Create A Culture That Respects Money
“Men are divided between those who are as thrifty as if they would live forever and those who are as extravagant as if they were going to die the next day.” – Aristotle I am, as you know, a living depository of every negative, desultory, and deplorable habit ever devised…
READ MOREYour Business Is Like A Growing Country
“Stretch your foot to the length of your blanket.” – Persian proverb Think of your business as a small city-state in a vast wilderness. The wilderness is rich in potential but uncultivated. You understand its great possibilities. And you understand too that although it is now free to whoever grabs…
READ MOREWhat You Should and Shouldn’t Do About Sexual Harassment
“Even doubtful accusations leave a stain behind them.” Thomas Fuller, M.D. (Gnomologia, 1732) As a consultant, I sometimes get to look at business problems from a variety of perspectives. I hear one story from the boss, another from the “victim,” another from the “culprit,” and still another from the personnel…
READ MOREMy Resume Biz
Dear Early to Rise Reader, As we move into what my bones tell me will be a major and long-term recession, prudent Early Risers are quickly moving towards developing second incomes. While you have to work hard and well to keep the job you have (by making yourself indispensable …
READ MOREHow I Helped a Spanish-Speaking Immigrant Start a Profitable Business
It was one of those Christmas parties you don’t want to go to, but you force yourself to do it for business reasons. The conversation at the table that my fiancee Blanca and I were sitting at was all about the jobs people these people had. None of them were…
READ MOREThe Economy Is Definitely Slowing
“By trying we can easily learn to endure adversity. Another man’s, I mean.” – Mark Twain (Following the Equator, 1897) At the peak of the economic boom in the fourth quarter of 1999, unemployment was at its lowest level in a generation. More to the point, perhaps, the gross number…
READ MOREHow To Overcome Gender Bias On The Job
“In the nineteenth century, government agencies in Washington had, almost without exception, flatly refused to hire even one female.” – David Brinkley (Washington Goes to War, 1988) On the plane the other day, I overhead a conversation between two women. One was complaining about her job, her boss, her fellow…
READ MOREShould You Train Your Employees?
“A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.” – Henry Adams (The Education of Henry Adams, 1907) According to a study of 1,600 businesses, companies that train their employees “are able to promote internal candidates almost a third of the time, compared to only a fifth…
READ MOREGroup Compensation For Maximum Performance, Teamwork, and Teaching
“All that we do is done with an eye to something else.” – Aristotle (Nicomachean Ethics, 4th century B.C.) If you’ve spent any time managing a business, you’ve spent time wondering about compensation and performance: What is the best way to pay employees? If you want to get the most…
READ MOREBefore You Let That Mediocre (Or Poor) Employee Go…
“Perhaps nobody ever accomplishes all that he feels lies in him to do; but nearly every one who tries his powers touches the walls of his being occasionally, and learns about how far to attempt to spring.” – Charles Dudley Warner (Backlog Studies, 1873) The secret to having a top-notch…
READ MOREAutomatic Billing: A Profitable Strategy No One Talks About
“Human nature is above all things — lazy.” – Harriet Beecher Stowe (Household Papers and Stories, 1864) When we talk about the emotional aspects of selling, we often speak of our customer’s greed and fear — but never of his laziness. But laziness — usually your enemy — can sometimes…
READ MOREMake Your Product a Little Better and Charge a Lot More
“Goodwill is the one and only asset that competition cannot undersell or destroy.” – Marshall Field The fastest way to gain market share is to sell a popular product at a below-market price. But it’s a tough game to play. You need the financial resources to pull it off and…
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