Tag Archives: Business Plan

08 Feb

The Problem With Small Business

There are 8.1 Million Small Businesses in America today.  They employ over half of all private-sector workers and almost 40% of those in High Tech jobs (approximately 130 million workers).  They provide between 60% and 80% of all net new jobs annually.  They produce more than half of all non-farm private gross domestic profit in the US (roughly $6 Trillion).    Small Business is important.

Unfortunately, within five years of opening, according to the SBA, almost 90% of all these businesses fail. These business owners are usually very good at what they do, manufacturing something, providing a service, etc.  What many of them lack is the know-how to manage all aspects of the day to day operations of that business.  The high failure rate is due to the very real fact that they do not have the training, education, knowledge, or experience to do it all.  To be successful, they must do it all and do it well.  How do we accomplish that?

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18 Jan

Why Would Any Business Owner Not Want To Grow?

I am sometimes a bit surprised when I hear from Business Owners that they do not want to grow their business.  I can be fairly competitive, and hearing someone say that they are happy with their business at the size it is now causes me to stop and wonder.  Why would any business owner not want to grow their business?

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21 Dec

Becoming an Entrepreneur

Becoming an Entrepreneur is easy.  You decide you are good at something or have something people want.  You start a business, and they come to buy what you have or do.  It is that simple.

Not exactly as that reality probably happens to about 1 in several million. For the rest of us, it is a bit more challenging.

So what do you do if you want to be an Entrepreneur?

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23 Nov

Leaders and Entrepreneurs – Good Storytellers

Leaders and Entrepreneurs must be good storytellers.  They have to be so that they can realize the dreams and goals they have for their business, product or service.  I met a local Entrepreneur.  A young one at that.  At least to me, he was young as he had not yet reached his 20th Birthday. He was sent to me for advice regarding his new business venture.  As I sat in the local Coffee Shop, I watched him, and his product walk toward me.  He was excited, and you could tell that by looking at him.

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16 Nov

The Lead Generation Trap

As a business owner and also as someone who helps businesses grow, I often see very questionable actions taken on the part of business owners or presented to them.   Sometimes they are rather innocuous or expensive.  Sometimes a play on words without substance attracts a business owner and like a fish drawn to a lure, they strike.  Thousands of dollars in worthless marketing goes out the window.  I say out the window because those spending the money cannot describe or identify the slightest accurate return on those dollars.  I cannot call that Return on Investment because as it turns out…it wasn’t an investment.  This is very true for those who buy into the hype surrounding lead generation and the promises of many many leads for the business.  In these instances, the business owner  just fell for the “Lead Generation  Trap”

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