As a Business Strategist, all of my clients inevitably hear the question, ?and what do we hope to accomplish by this??  Many of the business leaders I initially work with tend to work in terms of what is immediately in front of them rather than looking at the big picture.  Many people have labeled this ?working in the business, rather than on the business.?  Others might say that many business owners ?can?t see the forest because of all of the trees.? You might ask why that is,... Read Full Story

Is your marketing really working? How do you know? Are those pens you are handing out really making an impression? Is the time you spend on Twitter and other social medias paying off? Are your endless networking meetings paying off? How do you know? This has been one of the challenges put before business owners and marketers, given that there are so many factors that contribute to marketing, and so many different effects different types of contacts have on different audiences. This is an... Read Full Story

***********************************************U.S. Small Business Administration -- News Release -- *********************************************** Release Date:  September 29, 2009     Contact: David J. Hall (202) 205-6697Release Number: 09-66    Internet Address: http://www.sba.gov/news SBA Extends Gulf Opportunity Pilot Loan Program through September 2010 Measure to benefit businesses affected by Hurricanes Katrina, Rita WASHINGTON- The U.S. Sma... Read Full Story

Every business has needs that must be met in order for the organization to survive.  However, identifying those needs is not enough; we, as business leaders, need to understand the business's priorities.  The items that tend to be urgent are not always the ones that are important, and many important tasks are not perceived as urgent, and get overlooked.  Prioritizing the needs of the business will help you, the business leader, address the right need at the right time. The firs... Read Full Story

It seems like, when running a business, there are a million things that need to be done at any moment: employees need to get paid, vendors are dropping off new products, there is a leak in the bathroom and oh, yeah, you have to take care of your customers.  Often times, when managing the fires, leaders tend to focus on what is right in front of them at the moment ? those things that are urgent.  Makes sense, right? But how many of those ?urgent? things are actually important? ... Read Full Story

From the Desk of Rick Meekins Hello!!  We are approaching the fourth Quarter of 2009!  Question for you:  What obstacles are keeping you from getting where you want to be? Here's a great story:  The Obstacle in Our Path...In ancient times, a king had a boulder placed on a roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the king's wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it...[click here for the rest o... Read Full Story

Anyone can get into business.or so they say.  Staying in business, however, is the challenge.  The Small Business Administration provides figures that suggest that roughly 20% of business last more than 10 years.  Of course, some of these businesses merge with or acquired by other firms.  Others, still, might be franchises that are assumed by other companies.  Natural, economic and personal events impact even more.   None the less, most businesses that start... Read Full Story

Running your business often means you don?t have time to skim through thousands of articles around the web.  That?s understandable.  As a business leader, however, information is invaluable so that you can make good decisions and drive your company to be all that it can be.  We?ve captured some of these articles for your viewing pleasure.  Please credit the authors independently. The 5 Stages for Achieving Innovation Through Sustainability By Jim Witkin | September 8th, 20... Read Full Story

How do you know you're a leader?  "Well, if you look behind you, you will find people following you!" says author and Dean at Regent University, Bruce Winston, PhD in his CD "Tabletalk".  He goes on to say, " if nobody is following you, then you aren't a leader.  It's as simple as that." If you want people to follow you, they need to know that you can make GREAT DECISIONS!  Does that mean that all of them will be right?  No!  Must they all make sense?  Yes!&... Read Full Story

Presented to ACIBN August 12, 2009 When making decisions for your company, you need to have four things: 1.  A Passion for Possibilities 2.  A Commitment to Priorities 3.  Relevant Information 4.  The Courage to Assume Risk In part two of ?Leading the Organization that Survives,? I?ll talk about the need for gathering good information and how to do it, and risk: assessing it, determining how to manage it and making your decision. Enjoy!  Any comments or feedback are ... Read Full Story