One of my best business associates and I used to laugh at the guys who cut corners and squeezed their vendors for every penny. Now he's just tried to do the same thing to me. Any ideas? Chasing work at...
Letting go becomes more important than stepping in to get things right - and that seems so wrong! My employees tell me that I get too involved in things they're doing. My problem is this: I see they could do...
I'm concerned. I have people who can do projects, but they're not doing enough to make the projects shine. It's easy for business owners to get frustrated when they see employees not achieving their best. Owners need to draw the...
"My employees get busy working in the back of our retail shop and then don’t answer the phone or help out up front. How can I get the point across that we all have to take care of customers. Customers...
"We’ve done a great job cost-cutting. We’re making bigger profits than ever, even though sales are down 12 percent. Should we keep focusing on profits and stay away from growth?" Taking a pause to economize can be a useful and...
"One of my staffers gets so many calls from other employees requesting help that he can’t concentrate on his work. He’s getting stressed about the work piling up on his desk. So am I, because I’m his backup and I...
“We've been cleaning up and simplifying how we do things. We're not at the point where we can pull a college student in and say, "Here's how you do this." Is it worth continuing to simplify, and if so,...
"My nature is to be easygoing. I've been told that as a small business owner that's not good. I do find that sometimes my guys will be like me - laid-back and easygoing, not so accountable. Any suggestions?" Our...
"I'm afraid that I've been too lax with a vendor's delay. It seems the vendor prioritized others over us as they got busier. The whole experience was especially frustrating because the vendor kept promising us, and then didn't hit...