Category Archive

John Nese’s business was going broke. His family-owned grocery store was being eaten alive by grocery chains. So when a woman called looking for a unique mint soda, he saw an opportunity. Today John’s store, Galco’s Soda Pop Stop, sells every imaginable soda from around the world. Business is good. John Nese was willing to adapt, here are other examples: Slack was initially

The purchasing manager’s office wall was peppered with quotes on colored postcards. There were quotes about quality, pricing and appreciation. He enthusiastically explained that a supplier sends a quote-card every month as a thank you for doing business with them. He enjoys sharing them. What is it about you, your company or your product/service that would elicit such a positive

After all the planning, research, and saving Darcy has accomplished her life-long dream, she owns a coffee shop in a small town. In order to share the entrepreneurial experience with young people who might one day open their own business, she contacted high school counselors for potential employees. At last, the staff was hired and trained, the coffee was ready

There are two kinds of people in the world – the mess-makers and the mess-fixers. Mess makers come in all shapes and sizes; their intentions may or may not be good. Some know they are manipulative, but others are merely trying to control their world. A young parent demands the grandparents care for the baby regardless of their own plans.

In a recent Raven Roundtable a member shared, “A long-term employee just quit.” A chorus of sympathetic groans rose from around the table. Good employees are hard to find and losing a valued, long-term staff member can be hard. However, conversation around the table pointed out several possible advantages. Employees who quit aren’t always the high performers. This is the

It could happen to you. A crucial member of your staff leaves. Now what? A Roundtable member was faced with that dilemma. Replacing the employee would have been the logical choice; it would have filled out the team and made customers feel better. It would have been business as usual. But this member had read the book Multiplication by Subtraction by Shannon

How often do you come across an ad that seems too good to be true? The saying “the devil is in the details or the fine print” cautions us to be wary. When you open a bank account, log onto a website, sign up for a “free” app or a new cell phone, you agree to terms spelled out in the fine

Walking across a parking lot last week I spied a penny on the ground. I picked it up. Picking coins up off the ground has been a long-standing habit for me. Money is money, whether it’s a penny, a quarter, or a dollar. Not everyone feels the same. Friends with me have said everything from “A penny is not worth the

Life is filled with decisions. Some small: what will I have for breakfast? Some more serious and long-term: Where should I invest for my future? Some decisions are profound and life changing such as getting married, having children, entering the military or changing careers. The decisions that change your life forever are called vampire decisions. In her book “Transformative Experience”  L. A. Paul

We have all had them – a day that starts bad and gets worse: The dog wouldn’t come in which made you late for work. In a hurry and fumbling for keys, you drop your phone on the driveway and crack the screen. Your boss/foreman/assistant looks like she’s in a sour mood as you walk by. Then lunch rolls around,