Over the past couple of decades, I have started several businesses; some have worked, and some have not. Even those ventures falling short of expectations provided an excellent learning experience. In other words, I didn’t see much revenue, but I learned what not to do in the future. Business ownership is not for everyone, to… Read More »
I was getting a haircut at a local barbershop here in San Antonio, and was amused by a hearty and energetic conversation among the barbers. One barber, a man in his 50s, went on a date over the weekend, and he talked about how gentlemanly he was with his lady friend. He opened the door… Read More »
Avoid thinking that you need to do all the work for your company. One major weakness of many business owners is the need to control all aspects of the operation. The successful entrepreneur, however, adopts a different strategy. To make a business grow exponentially, you must focus on the key result areas (KRAs), and delegate… Read More »
I received a call today about a colleague who lost his job working at a major oil and gas company. Interestingly, everyone knew him to be an excellent employee, and he often worked on global assignments. During the past couple of years he even earned an Executive MBA. Regardless, today, he is out of a… Read More »
When living in Houston, I was fortunate to work for Prudential where I sold both insurance and investment products. As part of the training, I learned the power of lead generation. That lesson has made a tremendous difference in increasing my annual earnings. The formula itself is easy, but sticking with the process is what… Read More »
A friend recently invited me to a wedding between a couple who were both marrying for the second time. The Catholic ceremony was modest and attended mostly by those who knew the bride (Martha) and groom (Daniel) well. After the exchange of the vows, the couple organized an early dinner with drinks and music at… Read More »
As a business owner, I am interested in learning how organizations are using fewer resources to do more work. In other words, I want to learn a simple and straightforward methodology to apply in my organization that will yield long-term results. I am not looking for a shortcut, but rather a proven set of steps… Read More »
In 1789, Benjamin Franklin wrote: “In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” For the sake of time, let’s skip death and taxes for now. From my standpoint, the conversation regarding mobile technologies is more appealing. We are more mobile today than ever before. While email has… Read More »
When determining how to treat our customers, you must begin by doing something simple: ask them what is important to them. While this might seem elementary, it’s surprising how often this advice is ignored. It’s erroneous to believe that customers are mostly concerned about price. While the cost of the product or service plays an… Read More »
The goal for any project manager is to deliver the project on schedule, within budget, and to the customer’s satisfaction. To have a successful project, you must work with the customer throughout the life of the project. Avoid hoping and praying the customer will accept the final deliverable. #1 Know Your Customer Every customer is… Read More »