Consulting Blogs
Everyone Complained. Nobody Solved Anything.
I sat in a Rotary meeting a month or so ago where we were reviewing our annual fundraiser. By every meaningful measure, the event had been a huge...
I’ve Told Them 30 Times
This morning I spent time with a local group of home remodelers, a thoughtful room of owners and managers who care about doing the work well. Before...
The Leadership Team Running on Half a Tank
I sat in on a meeting about a month or so ago with a business owner I deeply respect. It's stayed with me ever since - something about that room...
The $ 3 trillion transactions no one is talking about
I've sat across the table from this scene more times than I can count. A founder who built something real — put in the sweat, took the risk, turned...
The Note on the Desk
A colleague of mine — she owns a small business — told me a story over breakfast this week that I haven't been able to shake. A young employee, a...
If Only I Had Hermione’s Time-Turner
I had coffee yesterday with a new connection — a smart, savvy guy who's carrying a lot of business history with him. Somewhere between the coffee...
Everybody’s Hiring. Nobody’s Finding Anyone
I hear it every single week, no matter who I'm sitting across from. Health care. Accounting. Construction. Skilled trades, unskilled labor, sales,...
The Kindest Way to Ruin a Family Business
Good intentions, missing accountability, and a business at risk I recently sat down with the owner of a local business — about 20 employees, built...
Are You Quietly Burning Out? A Playbook for Owners Who Can’t Step Off the Treadmill
Most small business owners I know are running at a pace that would put a marathoner to shame. You carry sales, delivery, hiring, cash flow, and the...