Make It Happen!

As the end of the year is only a few days away…I am left with a feeling of accountability; as if I need to recollect and list the accomplishments of this past year.  I will say that it did go very fast but was full of moments that were significant and certainly pivotal.  I won’t share my little list, it doesn't matter to anyone but me…and that is what is so great about it.  Regardless of what life brought us in 2012, we were all impacted in some way.  Take the time to think about some of these moments – good and bad – and reflect on them.  These can be instances where you made an important business decision, a change in a habit, started a friendship or experienced something brand new. Take some time to really process everything that has happened over the past year and truly appreciate the affect that it has had on your life. The small stuff can have a big force.  We can really learn from things that make sense to us and if we don’t...

Ralph Waldo Emerson said… ”Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow.”   I couldn’t agree more.  Therefore, I present to you this lovely layout with this blog content... see my layout version in the graphic that I inserted.  I am learning the new Adobe CS6 Creative Suite.  This is quite an undertaking as the software is massive and very powerful.  It will allow a user to do photo editing, altering and enhancements, digital, print and desktop publishing, create videos, podcasts, music mashups, websites, iPad and smartphone apps, graphic design…and even more.  So you can imagine what an undertaking it is to start from pretty much the beginning in my efforts to learn this software.  I am doing this through reading a book that is literally about 6” thick and watching all of the fabulous videos available online.  I read and watch then I try to duplicate and apply what I have learned. So, how d...

I am a proponent of systems!  By systems I mean the procedural methods that we develop in business and education that allow us to be objective when making decisions, producing materials, training and building a team, and implementing policies and the list goes on.  When using a tried and true system, an organization can be assured that they will be consistent, fair and above all diplomatic in how they handle all situations.  Most people who rely on systems and find value in them give similar reasoning as to why they are used.  However, what isn’t being acknowledged and what we don’t say out loud is that with the system comes less accountability for decisions that are made.  When someone makes a business decision or changes a policy or hires someone based on qualifications and is questioned about WHY… they have the SYSTEM to back them up.  We get to take our personal reasoning, educated knowledge and that “gut” feeling out of the process.  Sometimes t...

Being a business owner has many perks as well as many responsibilities.  Starting out can be hard and there are many bumps along the way.  As the owner, you get the pleasure of not only being the owner, but being the janitor, the receptionist, the salesman, the laborer, the IT department, the marketing team and the CEO all in one package!  One of the biggest moments for a small business owner is when he or she gets to actually hire the first employee for the business.  This is a pivotal moment for any entrepreneur and it should be met with as much thought and significance as it deserves.  What exactly does being the BOSS mean?  Who works for whom?  Who is the team and who is the coach?  These are questions worth considering and seriously addressing when you begin to hire staff and form a team.  At this point in the business, you have earned the great privilege of directly affecting another person’s life as well as the lives of those who...

Our products and our services, in whatever business we are involved with, become so familiar to us that we often forget that not everyone is as passionate or knowledgeable about them as we are.  Ultimately, we want to be successful in business, and in order to do that it is imperative that we deliver a clear message to the target customer that will prompt them to get excited about our products or decide they need our services.  If that message isn't conveyed in their language and triggering those internal pivot points, then we need to change our perspective to parallel our consumer. Customers make decisions based on first what they need and second on what they want .  This movement is full of gray area as that is often not a black and white process.  Sometimes as consumers as in life, we find ourselves justifying the want before the need even though we know it isn’t the most practical thing to do.  The best thing you can do in business is to m...

In our business and professional world, everyone seems focused on goals and results.     Although there is merit to people who are goal focused and produce positive results, we often overlook a valuable part of reaching those objectives. What happens between the starting point to the finish line can be the most important part of an initiative.  This is what I refer to as the process.  We are always in such a hurry to finish a project, to know the outcome and to have the end results that we rush through the process and forget to take in what was learned and how we grew professionally. We can correlate this to other more emotionally driven things that occur in life. We have all heard the saying…”it isn’t about the destination, but the journey that matters…” or something to that effect.  There is a great deal of truth in that, and we must remind ourselves to take it in.  We have to be aware of what is going on and happening as we...

Well, I feel like I did when I was a tweenager…I would clean my room (only because my mother was threatening to bring my social life to a sudden halt by grounding me from all peer interaction) and I would run across one of my old diaries.  I would suddenly become immersed in the sagas that I had descriptively journaled about and get very excited to “start again.”  Of course I would vow to be dedicated, diligent and consistent in my scheduled writing.  So in the spirit of that, I promise to do my best to be dedicated, diligent and consistent in my scheduled writing as I restart my practice of blogging! Much has happened in my world, but nothing too exciting for the last five plus months.  As I build up my archive of blog posts, I hope to share the bits and pieces with you.  One very notable occurrence was the release of my first book:  Rule of Thumb:  The Small Business Guide to Customer Service and Relationships.  If you are interested in ch...

My son just graduated from high school.   As a college instructor, I deal with students embarking on graduation on a regular basis.   Having my own son graduating certainly brings a different perspective.   I am excited for him as he has so much ahead of him.   I remember all of the “new” things that college and young adulthood brought with it and I want him to take advantage of similar experiences. Somehow, it seems that the excitement dwindles as we begin to get bogged down with the everyday pressures and demands.   How can we keep that fire ignited?   Is it possible for us to look at each day as a graduation from the previous?   I mean really, did the opportunities after graduation suddenly appear on graduation day?   No, we spent each day working toward what we expected for our future.   Maybe a quick paradigm switch can boost our level of enthusiasm and we can treat each day like a new beginning. Here are a few tips to “motivate”...

It is a wonderful thing for a business to step from start-up into the threshold of growth…but often this is a pivotal moment for many businesses.    I have a saying or mantra that I refer to when working with business owners and students, “It isn’t what happens to you that counts the most, but rather how you respond to what happens.”   This is very true when it comes to organizational change.   If you don’t respond well, it can be the deal breaker for your business and before you know it things are spiraling out of control, and possibly be at risk of circling the drain. As you prepare for growth or enter into it, consider some of these strategies or best practices to help your business or organization deal with change in a constructive way that will result in a stronger and more dynamic company that will be creating energy and positive cash-flow as it grows. 1)         Know your vision, clarify your vision and share your vision. ...

Maybe it was the was the influence of being a child in the 70’s and the impression I got from those great movies like Saturday Night Fever, Roller Boogie or Xanadu , but I have always found great inspiration from all things DISCO.   So, a few weeks back, I was reminded of this when I was shopping with a good friend in an eclectic boutique.   The store had many cool things for sale, but the one thing I wanted to buy was a disco ball.   Unfortunately, the shop owner was not willing to part with this, so I decided to just go ahead and order one online.   I was so excited when this arrived!   I took it straight to my office at the college and decided that it had to be installed in that office.   Working in an educational environment, sometimes things can seem very “institutional.”   We need to have things around us that inspire, motivate and foster creativity.   That is exactly what has happened!   I can’t believe the difference this disco bal...

Do you ever catch yourself in a moment and think…”wow, I am really responsible for this,” or “seriously, this is great, something must be wrong…wait,” or “I am really happy and successful, surely there must be doom lurking somewhere, right?”   What is wrong with us?   Why is it that we seemed to be programmed to doubt ourselves when things are going in a positive and optimistic direction?   Why do we question our own success? FEAR…we are scared to think about what might happen if we actually succeed.   If we reach our goals, what is next, how will we reach the next one and how much harder will we have to work?   What happens if we don’t reach the next goal?   Is it that we are setting ourselves up for failure?   Be honest, how many times do you bow out of a challenge because you are afraid that at some point you will not succeed?   Does it make you a little uncomfortable and uncertain when you can’t anticipate what will happen? FAILURE…hav...

Are you giving your employees what they need?   When you look at the talents and skill sets of the people you have on your team, do you recognize and respect each person for their individual attributes?   Each person on your team is different and they are motivated and driven by various factors.   It is important that you are able to satisfy those sources of hunger for them.   As I have worked with many students who hope to be small business owners in a particular industry or field, I see many of them take jobs to generate some much needed cash flow.   When they take a job in their desired area of expertise, it can be both beneficial as well as a detriment.   The satisfaction that they get from working in this field often gives them “just enough” to keep them in that job and they lose interest in that immediate desire to start their own venture.   It can be a double-edged sword so to speak.   As a business owner with employees, you must keep ...

Are you jealous of your employees?   If not, then you should take the time to evaluate your team and ask yourself why you aren’t jealous of them. Jealousy can be a force that ruins relationships, communities and businesses.   This emotion is defined many ways, but for the most part it is considered an emotion that evokes negative feelings and thoughts dealing with insecurity, fear and resentment.   When a person is jealous or envious of another person often the result is anger or anxiety.   In fact, the origin of the “green with envy” phrase is derived from the illness and buildup of “sickness” within a person when they are jealous. Your employees should bring quality and talent to the team.   When you build your organization, the employees or associates that you add should possess skills, attributes and talents that are unique and valuable.   As much as you will be able to teach them as their leader, you should be able to learn from them.   The t...

It’s a bird.  It’s a plane.  It’s your customer.  Business owners are often bogged down on a daily basis with all of the tasks, processes and logistics of running the business.  When you make your to-do list each day, rarely will you add:  get to know my customer better, try to bring value to my customers, tell my customers how great they are, or even thank my customers.  These are those things that are taken for granted by both the business owner and the customers.  We just assume that these practices are part of the daily routine.  But, what happens when they aren’t? You can have the most unique product or service.  The window of your retail store may be very cool and visually appealing.  You might have one of the most technologically advanced point-of-sale systems.  You may offer over 500 different types of widgets.  You may have some of the best industry training in your trade.  If you don’t have any customers, is an...

I am very excited to have my first guest blogger!!!   Cole Opbroek is one of my awesome students.   He is an entrepreneur and the co-founder of TruView Cameras – a new video and still camera that sends a live video stream and instant photos to any computer, smart phone or mobile device – anywhere.   This technology is making a big impact in the hunting and security industries.  Cole is very dynamic and has even competed in business competitions by sharing his business ideas!   In my class, he did a report and presentation on Warren Buffett – coincidentally the weekend before he delivered his presentation in class, he had the amazing experience you will read about below! ======================================================================= by:  Cole Opbroek Owner, TruView Cameras I took a swig of water and began laying out my day in my mind.   I was in Omaha for a tradeshow at the Qwest Center .   I was setting in the breakfast bar at t...

Imagine this scenario: You are a mid-level employee working for a manufacturing company.   Your “boss” walks in to the weekly department meeting and explains that the company has just lost the contract with one of its biggest retailers.   To overcome this financial detriment, the company is going to implement the following changes and additions to the employee policies; 1)       Each employee will no longer have a health savings account that is matched. 2)       The third-shift has now been eliminated due to the additional operations costs and those employees will have to be treaded into the first and second shift rotations. 3)       Based on change #2, each employee’s hours will be cut to 36 per week. 4)       There will no longer be any overtime available. 5)       Breaks must be taken on time and only for the allotted time without ...

On my business cards, I have a great quote by Charles Darwin: “ It is not the strongest species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the ones most responsive to change.”   I agree whole-heartedly with this quote and feel that it also applies to the business world as much as it does to the ecological one.   However, please consider a key word in this quote…SURVIVE.   Sure, we can all survive, but what happens if we want to do more than that?   What do we need to do when we want to surpass the status quo and do something amazing? Instead of just responding to change, is it possible that we actually create the change?   How many of us really want to make a difference, but we aren’t sure how to do that with all of the barriers we face in our professional roles each day?   We have been taught and coached to conform to those workplace clichés like work well with others,   be a team player and to work toward a common goal in our jobs.   We wa...