Sometimes the best things in life are free. So if your preference is to find out what’s available on the web before investing in a business planning book (see previous blog entry for a list of books), here’s a quick list of ten “best” business planning web sites. My next blog will indicate where you …

The first major summer holiday, Memorial Day, has come and gone. Only two more such long weekends will be here and vanished before you know it. Long Live Summer! In deference to the nice weather in most parts of the country today (okay, threats are out there but so are comfy highs) — and to …

Outstanding customer service strategies is making your customers feel like you understand their needs and their issues. There is another way of letting your customers reach out to you that is faster and more structured than an email exchange and more productive than a phone call. Online Chat is a nice way to personalize your …

Are you the type of person that will not act until you have “all your ducks in a row”? Successful people are the ones that move forward with their ideas, goals and endeavors even when they don’t have everything figured out. They focus on what they want – and take action. Here are 5 tips …

What is the Value of a Social Media Fan? A community of targeted traffic on a social media platform also has very real intrinsic value. Hooray! Social media marketing efforts actually equate to marketing power and real dollars.

Grants represent the most effort for the least predictable return. The question, therefore, is to first determine what resources will be needed before an organization contemplates launching a grants program!! Researching grant sources, planning projects, preparing proposals and budgets and managing funded programs all require a lot someone’s time/labor – all of those comprise the …

Have you figured out how to get the heart of what matters most amidst the chaos of our overstuffed lives? Lately I’ve been using this affirmation as a reminder in my pursuit of what is most important in my work and life. “I make time for what matters most.” This affirmation helps me to know …

This blog entry suggests that Transformational Leadership is the winner of the prize for the most researched, studied, and debated approach to leadership that has ever existed. The blog says that Transformational Leadership exerts more influence than any other leadership approach on the organizational leaders of today.

I have been thinking about Types of Changes, which tend to fall into 3 buckets. First, there is the Minor change, which is basic tuning, or adjustments to normal business life and the predictability of managing those is high. Then there are the Low impact changes, small changes in people and processes where predictability is …

Does your company have a crisis communications plan? Regardless of size, every organization should have one for many reasons. First, you owe it to your constituents whether they are stakeholders or users of the service you provide or the wiki you sell. Second, the public at large — and most definitely the news media — …