Valuable Advice and Insights on Running a Business
Are you “stuck” playing games with your family during this crisis? Don’t lose heart or get too board [sic]. I grew up playing games of all sorts. There were board type games (Pick Up Sticks, CandyLand, Chutes & Ladders, LIFE, Monopoly, Scrabble, Chess, Checkers, Chinese Checkers, Clue . . .), card games (War, UNO, Concentration,…
I never had a chance to “inherit” or “buy into” the family business of my wife’s grandmother, my great grandfather, my grandfather, or my father. Why? The businesses did not last. They were either successful as a family life-style business, or, as in the case of my father, they succumbed to problems and went out…
The Super Bowl has come and gone. Super Bowl Monday is past. So we had a good time. We ate. We drank. We celebrated. We commiserated. What can we learn from it all for our business and career? Here are a few take aways from my perspective. Take time outs at critical points to reassess…
My wife wants a new car, so we’ve stopped in to a couple of dealerships. I’ve checked on things online and looked at financing. My wife has asked for testimonials and referrals from friends. Some things that were purchased in our household this week include plants and flowers for friends, treats for servers at restaurants,…
Since this is Oregon, I can’t really sing the song as written, “I can see clearly now the rain is gone.” But, 2019 is now “in the books.” Lots of business are checking their numbers twice to make sure they are nice and not naughty. I often find myself signing contracts, clicking on privacy policies,…
Who makes the decision? Every child quickly learns which of the two parents makes which decisions. They quickly become adept at playing one against the other to get what they want. The kids are not the buyers, they are the sellers in this case. They sell you, playing on your emotions, to get what they…
A plan, business or strategic, is intended to be built on a solid foundation yet provide a view from the top. It cascades from top to bottom, continually flowing.
As explained in the last article, Deming and Drucker were instrumental in taking manufacturing from individual craftsmanship to modern automated production at volume with repeatable quality in all aspects of dimensions, performance, and characteristics. They were advocates of eliminating waste and continuous improvement. They even went so far as to develop similar processes and attitudes in administrative functions. As good as the Quality Management Systems they developed are, they don’t tell the whole story of what it takes to run a manufacturing business, let alone a services or e-commerce business.