The Wall St. Journal sponsored a series of video interviews with executives to probe some of their "leadership lessons".The 90 second monologue by Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft about how he budgets his time is an interesting and unique approach to making sure that your meetings and tasks fit into…
The Obama Administration is considering additional assistance for struggling small businesses. A large part of the focus is on creating additional liquidity for small businesses. Among the ideas is a direct underwriting program to support loans to small business. You can read more about it here.
Business Week's recent article seems to think so. More than 100,000 companies—about one in every 270 American businesses—have landed in bankruptcy court since the downturn began 18 months ago, according to data compiled by Oklahoma City-based Jupiter eSources. One suggestion is that banks and creditors have little patience during this…
A recent WSJ article focused on a few small businesses who are finding that aggressive pricing, the death spiral that usually befalls struggling companies, can also be used to create new customers. It's not just about dropping prices ... it's being innovative about how to tailor your product and service…
I have written several posts lately about the value of business plans and the nature of the pitch to raise money.The MIT Sloan Management Review weighs in with a new article Why Business Plans Don't Deliver which offers some ideas about how to avoid the common pitfalls.In short, the article…
“Where are we” is a question I hear all the time.
Usually, the questioner is looking for some answers about the business landscape and where we might be in the trough between recession and recovery.
A challenging question but one that usually prompts a series of my questions:
Where are you, and how well are you and your company prepared for the rest of this journey?
Make sure that you have a foolproof system that holds your team accountable so that they know … that you know … what they need to get done, and that you’re measuring and tracking those initiatives to make sure they don’t slip through the cracks.
How have you gotten this far? (more…)
Angels invested more than $19 Billion in 2008 according to the Center for Venture Research at the University of New Hampshire. The NY Times published an article today reporting the resuls ... what many of us have been saying all along: THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR PREPARATION! Authenticity is more…
As you know, I have long advocated the value of independent directors in the middle market. They bring perspective and diversity to family businesses in particular, and more subtly, help keep the conversation focused on business issues rather than emotional ones.
The SEC is now proposing for comment, landmark changes that will allow small groups of shareholders to force the addition of independent directors. (more…)
For you valuation junkies out there, it's kind of a hoot to hear The Donald talk about how he values companies and his interest in them in an interview with the Wall St. Journal. My favorite is his "mental projections", his own legerdemain for how he takes into account various…