Category Archives: Business Management

Celebrating 30 Years of Mind Masters: Looking Back to Look Ahead

| September 28, 2021

WOW have things changed in 30 years! Yet even with the uncertainties that the COVID virus has produced, Mind Masters and our members have held together to cheer each other on to make changes needed to stay afloat.

Some members wanted to know if we were going to celebrate like we did for our 25th, but my decision was to step back and plan it at the beginning of 2022. I needed this time to look at what we have learned in order to look beyond just staying afloat.

So what has made the difference for Mind Masters … Read More

Do You Know What Drives Your Business?

| July 27, 2021

In setting a challenge for members of Mind Masters this month, I asked them to commit to a specific financial number that will propel them forward for the balance of this year and into next. Some have faced downturns due to the pandemic, others have forged ahead due to grants, loans or just good markets.  But what number or numbers really need attention that would change the outomes?

Let me ask YOU, what number do you look at when trying to determine if your business is successful and growing or not? Most small business owners focus on Revenue (sales) or … Read More

How Do You Stay Sharp?

| May 25, 2021

During a Padres game last week the interviewer asked one of the players what he liked about his coach. He said the coach got in every day earlier than anyone else, practiced batting and reviewed the previous night’s game plays. “WOW what an example he sets for all of us”, he said.

Yes athletes do it, but so do musicians, mechanics, and writers do it, they practice, do you, the business owner, do it?  The idea that we can become proficient (well advanced in an art, occupation, or branch of knowledge) in our chosen field is often overlooked in small … Read More

How Are You at Setting Priorities?

| April 27, 2021

Why am I hearing time management and over whelm issues from many members? As a business owners, it’s easy to get caught up in the bustle of day-to-day business. As things begin to open up the drive to reach out and catch up on financial goals can be tempting to allow oneself spending a significant portion of time fighting the myriad fires that crop up every day. Instead, it is getting more important to take the time to step back and set “laser-sharp” priorities that focus on what’s really important – and keep from spending time on what’s not.

 … Read More

In the Beginning was the Dream…

| March 30, 2021

I love telling the story of an entrepreneur in Des Moines, Iowa who had a dream.  He had a successful welding business and he liked to tinker.  In 1903 to be able to carry supplies and deliver machine parts to his customers, George built an engine for a buckboard to make it easier to carry those parts.  He later built another engine for a carriage to take his family out in.  Today George’s “truck” sits in the back field of an Iowa farm, rusted and rotted.  Maybe his dream was to sell his idea, maybe it was only to create … Read More

What’s Keeping You Afloat?

| October 27, 2020

As an entrepreneur going it alone during some of these tough times can knock you flat.  What have you encountered in your business this year?  Are staying ahead? Have you stepped back? What have you learned and are you using the learning to move? How often have you let yourself go down that dark road and beat yourself up when things didn’t turn out according to “plan”?  As you entered this Quarter did you adjust your plan?  This is the time to step up and step “out”!

My members know I enjoy watching “Shark Tank”, a group of successful entrepreneurs … Read More

Survive This Riptide

| July 28, 2020

Rip Current Icon - Free Download, PNG and VectorRiptides or rip currents are powerful currents that flow away from shore. Swimmers caught in riptides can quickly be pulled out to sea, and often drown struggling against the current. Knowing rip current behavior and having a survival plan can make the difference between life and death.

Right now, as things have slowed down, businesses are likewise caught in a riptide of economic turbulence. Fear can set in, some have stopped investing in the things that keep the business visible; networking, advertising, asking for testimonials.  Your Success is built on a variety of choices you make, review the following to … Read More

Your Success is a Full Time Job, Keep it Going!

| June 30, 2020

Since the beginning of the Pandemic lock down I have been challenging Mind Masters members to continue moving forward by posing questions like, are you keeping up with the pace of change?  The pace of technology? The pace of your marketplace? The pace of your competition?  The dilemma of these questions struck me as well.  I fully admit that there are a couple of things on my plate that are challenging and I have put on the back burner, but by not dealing with what will move a person or business owner forward only creates stress. How much do I … Read More

Step Up Your Game

| May 26, 2020

After 29 years of in person Mind Masters meetings, and having to pivot at least for the time being, what really made members wake up to how important being surrounded by an entire team of entrepreneurs has meant in keeping the focus on growing their businesses, really meant.  Market places may be slow for businesses and inertia and fear perhaps has taken over.  The Mind Masters teams have worked to understand each other’s challenges and concerns which helped members gain a continuous stream of solutions – systems, tools, and a path to personal, professional and financial growth even during uncertain … Read More

Step Back – Are You Asking the Right Questions?

| April 28, 2020

Ask the right questions – what needs improvement, becomes increasingly important during economic uncertainty. Knowing which moves helped you win the game of business is your play back of what worked for you. It allows you to look backward to the extent required to give you a proper perspective on the present.

Analyzing each situation prior to setting results, strategies and actions is critical for generating or sustaining competitive advantages, especially when facing this dynamic environmental trend which can affect your business performance positively or negatively. Your main task is to explore the outside factors (that can imply what opportunities … Read More