About a year ago, I had an opportunity to have dinner with the CEO of an engineering startup company in Pennsylvania. As we discussed engineering design matters over Chinese food, he took a few moments to talk about his business philosophy. "As far as I'm concerned," he told me, "if a product is good enough, then it's perfect." He explained that in his view, product improvements should only be performed with the specific goal of increasing sales....more
Too many businesses wait until a crisis occurs before they start to focus on improving their financial management. Often, by that time, it can be too late. By setting aside an hour now to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of your company's financial management activities and systems you can save a lot of time and aggravation. It can also help increase your profits, and at the end of the day that is what it is all about. The...more
Lately the age-old business dilemma of how to stand out from the crowd has been haunting companies and professional service firms more than ever before. All too many firms nowadays look too much alike, with marketing strategies seemingly unable to distinguish them from their competition. Glossy brochures, snazzy websites, press releases, advertising: when everyone employs the same methods, everyone ends up vying for the same narrow window of client and prospect attention. To escape this marketing black hole, many companies have adopted an uncommon strategy that elevates both principal and firm above the fray. This approach positions the firms expert professionals as thought leaders. Names of superstar thought leaders are not only well known but the stuff of legend: Bill Gates, Tom Peters, Richard Branson, Martha Stewart, to name a few. Rather than abandoning marketing to a marketing department, they inject themselves into the heart of the process, churning out books, articles, conference speeches, media interviews to keep their visibility machines boiling. Amid the resulting excitement and industry debate, they simultaneously personalize their company, expand their products...more
The intellectual property transfer market is now estimated to be worth over $100 billion. If you have a new idea, an invention, a new art or craft, you may be able to license it or sell it for millions of dollars. Many Fortune 500 companies are now making their intellectual property available for sale or licensing at new online...more
With the advancement of computer simulators, anybody can repeat all the business routines before he goes to the field, and have the opportunity of relaxing from the tedious work with numbers. The businessman can concentrate more on the human factors: The Customer Service, the relationships among fellow workers, and self care. The occupation with...more
Borrowing money has become more and more popular in the UK over recent years, and this is partly due to the fact that it has become far easier to borrow money. The rising popularity of consumer finance has also been aided by the wide variety of deals and the low interest rates available these days. Secured loans have become very popular with those that own property, and this type of finance deal offers affordability and excellent value for money. Secured loans are available from a wide pool of lenders, which means that consumers have plenty of choice when it comes to selecting and applying for secure loans. The amount available to borrow with secured loans is dependant upon the amount of equity available in your property, which means the amount of the market value minus any loans or mortgage outstanding on it. There are many benefits available with secured loans, and you will find that this type of finance is one of the most cost effective options available. With secured loans you can look forward to far lower interest rates than most standard, unsecured loans, and this is because there is less of a risk to the lender since the loan is secured against an asset. Secured loans also...more
There are many reasons why people get into debt - some of them self inflicted and some of them way outside of our control. Losing a job, illness or accidents, all of these can suddenly plunge one into unexpected expenditure, and often the only way to...more
Your business is successful, but now your ready to take it to the next level and begin accepting credit card transactions, or you have already taken this step but your feeling that your merchant account provider has high fees and your not sure what...more
You do your best to make sure your organization is operating as effectively as possible. But if your policies and procedures are incomplete, outdated, or inconsistent, then they are not driving the performance improvement they should. When employees...more
These days, people need to very carefully consider what type of credit card they will carry in their wallets. There are so many options out there, and each individual has different needs. Some of us tend to carry a balance, so we need a low interest...more
Here's a newsflash: Cover letters work, plain and simple. This is why I'm intrigued by the fact that a) jobseekers rarely submit them and b) hiring managers seldom read them. As a result, I started asking questions. Specifically, "What's your problem...more
Are you frustrated by the lack of growth in your firm, or the effort required to squeeze any up-tick in performance? Are inadequate policies and procedures a root cause? To find out, take this simple self assessment to see if this may be inhibiting...more