Pay Yourself First
Many financial advisers recommend sticking to a budget. By categorizing expenses and limiting spending, they argue, you can have enough left over every month to save money and grow rich…
READ MORE10 Words to Close Any Sale
A simple 10-word question. That’s all you need to increase sales, close deals, and cement profitable relationships with clients and customers.
READ MOREFinancial Word of the Week: Bailout
With all of the turmoil in the financial industry, one word that keeps making the rounds is “bailout.” So here’s what you need to know…
READ MOREA Message From Someone Who Cares
“We care about you and are concerned that you may have been impacted by the recent weather. If we can be of any help, please call.”
READ MOREA Phone Call That You Need to Make
The average American has at least one credit card and carries a balance of more than $1,700. Faced with mounting minimum payments on their cards and shrinking monthly budgets, what is a consumer to do? Answer: Call your credit card company and negotiate a lower interest rate.
READ MOREDress for Success?
My eighth-grade teacher was a tyrant. Seventh-graders shook in their proverbial boots knowing that they were about to face MISS ZIMMER…
READ MOREWhy Two-Headed Businesses Grow Faster
The popular image of the successful entrepreneur is that of a hardworking risk taker who acts on his own. The reality is different. Successful entrepreneurs work hard, but they are not risk takers and they seldom act alone.
READ MOREPreferred Shares Aren’t Just for the Pros
One of the more unpopular asset classes right now is a stock/bond hybrid called preferred shares. While they’re called shares, they have more in common with bonds. Preferred shares have a par value, coupon, and maturity date, just like bonds. And the nice thing about them is that common shareholders don’t get a penny in dividends or distributions until preferred shareholders are paid off.
READ MOREKnow Who Your Audience Is!
When I was younger, I loved watching Who’s the Boss. One episode still stands out for me. Though the details may have become muddled with time, here’s the gist of it: Housekeeper Tony takes a class on advertising from ad exec Angela. His assignment? To come up with a commercial selling laundry detergent.
READ MOREThe Secret to Selling the Rights to Products
Obtaining and selling the rights to products can be very profitable for entrepreneurs, even those with little or no capital.
READ MOREInvesting and Crystal Vases
A few months ago, my wife and I celebrated our 15th anniversary. Over the years, I have tried to stick to the traditional gifts for anniversaries. For year 15, that means crystal.
READ MOREAre You Open With Your Marketing Interactions?
The Johari Window is a cognitive psychology tool that was named after its two creators, Joseph Luft and Harry Ingham (“Jo + Hari”). It is used to help people understand their interpersonal relationships. But I’ve found this model to be especially useful for analyzing business interactions between entrepreneurs and their prospects or customers…
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