Work Ethic, Not Talent Or Experience Best Predictor Of Success
I had an interesting experience while building my wood shop these last few weeks. I got a bid from a framer for $3,000 to frame and sheet the whole thing (40 X 50.) That’s a great price and I knew...
View ArticleProfit Is Not A Dirty Word
Somewhere, somehow, people in our government and in our society have gotten the idea that profit is somehow wrong. They would tell you that those who make a profit are “in it only for the money.” I’d...
View ArticleNo Lack Of Opportunity
Well, winter has officially come to the Yellowstone eco-system. We’ve been having snow (a skiff at a time) almost every day for two or three weeks. But today looks like real winter. The color of the...
View ArticleMuch Happens You’re Unaware Of
I got a call today from a man who was interested in a business I had been working on. He had spoken to someone who knows me reasonably well and another person with whom I am acquainted. While neither...
View ArticleThe Best Price Is Not Always The Best Deal
If I’ve learned anything in my career, it’s that the best price is not always the best deal. In fact, I’d say it’s seldom the best deal. What so many people fail to realize is that price is less than...
View ArticleKilling The Goose
Like most of you, I watch with horror and frustration as those who “know better” than us make rules, raise taxes, enact legislation, and create entitlements that will cripple small business for...
View ArticleAdd Value To Maximize Return On Investment
I talked to a man the other day who has cows — Jersey milk cows to be precise. As part of his desire to be self sufficient, he wants to open a dairy. he lives just a couple of miles from the creamery...
View ArticleWhat’s With These Guys?
As I sit to write this, it’s 11:00 a.m. and still 8 degrees below zero. We’re looking for a high that will not reach zero today. It would be pretty discouraging if you didn’t have the right gear....
View ArticleThoughts For The New Year
As we face the prospects of another new year, we lament with Dickens, “It is the best of times and it is the worst of times.” In many ways, things have never been better in the entire history of the...
View ArticleAdapt Or Die
There’s no question these are difficult times in which we live. There’s no question (at least in my mind) things for the business community in general are going to get a lot worse. And for those...
View ArticleWho Controls Your Destiny?
I got a call from a young friend the other day. He indicated he’d finished his education, been certified as a CPA and had worked in public accounting for 2 – 3 years. He felt like he was ready to...
View ArticleSupply And Demand
I got a call from my son the other day. He is a professional horse trainer and his world revolves around how many people call him to train their horses. He said, “I don’t know what to do. I have...
View ArticleWho Do You Trust?
I had an interesting conversation with a friend the other day. He runs a good sized company and is very successful. He’s also new in his position and is having the growing pains that come with taking...
View ArticlePost Length
My personal bent is to write longer posts with more information. If you have a comment on the length of the posts on this blog, let me know. There’s no need to write longer posts if you don’t have...
View ArticleWould You Bet Your Business On This Person?
I often wonder what people were thinking when they hired some of their employees. You’ve had the experience. You go into a store, and try to buy something, and the salesperson is rude, bored,...
View ArticleIf You Already Know It All, Don’t Read This
I’m going to go against the grain here, a little bit, and say most businesses fail because their leaders and managers already know everything. I know. I know. You’ve heard from everyone else, that...
View ArticleBurnout
When I was in high school, burnout was something you did in your dad’s big old oldsmobile with the 455 rocket engine that left two big black marks for hundreds of feet down the road. Today it’s used...
View ArticleAssumptions Are Not Facts
I always wonder about people who are certain they’ve got it all figured out. I recall speaking to a couple of entrepreneurs who were about to launch an ambitious business. They were confident and...
View ArticleNothing Happens In Business Until The Sale Is Made
The old axiom in business that nothing happens until the sale is made has always been true. You can have the best accountants, the best manufacturing people, the best HR people, the best warehouse...
View ArticleBeing Who You Say You Are
I observed a transaction the other day I thought was significant. A customer had called a rental business and agreed to rent some equipment. Because of the volume of equipment the customer was going...
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