Paternity

Run Your Business Like You’re Going on Maternity (or Paternity) Leave

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How well does your company run when you don’t show up for work? The answer to this question has a significant impact on the value of your business. Suppose your company could survive your absence for a while. In that case, you will score…
One-Stop Shop

The Downside of Being a “One-Stop-Shop”

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Before Jeff Bezos & Co. blew up traditional distribution channels, there was some value in being the local guy or gal. Being the local product retailer was a good business and being a regional distributor of a popular line could make you…
Strength Becomes Your Weakness

How Your Greatest Strength Becomes Your Weakness

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What’s your greatest strength as a CEO? Sales? Marketing? Operations? Whatever you do well, know that it might become your Achilles’ heel. As owners, we tend to invest in areas where we know we’re weak. We know we have limited…
Anger

How to Avoid the Switzerland Valuation Discount

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The Swiss are known to value their independence. They don’t use the Euro currency despite being sandwiched between France and Germany, and they never officially picked sides in the World Wars for fear of tying their wagon too closely to one…
Sands of Time

Stop Selling Your Time

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If your goal is to build a more valuable company, stop selling your time.  Billing by the hour or day means customers are renting your time rather than buying a result, which means that your business model lacks leverage. To grow, you…
Drone Skyward

Why the Future of Your Business Is Critical to Its Value

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As a business owner, you’re likely proud of the results you’ve achieved in the past, but when it comes to the value of your business, your future is critical. That’s why your growth potential is one of eight factors that drive the…
Danger Thin Ice

The Hidden Danger of Cross-Selling

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You've likely heard the adage that it is far easier to cross-sell an existing customer a new product than it is to find a new customer. And if your goal is to grow at all costs, then cross-selling makes sense.  However, all of that…
New Year Resolutions

10 Resolutions That Will Boost the Value of Your Company

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Finally, 2020 is in the books.   Good riddance.  If your goal is to build a more valuable company in 2021, here are some New Year’s resolutions to consider: Stop chasing revenue. A bigger company is not necessarily…
Flexible Woman

The Start-Up Paradox

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As we enter a new decade, it’s fun to look back on the companies that have stood the test of time. Despite a few well-financed chicken-focused start-ups, mounting pressure to reduce our dependence on meat, and our growing addiction to fancy…