I hope that everyone is doing well and having more fun than I am at this moment. I am currently at the computer, working on bookkeeping late at night. While QuickBooks is far from my favorite pastime, it is a necessary evil of life as a small business owner. And while I may rather jab myself in the eye with a …
The Complete Product (Part 2)
Note: This post is the second of a two-part article. Click here to read part one. A complete product. What do we mean when we say that our business has a complete product? This means that our product is not only profitable enough to sustain (and grow) our business, but it also helps our business and our customers in many ways. …
The Complete Product
In business, our success is tied to our ability to juggle our numerous responsibilities, ensuring that many different things come together at once. The main thing that you must have, the one thing that no business can survive without, is a product that is ready for public consumption. The simple fact that you have a product, however, does not guarantee success. While …
Expecting the Unexpected
I hope that this post finds everyone in good health. Today I wanted to talk about a near-miss that I had on my morning commute. I was traveling east on a two-lane interstate, and traffic was not too bad, so I was going (about) the posted speed limit of 70mph. As I was approaching a major off-ramp, there were vehicles in the right …
Effective Communication
I hope that everyone is having a good day and doing something that they enjoy. I, on the other hand, just finished an eight-hour re-certification class for my pest control licenses. While our jobs mandate that we must attend continuing education classes on a regular basis (to keep our license), the benefit and knowledge that we gain from these classes …
Unnecessary Boredom; How I Lost Five Hours of my Life
I hope that everyone is having a wonderful day! Today I would like to touch on a subject that is near and dear to to hearts of business people everywhere: lessening liability in our businesses. I recently spent an arduous five hours in a state board of home inspectors meeting, listening while an inspector was “raked over the coals” for …
Why Morals Matter More Than Money
As I am always trying to expand my mental database of home inspection knowledge (which is a good thing), I belong to a few different forums where home inspectors gather to discuss issues and share ideas (which is something that I highly recommend to all inspectors). Recently, an inspector with about 10 years’ experience posted a rant about being approached by …
The Gig Economy. Growing Your Business One Referral at a Time
Every generation seems to have its own new words and catch phrases. One of today’s hot ideas is the “gig economy.” The website Investopedia.com describes the gig economy as having temporary, flexible jobs and employers who gravitate to these freelance type workers instead of full-time employees. The gig economy is responsible for many of the benefits of modern life, such as Uber …
Planning to Fail
At every level of engagement in your life, from business and personal relationships to the cellphone that is in your pocket, you will experience an event that can be termed a failure. Your business will encounter hardship, someone that you care for will be hurt and your cellphone will die an untimely death (maybe in a toilet, Eddie). But, we live …
Never Stop Getting Better. How To Keep Your Place at the Top.
The market for used eclipse sunglassesIt doesn’t matter how many you have.It doesn’t matter how much you paid for them.It doesn’t matter how long the line was yesterday…The market is gone. It’s a sunk cost. Falling in love with what you have and reminding yourself of what it cost you is no help at all.The same goes for the value …