The Greatest Management Challenge
I wrote this article for my (print) newsletter 25 years ago. It’s so relevant even today that I decided to republish it, even though it’s longer than my usual post. I think it’s worth the extra few minutes you’ll spend reading it. We are often asked: What is the most common problem that we see […]
For veterans and first responders
Rhonda Vetere: This is for veterans and first responders, and in particular the stress that creates a high rate of suicide for those who serve and have served. As a veteran I appreciate what many of them have gone through. Here’s a woman who has created an amazing race to raise funds and awareness of […]
To Lend or Not to Lend – That is the Question
We have two clients currently looking to improve or change their banking relationship. In both cases the reason is twofold: the need for growth capital and the unresponsiveness of their current bank. Neither is based in southern California, where intense banking competition might make the change less challenging. As we guide them to make the […]
Inflation Fighting Ideas
It will cost you $2.15 today for what would have cost you $1 in 1990. You don’t have to read about the effects of inflation to know that it’s hitting everyone and every company. You see it at the gas pump and the supermarket. Your managers see it in the cost of raw materials, supplies […]
Pay for Performance – Again
As employers struggle to fill open positions in their companies during The Great Resignation, they find themselves competing with other employers to pay more for workers they want to keep or attract, often with no real sense of how to do this in a reasonably efficient way. Anyone who thinks this is the first time […]
Timing is Everything – in CRE too
When Michael Dell started assembling computers in his dorm room in 1984, his timing couldn’t have been better. When Jeff Bezos founded Amazon in his garage in 1994, his timing couldn’t have been better too– although it took some time for that to play out. When I started CFO for Rent in 1986, my timing […]
Profit vs. Cash Flow – Why is this so hard?
As we experience a strong year in our business, new clients always have a list of questions to guide our client-tailored task list, and one question that appears on more than half of those lists is this one: “We’re making a profit, why isn’t our cash flow reflecting that profit?” It’s truly not rocket science, […]
What Should Your Board Meeting Look Like?
This post is for privately owned companies and nonprofit organizations that have Boards that they want to make more effective, or those that don’t have Boards but realize they should have. This applies equally to advisory boards as well as fiduciary boards, except that the former just listens and offers advice; while the latter listens, […]
Leadership vs Management – Do You Have Both?
This article was first published about 20 years ago. It’s even more relevant today: Leadership is the art of inspiring people to undertake an adventure in the pursuit of a common goal. Management is the disciplined process that provides the infrastructure that enables people to achieve the goal. Leadership and management are different from each […]
Exit: When the Seller Doesn’t Know How to Sell
I had lunch yesterday with a business broker – those are the outside advisors that help small business owners sell their companies when it’s time to retire or do something different. While our average client is typically on the high end of the business broker target market, I found many similarities in the experiences we […]