year, businesses write-off six percent of revenue to waste, fraud and abuse. But why would managers throw all that hard-earned money away when there is a reliable way to eliminate waste, fraud and abuse using accounting policies & procedures to...more
Dear Friend and Subscriber: I'd like to extend you a warm welcome to the first issue of my Quantum Leap Advantage®4® Internet Newsletter. From time to time this newsletter, in addition to exposing you to well-tested and proven precepts to make your...more