Allocating Leadership Capital
Capital is defined at tangible and intangible assets. Common is cash, marketable securities, real estate and operating companies. Uncommon is goodwill and time. I want to focus this article on time –specifically on leadership time. How does a founder allocate his or her time? Where is the most leverage? How can you accomplish more with […]
Listening to the Pressure
There is a concept of managing pressure for peak performance that won’t get out of my head. Every good manager knows his direct reports. And, he knows how to get peak performance from them. He prevents them from staying in panic mode or burn out by actively adjusting what is asked of them. He also […]
Listening in the Daily Huddle
Meetings are the heartbeat of the organization. If you’re changing fast you need more meetings not less. Most rookie managers get this backwards. They think “I need more operational output so we should stay working instead of meeting.” But, they’re wrong. Managers get results from their team. The meeting ought to produce and environment where […]
Listening in the Weekly 1:1
When most mid level people hear the phrase “one on one” or “one to one” spoken they have shivers run down their spine. They tend to think, “oh no, I’m going to get my butt chewed.” They think every private conversation between an employee and and a direct report which is initiated by the boss […]
Core Value: Think Long Term
Our core value of “Think Long Term” is exemplified with a mountain and the metaphorical climb. Look to the peak –think long term. During each of our last several Monthly Manager Ascension Meetings I go over our core purpose and core values and whenever I get to the core values I always start with “think […]
Key Attributes When Hiring a General Manager
There is a distinction between the attributes of a CEO of a mid-size company and the General Manager of a single location small business. There is also a great divide between the owner-operator and founder of the same small business and the ideal GM to succeed in managing the business long term after a sale. […]
Summary of Annual Meeting 2025
On Thursday, July 17, 2025 a handful of partners gathered with the managers to review the previous year and discuss go-forward plans. The event was hosted at the Frankfort Municipal Airport. A tour of Skydive Indianapolis operations was provided afterward. Only one partner was brave enough to go for an airplane ride! Little Engine Ventures […]
Rating and Grading at Little Engine Ventures
We developed and deploy a proprietary customer scoring system that impacts all areas of our diverse make-to-order service companies. We call it “rating and grading.” The process streamlines sales and operations by empowering our staff to say no to misfit customers. Our “rating” procedure classifies prospects and customers into one of three classifications. They are […]
Using AI as a Thought Partner in Marketing Strategy
I recently tried something different while working through a business problem: I used ChatGPT as a panel of experts to help refine our Black Friday skydiving sale. Instead of just asking for ideas, I framed a structured discussion, much like I would with real marketing advisors. Here’s how it worked—and how you can use the […]
Who Jumps Out of a Perfectly Good Airplane?
I spend a lot of time looking at numbers. It’s a habit that carries over from investing in small businesses to running a skydiving drop zone. The numbers tell a story—sometimes, one you expect, sometimes, one that surprises you. Recently, I pulled the age distribution of customers at Skydive Indianapolis. No surprise, the bulk of […]