Originally published January 25, 2016 A few weeks ago a young entrepreneur I have the privilege of knowing called to update me about his progress on some business ventures. Yes, ventures. Plural. I urged him to think about narrowing his focus, and he did. I also encouraged him to think about his future and to…
Originally published January 7, 2015 I love visiting the offices of the nonprofit and small-business relationships I maintain for part-time income. And don’t worry; relationships are what most businesses call customers or clients. I prefer “relationships” because the other two words are so clumsy. Anyway, whether I’m juggling a full-time job and independent contracts or…
Originally published July 17, 2012 How often do you make personal or business decisions that rely heavily on financial information being at your fingertips? For my nonprofit and small business clients, it is this information that guides almost every decision managers must make on a daily basis. It is not enough to compile raw numbers…
Originally published July 12, 2012 So I’ve borrowed this post’s title from accounting software packages that sometimes include a suspense account for bookkeepers and admins who are unsure just how to account for something. The accountant reviews the books and researches entries posted to this account, or the bookkeeper may run a report on the…
Originally published May 16, 2012 Today’s page comes not from any particular individual’s book, but from all those math textbooks that urge students to show their work in solving simple to complex math equations. This message can apply to anyone, and I direct my comments today to entrepreneurs and other leaders. In particular, this page…
Originally published December 1, 2011 Today’s page is from the book of my former supervisor and mentor, Murray Rosenman, CFO of ASPIRA, Inc. of Pennsylvania and its schools. When he came on board at ASPIRA 2+ years ago, our department was entrenched in methods and madness that took him some time to muddle through. Once…
Originally published November 2, 2011 A client my firm dropped some months ago came after me to re-enlist our consulting services. They didn’t agree with our reasons for shedding them from our client roster. Ours was a shattered relationship of broken promises, missed deadlines, unfulfilled commitments, ruthless accusations, and irrational justifications. (Not on the firm’s…
Originally published October 20, 2011 A parent who had watched me nearly crumble under pressures of competition from another after-school services provider at her child’s school asked me, “How come I don’t see you signing up more parents?” I told her the well had pretty much run dry; it seemed every parent I approached had…
Originally published October 18, 2011 Entrepreneurs, like most true leaders, hold the distinction of taking considerably more risks than most other people. It is a mark of their ability to lead people and to run successful businesses. If you don’t believe that fundamental truth, think about people you know who have been successful at what…
Originally published October 11, 2011 Some of the best artists I know are the ones who know their abilities, and spare no expense to let others know what they’re about. I love connecting with them because I always learn something new from them, either about the technical, artistic, or business side of their craft. I…