What the Research Really Says About Winning in Business
Winning in Business (and Why Most Success Books Get It Wrong) Most business advice is built on stories. A company hits a winning streak, someone writes a book about it, and suddenly we’re…
General Business Resources
There are some general business macro topics that affect everything, not just discrete parts of the organization. It could be economic trends, governmental regulation, the stock market, geopolitical realties, or simply looking at your business from a 30,000 foot view. This category deals with big picture issues.
Blog Posts
Capacity Building Lessons from the World’s Most Enduring Business Thinkers
My Journey with Capacity Building: A Look Back Before Looking Forward Recently, I was going back through my notes—old books, highlighted passages, workshop materials, training videos, and years of conversations with business leaders…
How CEOs Turn January Energy into Year-Long Execution Momentum
What Happens to Execution Momentum? Every January, I see the same pattern play out. Leaders come back from the holidays energized. Plans feel crisp. Whiteboards are full. Offsites are optimistic. And for a…
The CEO’s Playbook for 2026: From Ambition to Achievement
The CEO’s Playbook for 2026 Most CEOs I work with aren’t short on ideas, intelligence, or ambition. What they’re short on is clarity, focus, and execution capacity in an environment that keeps getting…
Leadership Is a Daily Choice
Leadership Is a Daily Choice — And Most Leaders Drift Without Realizing It Most leadership breakdowns don’t happen because someone isn’t smart enough, committed enough, or hardworking enough. They happen quietly. They happen…
Why Family Businesses Fail Without Clear Boundaries
Family businesses can be a tremendous source of pride, purpose, and financial security—but only when everyone understands the difference between being an owner, being an employee, and being a family member. When those…
Creativity Regained Article: Lessons from Robert Redford and Sundance
“Do you think the world was created by an accountant? No! The universe was created by the combustion of a creative explosion.” — Robert Redford I decided to revisit this article after hearing about…
Leading Through Uncertainty: Turning Turbulence Into Strength
Uncertainty Is Reality “The storm doesn’t build your skills; it reveals them.” Uncertainty isn’t a visitor—it’s the neighborhood we work in. Every leader, whether running a start-up, a family business, or a large…
How Changing Fed Policy Is Reshaping Business Growth and Financing
The Fed isn’t punishing business owners—it’s rebalancing an overheated economy. That doesn’t mean you should freeze. It means you should move with purpose, not panic.
Growth, Profit, and the Balancing Act: What the Rule of 23 and Rule of 40 Mean for Your Business
Growth by itself isn’t the goal. Sustainable, balanced growth that outperforms your market and strengthens your business foundation—that’s the win. “You’re not in business just to stay busy. You’re in business to build…
Navigating New Business Venture Landmines: A Comprehensive Guide for Entrepreneurs
Launching a new business venture or starting up a company is an exhilarating journey filled with potential and promise. Yet, this path is often laden with hidden obstacles—what we can call “business landmines.”…
The FOCUSED Model: Driving Your Small Business to Success
As a small business owner, achieving and maintaining success requires a clear strategy and a commitment to continuous improvement. One effective way to ensure your business remains aligned and driven toward its goals…
Leading Your Company Through The Organizational Lifecycle
By adapting your leadership style to the needs of your business at each stage, you can navigate the challenges and guide your organization to sustained success. Keep learning, stay flexible, and always lead…
Navigating the Path to New Venture Success: A Review of Chrisman, Bauerschmidt, and Hofer’s Model
When faced with challenges or uncertainties, entrepreneurs should return to the fundamental principles outlined in Chrisman, Bauerschmidt, and Hofer's model: Entrepreneur, Industry, Strategy, Resources, and Organization. By systematically diagnosing and addressing issues within…
20 Financial Management Tips For Small Business Owners
Running a small business is as challenging as it is rewarding, especially when it comes to financial management. As a business advisor, I've observed many common errors that can jeopardize a small business's…
What Is a Good Small Business Growth Rate?
Understanding and managing growth rates is crucial for the success of small businesses. Each business will have its own ideal growth rate, depending on its industry, target market, and internal resources. Striking the…
Navigating the Unpredictable Waters of Business: Embracing Risk and Failure as a Stepping Stone to Success
Failure happens. No one gets it right every time. In the journey of business, not every leader sails smoothly through the seas of success. The reality is stark yet often understated: the risk…
Managing Your Business Risk Effectively
Not all risks are equal. Prioritize them based on their likelihood and potential impact on your business. Focus your resources on high-probability risks that would leave you significantly vulnerable, while having contingency plans…
The Small Business Owner’s 10 Commandments
Years of experience and observation in my coaching and consulting practice have shaped these commandments. By adhering to these principles, small business owners can establish a solid foundation for success and effectively navigate the challenges that…
Two Different Approaches to Grow Your Business: Scale or Replication
Scaling and replication are two different approaches to organically grow your business. Scaling involves increasing the size and scope of your existing business operations. In contrast, replication involves creating a duplicate of your…
Recommended Reading
Breakneck
Breakneck: China’s Quest to Engineer the Future is more than a book about China; it’s a challenge to how we think about progress, power, and responsibility. By immersing you in “China’s quest to…
The Secret Stock Market by Mark Parrott
If you’re focused solely on today’s income, you’re likely sacrificing tomorrow’s wealth. The Secret Stock Market gives you the clarity, tools, and strategic mindset to shift from business operator to business architect—someone who…
Layered Leadership
Armstrong walks you through the layered approach, showing how great leaders don't just build businesses; they build other leaders. The book breaks down how to intentionally create layers of leadership that align with…
HBR on Entrepreneurship
This isn’t about buzzwords. It’s about picking the right opportunity, pressure-testing your model, serving real customers fast, and keeping cash healthy while you build a team you can trust. You’ll get clear frameworks…
Myself and Other More Important Matters – Charles Handy
Growth targets and dashboards can’t answer the bigger questions: What’s the point? What’s enough? What kind of leader do I want to be? Handy doesn’t preach; he shares honest accounts of choices and…
The Breakthrough Company
Most companies don’t stall for lack of effort—they stall because the systems that got them here can’t carry them there. The Breakthrough Company lays out how solid, real-world firms push past the plateau:…
Reading Excerpts
Myself and Other More Important Matters by Charles Handy
Managing a business, or any organization, I came to see, was more practical art than applied science. Yes, there were some useful disciplines, as in any art form, but what worked best could…
On Leadership and Business Book Excerpts Sections 3-5 by Ed Robinson
I believe that business and nonprofit leaders need to think differently about what constitutes success. Besides the quality of their people, what differentiates most high-performing companies is their vision, focus, and discipline. Culturally,…
On Leadership and Business Book Excerpts Sections 1-2 by Ed Robinson
The leadership journey requires you to cogitate constantly on the role you and others should be playing. As you achieve some level of success, your business may challenge your capabilities to lead it.…
Small Giants by Bo Burlingham
Introduction …they have chosen not to focus on revenue growth or geographical expansion, pursuing instead other goals they consider more important than getting as big as possible, as fast as possible. To make…
Trillion Dollar Coach by Bill Campbell by E. Schmidt, J. Rosenberg, and A. Eagle
Please click on this link for The Trillion Dollar Coach Book Summary Chapter 1: The Caddie and the CEO The Trillion Dollar Coach “In our previous book, How Google Works, we argue…
The Elephant and the Flea: Reflections of a Reluctant Capitalist by Charles Handy
I have been a Charles Handy fan for many years and find that his work only becomes more prescient and meaningful with time. It’s amazing how he could envision the world we would be doing…
Reading Summaries
On Leadership and Business: Parts 3, 4, and 5
By embracing the principles outlined in these sections, leaders can inspire their teams, drive sustainable success, and create a lasting positive impact within their organizations. The path to success involves not just strategic…
How the Mighty Fall: And Why Some Companies Never Give In
By understanding and addressing the stages of hubris born of success, undisciplined pursuit of more, denial of risk and peril, grasping for salvation, and capitulation to irrelevance or death, companies can avoid decline…
HBR on Entrepreneurship: Key Insights for Aspiring Entrepreneurs
The "Harvard Business Review on Entrepreneurship" provides invaluable insights into the critical questions, strategies, and frameworks that entrepreneurs must consider to succeed. By asking the right questions, finding the optimal growth rate, investing…
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