It has long been assumed that, in the development of any organization, the time for entrepreneurial activity is right at the beginning. Once an organization is established, qualities that were virtues in the organization’s start-up and early stages can become vices, and the entrepreneurial founders must cede control to professional managers who can nurture the fruits of their … [More]
Intentional Success
The book addresses the typical struggles aspiring business owners encounter when starting, managing, growing and maintaining a successful venture. Brad and Cathy Taylor provide a clear guide through the perilous journey that destroys more than 65 percent of all new businesses. The Taylors share tools, practical applications, potent anecdotes and real-life examples of … [More]
Ninja Future
Ninja Future is an essential read for businesses and individuals striving to remain competitive in a rapidly evolving world. Gary Shapiro, president and CEO of the Consumer Technology Association, casts his eye toward the future, charting how the innovative technologies of today will transform not only the way business is done but society itself. During his more than three … [More]
For Best Results in Business, Think Like a Designer
Most business leaders don’t need to be professional designers to effectively think like one. Thinking like a designer, otherwise known as design thinking, is a process that should be leveraged by all business professionals due to its effectiveness for big-picture planning. Design thinking is a ubiquitous process that allows companies to put themselves in a frame of mind that’s … [More]
Optimizing Digital Strategy
Optimizing Digital Strategy explores the choices facing organizations in the rapidly changing world of technology-enabled business. From performance marketing to personalization, on-demand retailing and AI, this book maps out commercial and customer-focused challenges and explains how leaders can get the most out of their digital strategies. The book challenges leaders to step … [More]
Ninja Future
In Ninja Future, Gary Shapiro explains the evolving technological landscape, breakthroughs underway now and those we can only envision. New innovations such as self-driving vehicles, blockchain, 5G, the Internet of Things, and countless others will forever change the economy as we know it. Shapiro uses case studies to identify companies and countries addressing today’s … [More]
From Customer Service Mishap to Opportunity
A couple of months ago, Frontier Airlines provided us with a brilliant case study on the importance of customer experience. It’s a great example of how one simple customer service failure can have serious consequences in the form of a social media maelstrom. It began when poor weather conditions caused Flight 1756 from Des Moines to Orlando to be diverted to Atlanta on July … [More]
NAWBO Phoenix Launches the Phoenix Knowledge Network
The Phoenix Chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners is deepening the roots of its mission: growth — growth for our members, our corporate partners and our community. This month, we are launching the NAWBO Phoenix Knowledge Network, a speaker’s bureau of NAWBO Phoenix women business owners. Jean Briese, my co-director, explains, “Our corporate partners … [More]
Courses for Entrepreneurs – Online and Free
There is a wealth of sources available to help entrepreneurs. Business incubators and accelerators — and free online courses from prestigious institutions such as MIT and other respected colleges and professors, for experience that ranges from first-time startups to seasoned entrepreneurs. The following are five of the “30 Free Online Courses for Entrepreneurs” compiled by … [More]
Entrepreneurial Negotiation
The great majority of startups fail, and most entrepreneurs who have succeeded have had to bounce back from serious mistakes. Entrepreneurs fumble key interactions because they don’t know how to handle the negotiation challenges that almost always arise. They mistakenly believe that deals are about money when they are much more complicated than that. This book presents … [More]
Risky Business?
Risk. It’s inherent in business; an element faced in every decision. Owners of small and medium-sized businesses may feel this even more keenly, as challenges seem to come from every direction and there are few — if any — among us who are expert in everything. Minimizing that risk requires researching and gathering the best intelligence. Technology is increasingly providing … [More]
Businesses’ ‘Magnificent Seven’ Investments
Every day, businesses lose money by not understanding or leveraging their investments. When one considers the financials of organizations, it is clear that a significant portion of those investments are not captured in financial statements. Why? Because these are the people-side or soft-side intangible investments the accounting industry has yet to document. This may be a … [More]
Taking the Step to Franchise
One option entrepreneurs may consider for expanding their business is franchising. This may have been part of the development plan initially, or the idea may have taken shape and grown from outside as others expressed interest in trying to copy a successful concept — either a proven, mature business or a new and trendy one. Franchisors should make sure to have all their … [More]
Successful Entrepreneurs May Be Their Own Worst Enemy
Do I risk what I have for more? This is the ultimate question that nearly every successful entrepreneur faces following the building of wealth through their business. The mantra of “If you’re not growing, you’re dying” has been preached to entrepreneurs at every business seminar or within every best-selling business success book, so one would assume that continued growth is … [More]
Cracking the Code of Service
Mark Colgate, drawing from more than 20 years of experience teaching customer service courses, enlightens us that the age-old adage, “customer is king,” is actually incorrect. Colgate stresses that, instead, companies should pursue consistency to deliver the best service experience — for both customers and employees. Cracking the Code of Service is a book about the science, the … [More]
Rise and Grind
Daymond John knows what it means to push yourself hard — and he also knows how spectacularly a killer work ethic can pay off. As a young man, he founded a modest line of clothing on a $40 budget by hand-sewing hats between his shifts at Red Lobster. Today, his brand FUBU has more than $6 billion in sales. Convenient though it might be to believe there are shortcuts to the top, … [More]
Crushing It!
Four-time New York Times bestselling author Gary Vaynerchuk offers new lessons and inspiration drawn from the experiences of dozens of influencers and entrepreneurs who rejected the predictable corporate path in favor of pursuing their dreams by building thriving businesses and extraordinary personal brands. In his 2009 international bestseller Crush It, Vaynerchuk insisted … [More]
Inspired
How do today’s most successful tech companies — Amazon, Google, Facebook, Netflix, Tesla — design, develop and deploy the products that have earned the love of literally billions of people around the world? Perhaps surprisingly, they do it very differently from the vast majority of tech companies. In INSPIRED, technology product management thought leader Marty Cagan provides … [More]
