Practical Biz Solutions The business success newsletter for business owners, top executives, and commission sales people from Stan MannPlease forward Practical Biz Solutions to appropriate friends.Dear Reader: High Achievers have great strengths. They also have correspondingly great weaknesses. The very leadership style that worked so wonderfully in one situation may be self-defeating in another. This occurs most often when a gifted entrepreneur...more
Why do some teams perform well while others struggle? How can you assess how effectively your team is working now, and identify methods for improvement?Research shows that 85% of the reasons that teams of people succeed or struggle has more to do with interpersonal issues, than technical competence. But both are needed for effective teamwork. Below please find a checklist you can use to identify the strengths and development needs of your own...more
If you gather 100 experienced leaders together to share with you their most important secrets for success, you probably wouldn't hear a lot of academic theory or jargon. Instead, this is a good idea of what you'd hear:1) Put ethics first. If you make unethical decisions for short-term gain, you will lose in the end. Let your principles guide you in the many decisions you must make regarding business practices and people. You will regret it if you don't.2) Surround yourself with the best people you can find. If you are able to attract the brightest, most dedicated, most talented people, they will move your organization forward. Leverage their skills, ideas and creativity your people are your greatest asset.3) Show your staff you value them personally. Research shows the personal relationship with a direct manager is the key for retaining your best and your brightest. Don't ever withhold your praise. Tell them why you value them and recognize their contributions. 4) Be trustworthy. Be fair in your dealings with others. Don't show favoritism. Remember you must always walk your talk. Your actions speak louder than your words. Don't ask others to do what you can't or...more
Before you call your next meeting, the FIRST step is to decide if it is really essential. To determine that, ask yourself the following: Is this meeting essential? Can we do without it? Can we accomplish the task without a meeting? Can it wait another week? Can we get things done with few meetings?Then, if you have decided a meeting is the best...more
You wouldn't build your home on anything less than a solid foundation. Similarly, you can't build wealth and financial independence without first having sound foundational principles to build upon.I have found that many people are working on wealth building strategies such as maximizing their 401K returns, aggressive stock trading, and real estate...more
If someone offered to loan you $2100 of your own money at interest rates of up to 222% you'd probably laugh at them and walk away; but, this spring, 1 in 10 Americans will do just that: they'll borrow their own money at interest rates as high as 744% thru refund-anticipation or "rapid refund" loans.Refund anticipation loans are short term, high interest loans that commercial tax preparation services offer to taxpayers as a way for filers to get their tax refunds faster -- typically 1 to 2 days. The loans are secured by the filer's anticipated tax refund and ordinarily last no more than 10 days.Refund anticipation loans are commonly called as predatory lending by consumer rights advocates who say that they cost working poor taxpayers over $500 million a year.According to estimates by the Consumer Federation of America and the National Consumer Law Center, in 2004, a refund anticipation loan recipient would have paid about $250 to get a $2100 refund loan from a commercial tax preparation chain with interest rates of about 182 percent annual percentage rate (APR).Consumer watchdogs believe that commercial tax preparation services that offer refund-anticipation loans are targeting low...more
A strong tendency towards a sellers market will continue until the baby boomers finish the cycle of buying and selling real estate, estimated to end in 20 years, according to the Senior Real Estate Association. Baby boomers (born between 1946-1964)...more
There are many simple, infallible ways to earn income, and one of the surest ways is through marketing your business on the internet. When you learn basic internet marketing techniques, you'll wonder why you haven't already jumped on the bandwagon....more
If you're like most people, it's hard to make ends meet with just one income. If you are married, both partners must work, spending countless thousands of dollars on childcare and business clothes. To offset their monetary deficit, many people are...more
What is required to be successful in your home business? Before we can answer, you must understand what "success" means and what common characteristics successful people have. If you are reading this article, you probably want to be successful and...more
You may operate a home business selling services or products, but no matter which kind of business you're in, there's always a question in the back of your mind: will my home business succeed or fail, or do I have the motivation it takes to keep it...more
You know, this would be a great business if it weren't for having to deal with people all the time OK, so maybe I've exaggerated things a bit, but we've all certainly heard that saying before. Why does that sentiment ring true for so many folks? ...more