Terror gripped me. The Summons and Complaint for a malpractice had my name in the caption. I’m stunned. The client was a whack job, yet just 2 years into my law practice, my license was on the line. What could I do? I’m no dope. As a lawyer, I could have figured out most of … Read More
Watch Your Language!
When you go to a networking event and someone asks, “What do you do?” what do you say? Do you answer with an “I” statement, like “I handle pest control for high-end hotels” … or “I help business owners build an effective workforce” … of “I [fill in the blank]”? Even if you use “We … Read More
How to Avoid Business Plateau Syndrome
“There’s no ‘I’ in ‘team’.” “It takes a village.” Or my favorite, “You don’t sharpen a knife against a sponge.” All of which is meant to say, if you want a successful business, don’t go it alone. I learned this the hard way. For years I thought having a more senior business partner would be … Read More
The Multiplier Effect… and how it affects your business
Author and entrepreneur Michael Gerber was quoted as saying, “Businesses fail not because their dream is too big, but because their dream is too small and too realistic to sustain the life they want.” Simply put, the measure of your success (financial and otherwise) is in direct proportion to how big your vision is. It’s … Read More
Independent Contractors are Raising Red Flags
It’s no secret that governments (Federal, state and local) are strapped for cash. One of the ways they’re seeking to fill the coffers is by cracking down more heavily on small businesses regarding their use of independent contractors (ICs). Why? ICs are handy way for small businesses to expand and contract their workforce as needed. … Read More
What Are You Grateful For? (Don't Be a Turkey!)
“What are you grateful for?” I ask that question in my pre-Thanksgiving issue of All Systems Go! I said: I’m grateful to all of YOU who read All Systems Go! and reach out to share your thoughts and ideas. Grateful to family and friends for all their support (especially my husband, Joe) in helping me ROCK my … Read More
Can Your Web Designer Grow with Your Small Business?
When I bought my favorite Lee® jeans years ago, they fit like a glove. Just what I needed. As I put on weight, they generously stretched with me. When I lost weight, though, they stayed stretched in the knees and the butt. Not flattering. Holes developed around the seams. The cuffs became tattered. They turned … Read More
Succession Planning in a Hurry
As seen in … Kimberly Martinez faced a difficult decision. For lifestyle reasons, she had already chosen to live in Florida, away from the Cleveland, Ohio headquarters of her company, Bonitas International. Now she had step back as not one, but two, parents concurrently fought their battles with cancer. How will the company function if … Read More
The #1 Element Most Online Businesses Ignore
I’ve worked with many clients who have an online business. They focus on the logos. The sales pages. The product funnel. Conversion rates. But what’s the #1 element they tend to ignore? Their website terms and conditions. An e-commerce website is a business. It just happens to be located online instead of in bricks and … Read More
"Success without successors is failure" ~ Les Brown
Some days, you need to work on your business, not just in it. And sometimes, you need to come first. After all, your business can only grow to the extent you grow yourself. So I spent the day with motivational speaker Les Brown at a meeting of the National Speakers Association, NYC Chapter. Les has … Read More
Life Outside Your Sweet Spot Ain’t So Sweet
How many times do you need to hit yourself in the head with a hammer before you get the lesson? Over the years, it took me several times (with different types of hammers) to learn to identify my niche market (“sweet spot”) and stick with it. I remember a landlord/tenant matter that my then-law partner … Read More
How Can Your Accountant Boost Your Profits?
Now that tax season is done done done, (yes, I filed on extension), I wanted to give a shout-out to the people who made that process relatively painless: my accountants. They have certainly saved my bacon on more than one occasion. By keeping a watchful eye and working with me proactively, we were able to … Read More