Early in my career I worked for Arcon Construction. The owner, Dean Johnson, told me how he’d built the highway/heavy construction company from nothing to a multi-million-dollar business. Knowing little about entrepreneurship, I commented, “You sure were lucky.” Dean was offended and responded, “You know what luck is? Luck is sweat applied to an opportunity.” I have never forgotten that lesson. Lucky people
Are you good at ignoring elephants?
I am often struck by comments people make when they miss an opportunity to speak up. “She knows I don’t like to reprimand people, so she pushes the rules a hair past the limit, knowing I won’t call her on it.” “Why does Harriet keep telling stories about people who’ve died from cancer. It upsets me. Doesn’t she remember my
How do you know if The Price is Right?
Harold owned a manufacturing company that shipped millions of parts to customers all over the country. One of his biggest customers demanded special packaging, just-in-time delivery, and small batch quantities. At the same time, they were paying late, aggressively negotiating prices, and taking discounts that had not been authorized. When quotes came in for next year’s orders, the buyer wrote
Where everybody knows your name
Boyceville, Wisconsin – my hometown. When my father was alive, I spent a weekend every month in Boyceville. Our Friday night ritual was to go for fish and chips at Buckshot’s Bar. We’d order while we watched people come in and greet each other by name. They would ask about the family, comment on the weather, and speculate on the
Are you the sharpest tack in the pack?
We’ve all had bosses we remember: sometimes they’re good memories and sometimes they’re not so good. One of my least pleasant bosses was John Sherman. Mr. Sherman (as he insisted he be called,) was intelligent and hardworking, but he had an Achillies heel; he always had to be right, and every idea had to be his. He owned a placement
On the edge of tomorrow
Here we stand, on the brink of another new year, peering over the edge trying to figure out what 2024 holds in store for us. If you read industry leaders like Seth Godin and Clay Hebert it becomes clear connections are important and why. Uber is the largest “taxi” company – yet they own no vehicles and excel at
December is lost only if you want it to be
Over the years, I’ve heard owners complain; “We might as well close down in December. No one’s mind is on their business; it’s all about the holidays”. Following that thinking means you can’t do business in January because no one has any money, summer’s bad because everyone is on vacation, spring and fall are bad because of school breaks and
It’s all good.
It was late in the day; the store was packed. All around me unhappy people were complaining about long lines and slow cashiers. The young woman behind me had only two items and a little girl in her cart. My cart was full, so I invited her to go ahead. “Thank you,” she smiled, “We don’t mind waiting; Emily and
Be Kind, Candid and Clear
Have you ever thought; “being in business would be so much more fun if I didn’t have to deal with people issues.” Suzanne has. She was referring to a long-term, valuable employee who took frequent smoke breaks, gossiped with other employees, and took two to four days off every month with little or no notice. Time off is covered by the company’s
Should you dust off your cape?
Halloween superhero costumes outsold princess costumes in 2022, the first time in 11 years! It was about time. Dressing up as a princess means little girls can wear a crown and a pretty dress. But princesses mostly wait around looking for someone else to solve their problems, like a knight on a white horse. They have no real power to change