(Time to read this Blog article is about 60 seconds) Managing any business today is tough…and getting tougher.  We’re all faced with more demanding customers, more and stronger competition, increased complexity and disruption, and shrinking margins.  Whatever product or service you sell, your market is overserved and under-differentiated.  Mediocrity is no longer an option!  We […]

(Time to read this Blog article is about 60 seconds) One of the biggest myths in business today is that there’s no such thing as customer loyalty anymore.  The truth is that people are loyal, fiercely loyal, to what’s best for them…or what they assume is best for them.  That’s it! So, first we must […]

(Time to read this Blog article is about 45 seconds) While speaking at a Conference recently, I did a series of 30-minute 1-on-1 biz coaching sessions.  One of my coaching ‘customers’, we’ll call him George, runs an auto recycling yard for a boss who he has not seen in six months.   The head office, where […]

(Time to read this article is about 90 seconds) Clients around the world keep telling me that running a business today is 10 times tougher than it used to be…and in many ways they’re right.  We all have more demanding customers, more and stronger competition, increased complexity, shrinking margins, and the challenge of attracting and […]

(Time to read this Blog section is about 60 seconds) Whatever happened to our ‘Do Not Call List’?  In October, 2003 the Canadian Government launched a national ‘Do Not Call List’ program.  Fifteen years later I still receive as many unsolicited calls offering to clean our carpets, fix our computers or reduce our mortgage as […]

(Time to read this article is about 60 seconds) Creativity and innovation are ‘hot topics’ right now, and I applaud that.  But, in the end, it’s boring, unsexy ‘process’ that actually gets things done.  Even ‘creativity’ is often a process.  Sometimes it’s just dumb luck or a sudden flash of brilliance…but, often, it’s a process. Most […]

In today’s hyper-competitive world, you have 4 clear competitive choices.  Pick one: Offer exclusive or extraordinary products, services or experiences that make it not all about price. Make it all about price and then develop the business model and world-class operating efficiency required to win the price war profitably. Offer quality products and / or […]

(Time to read this Blog article is about 90 seconds) I’m reminded of this important topic by the recent decision of the Toronto School Board to loosen their student dress code standards to allow tank tops, tube tops, bare midriffs, bare backs, pajamas and onesies to be worn to school.  Apparently, “letting it all hang […]

(Time to read this important Blog article is about 2.5 minutes) Note:  This Blog is especially important for business owners and family businesses.       Most business owners think of themselves as being in a particular industry or geographic market, good or bad, rather than thinking of themselves as investors who are currently invested in a particular […]

(Time to read this important Blog article is about 2 minutes) Employee engagement is one of the hottest topics in business today…and so it should be.  Extensive surveys by Gallup Research show that only 30% of U.S. employees are engaged at work, and a staggeringly low 13% worldwide are engaged.  Gallup’s research also shows that 70% of […]