I am drawn to people who have a zest for life, who walk down the street or into a room as if they’re seizing the day with both hands. A couple weeks ago I saw Neil Sedaka in concert. Neil was popular in the 1960s. He’s a songwriter and performer and to tell you the truth I didn’t think he
There were only 10 people in church
That’s how my father responded when I asked him how church was last Sunday. Ten people – in a church that would hold over 200. What in the world happened?
Being the founder doesn’t always equal being the president
Pete knew in college that he wanted to be a food scientist. He loved discovering new flavor formulas. After he graduated he worked days for “the man” at a big food producer and nights for himself developing specialty foods for hospitals. But years of double shifts began to wear Pete down. He dreamed of owning his own business and being
Want to double your profits? Work the levers.
Want to double your profits? Work the levers. I admit it, I listen to a lot of podcasts. They’re like mind-candy to me – always something new to learn. I stumbled across one recently that I’ve been thinking about ever since. It’s called The Seven Levers of Business.
If you ever meet a “Mike” – hire him!
It was late in the afternoon and my staff and I were trying to hold a much-needed status meeting in the front office. A man I’d never seen before (Mike) walked in and asked if he could fill out an application. The bookkeeper gave him an application on a clipboard; put him in the next office and we resumed our
How you interact with customers matters
I used to think that being able to leave a voice mail for a customer was the next best thing to talking to that person. I used to think that the convenience of being able to send an email to a customer at any time, day or night was efficient.
It’s hard to make wood with a dull saw
My father is an active, energetic 87 year old. One of the things he’s always done and still enjoys is “making wood”. He burns wood for heat and he sells a few cords as well. Dad has always taken good care of his saws. The blades on his chainsaws (he has five in all) get sharpened and oiled regularly. I
It was a rotten day on the range
You have to admit, Saturday was not a nice day. It was cold and it was wet. It was the kind of day to curl up with a good book and Grandma’s quilt. Unfortunately, that wasn’t in the cards for me. My husband and I spent the day at the Gopher Rifle & Revolver gun range in Harris scoring targets
Don’t Run Your Business the Way Some Idiots Drive
I spend a lot of time driving to appointments and meetings; lately it seems that more drivers are making dumb decisions on the road. Some of the decisions they make behind the wheel could be correlated to the way business owners run their companies. See if you agree. Driving 40 MPH when it’s snowing (Speed limit is 55, roads are