I hear a lot of complaints about bosses from my clients -...

I hear a lot of complaints about bosses from my clients -- bosses who are arrogant, who can't be bothered to say please and thank you, who don't hesitate to scream at their staff in public (or private), and who have a "do as I say, not as I do" attitude about work. When managers want to know how to improve their workforce, it might be a good idea to start wondering how to improve themselves first.

Peter & Keith - Reasons small businesses struggle to sur...

Peter & Keith - Reasons small businesses struggle to survive is due to juggling too many balls and wearing too many hats: marketing, advertising, servicing clients, maintaining full-time employees while paying costly benefits/payroll taxes, and getting the work product out the door in a timely manner. Operating a small business takes many sleepless hours doing it almost singlehandedly. Owners get burnt out, frustrated, disillusioned, and broke. The solution for small businesses is to hire Virtual Assistants a/k/a as VA's, who are entrepreneurs performing administrative or executive assistant services from their home office, and they charge only for the work being done. Nothing else. Remembering former President Kennedy: "Don't ask what your country can do for you; Ask what you can do for your country." It's worth repeating. Have a good day.

There's no doubt that the climate for small business - li...

There's no doubt that the climate for small business - like that of the globe - is rapidly warming. Adapt or perish is more than an evolutionary "best practice." It applies to how SMBs grow feet from fins.

Sure, as you point out it all starts with a well thought out Internet marketing plan. As a small business owner/operator, one also needs to realize that customers increasingly prefer to satisfy their shopping hunger online. And that they still largely rely on vendors they already know and trust.

Brick and mortar will not become extinct anytime soon. The newer species - broadband, interactive websites, and email communications, provide distinct advantages for our evolving times. It is crucial to adapt to -- and adopt -- these technologies to maintain and nourish healthy online customer relationships.

Yet, even as the sun warms the web-enveloped marketing seas, the ancient axioms of "know thy customer" and "the best business is repeat business" still swim strong.

...

Clearly I'm all fins today.

Clearly I'm all fins today.

Great debate to have.... however some issues are evergree...

Great debate to have.... however some issues are evergreen. I'd like to see a whole lot more focus on customers in your "6 for '06". Cash flow and cost center management is important. Certainly, execution of a strong internet marketing plan and attraction/retention of good employees are keys to success. Plus, having a growth orientation is essential . And, it is true that having a well thought through technology investment strategy is becoming more crucial. However, none of this is possible without a discussion about your current and future customers. I'll be interested in how your panel of experts address this and specifically best practices that other successful small businesses use in putting the customer first.

Peter, back in our TFB daze we were cutting edge. Just ab...

Peter, back in our TFB daze we were cutting edge. Just about everything we knew then is obsolete now. Only through eternal vigilence can we maintain our edge.

The next trend? The end of trends. The most significant ones are passe before they're adapted by the so-called mainstream. Remember blogging?

Thank you for the article. I am signing up, to keep up t...

Thank you for the article. I am signing up, to keep up todate.

Although it's been some time since I've worried about ope...

Although it's been some time since I've worried about operating a Small Business, I've been enjoying your posts. I'd heard a typical morning news snippet on the Sony Playstation delay and wondered what was behind it. Frank Robinson's "Barely Sufficient" advice is genuine genius to share with your readers. But, it's a very different and simple lesson to be learned from the Sony story: regardless of what size business you are, it's not good business to sell your product for less that it costs.

Excellent point Peter! I agree with you 100 percent. I al...

Excellent point Peter! I agree with you 100 percent. I always admired you and you are one of the best corporate leaders I've seen in action. I worked for you at IDG Marketing Services and that team was very impressive. I know you had a great deal to do with the diversity and talent pool evident at IDG Marketing Services. Best Regards, Max Zeledon ...

Just to be fastidious, there *is* a second VP candidate i...

Just to be fastidious, there *is* a second VP candidate in US electoral history--the Libertarian Party nominated a woman VP for their ticket in the national elections of 1972. *Tonie Nathan* is the first woman VP candidate to get an electoral vote in the Electoral College (the Democrat's Geraldine Ferraro was the second), and Nathan is also noteworthy as the first Jewish person to receive an electoral vote and to gain a nomination to run as Vice-President. Interesting, huh?

There may be a few other lessons here, too. It seems Rya...

There may be a few other lessons here, too. It seems Ryan also worked his connections and played up the novelty of a kid having a very useful invention that helps other kids. Those are also key elements in getting inventions to market. Of course, persistence and knowing the audience is important. But the other two are also extremely instrumental. Thanks for the post. Ryan is an inspiration. I'll share his story with my colleagues/network.

It's true, I would rather just have one carry-on and get ...

It's true, I would rather just have one carry-on and get out of the airport as soon as possible.

Hi Peter - I agree that metrics drive innovation (actuall...

Hi Peter - I agree that metrics drive innovation (actually, they drive anything you want them to drive). But it is constancy and visibility that make metrics so powerful. How about a scorecard that displays key innovation metrics, with green/yellow/red indicators that show when those metrics are exceeding or missing the organization's goals? I've built such scorecards using nothing but Excel - one of which still guides a $400 million business after 8 years. If we could partner to pull together such a template for innovation, for use by AllBusiness readers, let me know.

Peter I really enjoyed your insights shared on this post....

Peter I really enjoyed your insights shared on this post. As one who in my businesses throughout the years had to learn this the hard way, I hope there are those who take what you say to heart. Yes there can be certain things that can quell innovation and creative workers, but having goals, metrics and USPs in place that drive the innovation is a sign of a healthy business, not one that opposes creative processes.

Concerning the matrix driven innovation. It is very impor...

Concerning the matrix driven innovation. It is very important to do research every day about new idea that can help you to manage your company, to find new products idea... and it is also good sometimes to try sometimes new thing that you thought to be profitable for your business. But when you are director of a company, how to find the time to do research, to stay aware of the trends, innovations, ect, when you are involved in the everyday life of the business.
And how to find the ressources, especialy financial ressources to constantly put in practice new idea?

Thank you in advance.
Regards,

Yann.

Thanks for good information; associate recomended I pick ...

Thanks for good information; associate recomended I pick it up.

Although I was only part of the TFB team for 3.5 years, i...

Although I was only part of the TFB team for 3.5 years, it was a fun and heady shop that did solid to great work for good clients. And working together was a blast! Thanks for the flood of memories, Peter.

can u help? ...

can u help? is the 'ultimate real estate investors guide' by thomas kish @cashflowexperts.biz a good program or is it a scam?

Hi Peter. Very good post! It's nice to see a CEO arguing ...

Hi Peter. Very good post! It's nice to see a CEO arguing against the "first is best" mentality. Our culture and our media are so over-obsessed with who's first they forget that first does not always work best. It usually takes a lot of resources to be first. Then, invariably, someone comes in after you and does it better because they learned on your dime. Witness Yahoo and Google! Thanks Peter!

Great story Peter, and thanks. It's great to hear a CEO's...

Great story Peter, and thanks. It's great to hear a CEO's perspective on growth. I've long felt that growth is vital but should be prioritized and managed within the business. I recently went back to update our business plan with managed growth in mind.