Almost anyone in business will attest that time management is a critical factor between success and failure. It’s so easy in our information overloaded world to become distracted. Putting out fires and addressing problems that are insignificant, can wipe out our day, while the real work goes undone. Proverbs 12:11 teaches, “He who tills his land will have plenty of ...
According to an annual Gallup poll, 68% of people surveyed trust small businesses in contrast to only 14% trusting large businesses. In 2010, American Express decided to leverage that respect by encouraging shoppers to buy from local businesses on Small Business Saturday. Although Black Friday gets more press, $19.8 billion was spent with small businesses on Small Business Saturday in ...
A Harvard Business Review article written by Christine Alemany focused on the changing landscape of customer trust. According to the article, building trust for your brand has become even more difficult due to the differences in information gathering by diverse age groups. Alemany discovered that older adults are more brand conscious and obtain their information from traditional news outlets. Younger ...
As I was driving to work, I felt my long sleeve shirt button right below the elbow. When I realized it was unbuttoned, I heard a voice in my head say, “Oh no, I’m only half dressed.” When I was in my 20s, I had an older female customer notice that my sleeve buttons were not buttoned. She said, ...
King Rehoboam had his first big test after becoming king. Towards the end of King Solomon’s reign, the people of Israel had been heavily oppressed by Rehoboam’s father, Solomon. The Israelites requested that King Rehoboam have mercy on them and lighten their load. Rehoboam needed wise counsel. But instead of relying on Solomon’s older and wiser counselors, Rehoboam chose ...
Recently, a young banker shared with me that he was hired to get involved in the community and network. But he wasn’t sure how. Although others are far better at networking, than I am, I thought this series might be helpful. The first step to remember in networking is Be Targeted. There are many networking groups and opportunities that can ...
Last month, Ryan Brandt, a waitress in Arkansas, received a tip of $4,400! The customer requested that she split the tip with the other waitress that served this group. Brandt’s manager, however, demanded that she share it with the whole staff, counter to the restaurant’s previous practices. The customer learned of the manager’s demand and asked for his tip back ...
While driving to the office for a Zoom meeting that included my wife, a car in front of me on the highway spun out of control. She bounced into my car crushing my rear door. As a State Trooper approached my car, I realized I wasn’t going to make my meeting. Without much forethought, I texted my wife the following ...
A recent discovery of mine is that nepotism isn’t just the hiring of a family member. Instead, according to the dictionary.com definition, Nepotism is “Favoritism granted to relatives or close friends, without regard to their merit.” For small business owners, family members are often a source of trusted labor. But to non-family staff, even diligent efforts to treat family members ...
A common problem I’ve heard this year from small business owners is supply chain issues. Many businesses are dependent upon suppliers to produce the finished products that their customers need. This year the supply chain has been disrupted for multiple reasons. Sometimes due to a shortage of microchips or materials in high demand. Other times it’s due to the long ...
Equipping Others to Do Work Differently
