Values: Think long term. Be helpful. Be brave. Confront the facts. We help customers, teammates and partners climb their marketable skills, income and net worth within our growing community. Launch local. Maintain density. Spread geographically.
FOUNDERS
Daryl Starr
Mikel Berger
Latest Blog Posts
General Manager Training
We concluded our final session of our first-ever “General Manager Training” this week. We plan to start our next cohort May 23. Per my usual, I thought I’d reflect on what worked and share some opinions about what we might change in the future. Purpose: Condense two years of management training into three weeks in Read more about General Manager Training[…]
Transforming Knowledge
During a small group meeting last week I said a phrase that the group asked me to repeat –twice. Perhaps you will find it helpful in your endeavors as well. “Knowledge is information retained. Wisdom is knowledge enacted. Prudence is wisdom enacted for the good of all involved. Righteousness is prudence enacted in accordance with Read more about Transforming Knowledge[…]
Train
In my experience in small businesses, it often takes 2 years for a new employee to reach the same productivity of a senior staff member. I believe this is why many small business owners complain about not being able to find good people –at the price they want to pay. This situation develops because small Read more about Train[…]
Purpose is a Deliberate Choice
Purpose is a deliberate choice. The method of achieving the purpose is emergent. Once discovered, the method ought to become deliberate, too. At Little Engine Ventures, our guiding purpose is to help others climb. How we go about accomplishing our purpose has been evolving. Our basic principles remain in place. But, we have refined our Read more about Purpose is a Deliberate Choice[…]
Units per Hour
Does everything in business come down to units per hour? Time is our most precious resource and therefore, productivity can be boiled down to the value-added per unit of time, right? We have been tracking our Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for each company weekly for over a year now. We recently stepped up to a Read more about Units per Hour[…]
Capacity is Gained by Delegation
We have a saying within Little Engine Ventures: “You cannot delegate until you document.” It’s a simple rule but profound. If you want to delegate a recurring task to someone else you must train them on how to do it well. In order to train well you need to show them and the provide them Read more about Capacity is Gained by Delegation[…]
Strategy is Saying Yes to Lasting Margin Increases
For years I have said, “Strategy is systematically saying no.” But, while saying no is a discipline that establishes a habit of operational excellence, there is more that must be proactively pursued. You must say yes to something of greater value than your competitors. So, what is that strategy which is worthy of your focus? Read more about Strategy is Saying Yes to Lasting Margin Increases[…]
Coping Mechanisms for High Pressure Management
Pressure can result in higher or lower output. A healthy dose of pressure can result in flow state, increased focused, and clarity of decision making and action. Too much pressure and you are crushed by the weight and stress of the situation. What’s the difference? The output is determined by how the pressure is transformed Read more about Coping Mechanisms for High Pressure Management[…]
Self Correcting Dashboards
We scan and assume. It’s in our nature as humans. Little influences pile up. We see red and think bad. We see down and think the worst will continue. As a value investor and armchair philosopher, I pre-empt this natural tendency by making “down” green in our internal dashboards. Huh? What? Our business partnership is Read more about Self Correcting Dashboards[…]
Imprimatur
An imprimatur (sometimes abbreviated as impr., from Latin, “let it be printed”) is a declaration authorizing publication of a book. The term is also applied loosely to any mark of approval or endorsement. Wikipedia Imprimatur has become a weird but helpful internal codeword for me and Daryl to use in the office. Daryl and I Read more about Imprimatur[…]