My mother is an artist. My father is a farmer. My father likes to say, “The only thing I can draw is flies.” I like to say, “A wise businessman ought to develop the right kind of stink.” He wants to repel the misfits and attract those that will lay eggs in his pile. The Read more about Develop the Right Kind of Stink[…]
I have been called a “serial entrepreneur.” I have recently been describing myself as “an entrepreneur turned investor.” This morning, I read a descriptive phrase that better fits the present phase of my life and doesn’t negate my historical experience. I am a “serial obsessor.” I am a serial obsessor. I have recently been obsessed Read more about On Being a Serial Obsessor[…]
There is tension in business. One of those subtle challenges is determining when to stay the course in the face of opposition and when to change. Also, when do you stay the course when it’s working well, and not change faster (even when it’s really tempting!) I once described myself as an “addict of change.” Read more about Consistency Versus Change[…]
I’ve been in a low church tradition for 20+ years. Folks in our strain of Christianity have a sense of pride around our lack of formal rules in how we worship. But, we know a high church tradition by its formality and ritual practices. But I’ve come to understand that every church has its liturgy. Read more about Creating a liturgy for your business[…]
2022 is our book recommendations’ fourth year (2019, 2020, 2021). I strolled through our monthly offers from our newsletter over the past year to remind myself of the books we’ve been reading. Daryl and I traded a few messages. This is what made our list for this year. Managing for Results Investing Between the Lines Read more about 2022 Book Club[…]
The word “strategy” is tossed around a lot in business. What does it mean? The worst offenders use the word as a label to gussy up some recent initiative. People say, ‘we will use this strategy or that strategy –depending on the situation.’ This misses the mark. Strategy is saying no to particular methods or Read more about Strategy Is Saying No[…]
Perhaps it’s my age? Maybe it’s my role? But, I seem to be seeing more retirement conversations in the last six months than in the previous 20+ years of my career. As someone who retired from a particular line of work once already, I have a mental (and financial) model of how such a decision Read more about Considering Retirement (of your employees)[…]
We have and will continue to consider power-law distributions and phase changes. These abnormalities are regularly around us. They are fascinating moments to point out in complex adaptive systems. Thou shall not forget the phase change. But, what of the intermediate time period? What of the phase itself? How should one operate therein? In today’s Read more about Intense Moderation[…]
My evolution as an entrepreneur and investor has been marked by two distinct phases. I may be entering into a third phase. Phase 1 began at age 19, when I got my first true line of credit. My father co-signed my first note, set me up with a sweetheart deal that was almost guaranteed to Read more about Generating Cash[…]
For several years now I have used the metaphorical language of “bull’s eye” and “one-degree’r” around our office. This Saturday morning I searched our blog to see if I had written about it before. I had not. Wow. I’m sorry. This is among the most unnatural and yet most valuable things a business owner does Read more about Benefits of the Bull’s Eye Stakeholder Discipline[…]