The Staying Power of Survivors

survivor trees

When new markets arise, there are always copycats that take an original idea and capitalize on it. Look at the second and fifth movers that are copying Square on merchant payments. They could have started much earlier on this concept, but Square simplified the process, worked with the thick … [Read more...]

Have Better Customer Relationships By Not Getting Shopped

applesandoranges

There are different types of customers. Some truly do value high performance and can recognize value and are more than glad to exchange cash for services. There are some customers that want everything above board and explicit on every deal. They exchange cash for services in more of a regimented … [Read more...]

Would You Spend $50 To Win A Customer?

A small investment can pay off.

I love dinner parties. I like meeting new people and having conversations that vary across all kinds of niches. It's a place to meet new and interesting people and enjoy the hospitality of friends. One of the things that I also like doing is picking up an appropriate gift to bring. We all know it … [Read more...]

Finding Niches For Your Survival

stand out talent

There has been well-chronicled commentaries about the life span of new businesses and how fast things change. A large amount of startups will not last more than five years, much less a year. Most people have also worked at their job for less than five years. So employment survival in one place is … [Read more...]

Coaching For Leadership

IMG_1762

I have truly enjoyed a pastime in raising my kids by coaching them. My eleven-year-old boy has been through 15 seasons of soccer. Watching him from his very start to the competitive intensity of games today has been pure joy as a dad and coach. I can see similar pleasure from the many parents I … [Read more...]

Raise the Bar to Outsmart Your Competitors

raising bar competition

  Dealing with copycats can be frustrating in our hyper connected world. I have had more than my share of copycats in my work and they come in all forms. The funny thing is to witness how someone might copy a tool I use or try and match appearances, but this can fall short. You still … [Read more...]

Automate the Process

automatebusiness

One of the nagging points of running a business is identifying when to automate. There is always a manual way of getting work done and if you are not careful you can adopt a habit that is hard to break. Without realizing it, you are working slower than your competition that has chosen to … [Read more...]

Ideas are Easy

impossible

I am not so sure great ideas are what they used to be. With millions of people connected now there are numerous ideas that float around. They are easy to put out there. You can just browse Kickstarter to see what people are thinking about doing and what people are putting their dollars towards to … [Read more...]

Playing The Game of Cause and Effect

causeandeffect

Every day we face the blank page, it's hard to know whether we are doing the right things at the right time. All the choices we have as well as all the noise which intrudes on our lives can create a lot of angst. Sometimes it's easier to simply be reactive. Put yourself in a place where someone else … [Read more...]

Make it Look Easy For Yourself

trapezeartists

When you know your craft with a high level of expertise, then you don't have the wasted motions or apparent exertions that a novice might otherwise display. That's what a writer, engineer or skilled attorney all feel among many expert professions. They have done their craft so many times that their … [Read more...]