We occasionally come across organizations considering franchising as a strategy for developing a social enterprise. A franchisor is a company that has a successful product or service, business model and recognizable trade name (think chain stores), which it offers on a continuing contractual basis to other businesses (its franchisees), for a fee. The advantage of …

I’ve had a fun day! Over at my Bernstein Crisis Management Blog, I posted an open letter to Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, the increasingly infamous teller of tall tales about his alleged Vietnam service. The shy title of my blog post? Dear Richard Blumenthal: You’re a Liar Practicing what I preach, I then Tweeted …

Since moving to Cleveland ten years ago, I have watched many disappointing seasons for Cleveland sports teams. A common statement heard by Clevelanders all over the city every year is “this is our year.” Every year could be the year for multiple Cleveland teams including the Indians, Browns and Cavs and every year seems to bring disappointment and frustration for the fans, players, and owners alike.

One spiritual practice that I continue to learn about and grow into is the practice of gratitude and appreciation (I’ll be writing a lot about this topic). When we are in a state of appreciation we are transmitting some of the highest and most spiritual energy vibrations as possible. As appreciation elevates our own energy …

Mentors are a benefit for all parties involved and a GREAT case for KM in an organization.

Guest submission from Carter McNamara of Authenticity Consulting, LLC. An Earlier Time When We Fantasized Heroic Leaders In the 1960s and ‘70s, many of us took part in “rap” sessions. Back then, rapping was a free-floating discussion, usually centered around utopian dreams of what society should be, but wasn’t. We lamented how corrupt “the establishment” …

You have sent out your news release. Now what? Get back to what you do best? Take a walk? Sit by the phone and wait? Most people who don’t have a public relations person in their company, or don’t use a PR advisor or agency often make the mistake of thinking that just because the …

Let’s take a quick look at a few companies’ policies and guidelines on employee use of social networking. The policy excerpts below offer highlights of their own in-house guidelines.

Writing a business plan takes time. Using software can help organize your work and save you some time, especially if you haven’t written one before. Here’s a quick summary of what, from my experience, are the three best choices: Business Plan Pro by Palo Alto Software claims it’s the best selling business planning software for …

It used to be that there were essentially three choices: private, public, or nonprofit. Privately-held companies offer the most flexibility, without outside investors or the IRS constantly looking over your shoulders. A privately held social enterprise can choose to invest some of its profits into achieving social impact without anyone second-guessing those decisions. But if …