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  • Bringing Clarity To Your Exit Plan Bringing Clarity To Your Exit Plan

    Bringing Clarity To Your Exit Plan

Bringing Clarity To Your Exit Plan

The sale of the New York Mets was recently scrubbed because of one owner’s compulsion to retain operational control.  This is a cautionary Business Lesson Found for owners of both family and non-family businesses.

Hedge fund billionaire Steve Cohen offered $2.6 billion to purchase an 80% stake in the struggling Mets.  This was welcome news to some in the Wilpon family who have shares in the team but have grown increasingly frustrated with the meager results under the eccentric management style of Mets’ COO Jeff Wilpon. (more…)

By |February 23rd, 2020|Family Business, Lessons Found, Management|0 Comments
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  • The “Screech Method” for Resolving Partner Conflicts The “Screech Method” for Resolving Partner Conflicts

    The “Screech Method” for Resolving Partner Conflicts

The “Screech Method” for Resolving Partner Conflicts

Childhood friends Adam Lowry and Eric Ryan co-founded and built Method natural cleaning supplies into a $100 million brand.  And, like many family and other partnerships, the path toward success was not always smooth. How the two navigated past conflict is a Lesson Found.

Featured on How I Built This with Guy Raz, the friends/partners discussed their path to success and described, as I refer to it, the “Screech Method” of conflict avoidance. (more…)

By |April 22nd, 2019|Business Communication, Family Business, Lessons Found, Management|0 Comments
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  • Does running your business feel like running a marathon? Does running your business feel like running a marathon?

    Does running your business feel like running a marathon?

Does running your business feel like running a marathon?

Running a business and running a marathon have much in common including both the owner and the runner are in it for the duration.  Thus, Des Linden’s “training regimen” leading up to winning the 2018 Boston Marathon offers a Lesson Found for owners.

After ten years of running in Olympic and other major marathons, Linden finished 4th in the 2017 Boston Marathon.  Desiring to finally break through to the winning spot, Linden cut short her normal break and quickly returned to training with even greater intensity than before.  The result (more…)

By |April 14th, 2019|Family Business, Lessons Found, Management|0 Comments
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  • What lessons does Brexit offer companies on contingency planning? What lessons does Brexit offer companies on contingency planning?

    What lessons does Brexit offer companies on contingency planning?

What lessons does Brexit offer companies on contingency planning?

By now, we’re all tired of hearing about Brexit.  But if you look beyond the political antics, Brexit offers valuable Lessons Found on contingency planning for businesses.  Here are a few examples. (more…)

By |April 7th, 2019|Business Communication, Family Business, Lessons Found, Management|0 Comments
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  • What do Exit Planning & the iPod Touch have in common? What do Exit Planning & the iPod Touch have in common?

    What do Exit Planning & the iPod Touch have in common?

What do Exit Planning & the iPod Touch have in common?

Whether you’re an Apple fan or detractor, all can agree the iPod and iPhone technology are extraordinary successes. The stories of how Steve Jobs and Apple accomplished this are legendary.  Organizational guru Simon Sinek summarizes it in one word: “Perspective”.  When planning exit strategies, business owners should embrace Apple’s perspective to maximize their company’s valuation and sustain their legacy.
(more…)

By |March 31st, 2019|Family Business, Lessons Found, Management|0 Comments
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  • Management Lessons from Coach Steve Kerr Management Lessons from Coach Steve Kerr

    Management Lessons from Coach Steve Kerr

Management Lessons from Coach Steve Kerr

For the fourth year in row, the NBA finals is a match-up between the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers.  If the Cavs win, it will primarily be due to the super-human strength and talent of LeBron James.  However, a Warriors win would further validate the management talents of Coach Steve Kerr.

A recent article in the New York Times focused on how Coach Kerr and the Warriors spend halftime. Looking at these 15 minute routines you begin to see how Kerr’s management style leads to success. (more…)

By |June 5th, 2018|Business Communication, Management|0 Comments
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  • What’s your passion? What’s your passion?

    What’s your passion?

What’s your passion?

I recently met a plumber who told me a story I’ve heard many times before.  This plumber started his company because he had a skill he enjoyed, enjoyed using that skill to help others and desired the autonomy of “being his own boss.” Like most of us who have started a company, this owner had the passion and motivation to strike out on his own.

As the plumber’s business grew, he started adding both skilled and office staff to keep up with demand.  Before long, he found himself running a company instead of being engaged in the skill he enjoyed.  (more…)

By |January 13th, 2018|Family Business, Management|0 Comments
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  • Going Off-Mission to Stay On Mission Going Off-Mission to Stay On Mission

    Going Off-Mission to Stay On Mission

Going Off-Mission to Stay On Mission

The president of a local company (and now a client) initially said to me: “I’d like to work with you but taking that time would be taking me off-mission.”  That is not the first owner who expressed concern about going “off-mission” and letting things lapse back at the office.  This always leads into a discussion on the different meanings or uses of “mission”: the standard or military definition versus when paired with the word “statement”. (more…)

By |January 6th, 2018|Business Communication, Family Business, Management, Marketing|0 Comments
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  • Family Business: Preparing for the 21st Century Family Business: Preparing for the 21st Century

    Family Business: Preparing for the 21st Century

Family Business: Preparing for the 21st Century

“Family businesses that manage these five innate advantages are well placed to make the 21st century a family business century.”  This assertion is the conclusion of a Harvard Business Review* article I recently discovered.  So, what are these advantages and is your business prepared to fully benefit from them?  Here’s a brief summary of each along with the questions businesses and families need to ask themselves. (more…)

By |November 11th, 2017|Business Communication, Family Business, Management|0 Comments
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Achieving Success by Contemplating Failure

As business owners we are driven to achieve success. It is who we are.  And it is why we are entrepreneurs; working harder than most with higher risk so we can experience that success.

Failure is anathema to our very being.  But, by taking the precaution of contemplating failure we increase our chances for success. Harvard Business School Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management Amy Edmonson studies why businesses fail and suggests four questions you need to ask before starting a new venture in order to avoid failure. (more…)

By |October 15th, 2017|Management, Marketing|0 Comments
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