Business Mentoring
Business Mentoring: What Do People Say About You?
Social media gives businesses a chance to reach more people and build more relationships than ever. But what you say about your own business is not nearly as important as what other people are saying about you. The most valuable social media engagement comes from getting other people talking about you, say Joe Calloway. People…
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Business Mentoring: Truly Disruptive Thinking
In an age of mind-numbing complexity, anyone who can come into the marketplace and make things simple has a huge competitive advantage. We all want things to be simpler, says Joe Calloway, and an essential aspect to disruptive thinking is making things simpler. Instead of doing 1,000 things right, you need to do three or…
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Business Mentoring: The Market Decides
In the end, it doesn’t matter how good you think you are, whether or not you think your competition is any good, or how much value you think you’re providing. Ultimately, the market decides. The market is the one who votes, and they vote by either being your customer or going somewhere else. Joe Calloway…
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Business Mentoring: Why You Have to Say No
Time is finite. No matter whether you’re the boss or the low man on the totem pole, there are only a certain number of hours available to accomplish all the tasks that need to be done. In a world of infinite possibilities and finite time, you have to say no more than you say yes.…
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Business Mentoring: Budget Time for Your Most Valuable Position
Most entrepreneurs are pretty good at a lot of different things—and that’s the problem. Dave Crenshaw suggests that the best use of your time isn’t on things that you’re decent at, or that you can do, but rather it’s on doing what you do best, what you’re fantastic at. The thing you do best is…
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Business Mentoring: Avoid “Switching Costs”
Switching from one task to another costs small business owners significant amounts of time—as much as an entire workweek every month! Dave Crenshaw’s emphasis is on moving from chaos to focus to get the most out of your time and energy. Small business owners often have to play the equivalent of five positions at the…
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Business Mentoring: Bob Rich on Family and Relationships
The core of any business is culture and relationships, and no relationships are more important—or complicated—than family relationships. Bob Rich is the chairman of Rich Products, a family-owned business who first started working in the family business at age 9. A focus on culture and community has been a focal point for him his entire…
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Business Mentoring: The Fun of Running a Business
Owning and running your own business is a land of opportunity. The possibilities for what you can do are endless. Sam Nebel and Charlie Siciak of Goodwipes have achieved a certain level of success, and now they’re looking to keep going and keep growing. Their embrace of bootstrapping and trade shows helped them prove the…
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Business Mentoring: Testing Your Product at Trade Shows
Sam Nebel and Charlie Siciak of Goodwipes are Millennials, but they didn’t go digital right away. Instead, they honed their product, sales, and marketing in decidedly old-fashioned venues: through trade shows, retail stores, and personal relationships. As they shared last week, their first big break came at a major trade show where they signed up…
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Business Mentoring: The Evolution of Goodwipes
Sam Nebel and Charlie Siciak of Goodwipes bootstrapped their business, as it evolved from a shared habit to an idea to a tangible product with customers and partners. Their idea for a side business started with a product they both believed in, and an idea for standing out in the marketplace. From there, it came…
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