It was 30 yards away, and I had no idea. One past spring break I went fishing. (breaking news, I know.) I tried a new spot that was supposed to be a hot catfish hole in a back corner of a lake. I hadn’t been in this area in a few years, and it looked…
When you build a healthy business, it gives you lots of options. One of these options is to give back into your community. The United States is one of the most generous nations in the world both by total amount as well as per capita, but even so our annual giving averages just $1,204 per…
Sometimes the best solution is simpler than you think. There’s a human condition called “Complexity Bias” where we tend to believe that more complex answers must be more correct or true than simple ones. But sometimes simple is best. That can absolutely be true when it comes to controlling costs. I had a business partner…
I like to read westerns and spy novels. There’s just something about a story of a man who can get stuff done, and doesn’t complain about it. Right now I’m in the middle of a Robert Ludlum CIA adventure titled “The Ambler Warning”. Ludlum is best known for creating Jason Bourne (and Matt Damon thanks him kindly),…
One stroke of the pen. That’s all it took to change this brand. Dollar Tree is the nationwide dollar store famous for everything being $1 no matter what. However, amidst rapid inflation, increasing costs of goods and shipping, they raised their prices to $1.25 across the board. That’s right: they raised their prices by 25%…
I love motor sports. Boats, bikes, cars, track, drag strip, all of it. NASCAR is particularly fascinating to me. It’s so incredible that 40 cars can swap paint at 200 miles per hour for hundreds of miles, all for that sweet glory of victory by mere seconds at the checkered flag. In racing, tradition demands…
Roger Federer is perhaps the most decorated tennis player to ever play the game. 103 career singles tournament wins. 20 majors. 82% career win rate. Olympic gold and silver. In a way, Roger Federer has been tennis for this current century. In 2017 he created a representation company with his agent to change the way that athletes…
Thinking about buying a business? It can be a thrilling time. The search, the hunt, the negotiation, the possibilities, the hopes and dreams, the potential that a prospective business has… Buying a business means that you and the seller both need to get really cozy with each other. This can be uncomfortable, to say the…
He just wanted some rocks. One of my favorite examples of profit through vertical integration in a small business is about a hardscape installation company I did some work for. They built patios, walkways, planters and so on out of stone and brick, mostly serving suburban homes. It started out as a side hustle for…
Your brain is valuable. Sometimes it doesn’t feel like it when you’re in the trenches of daily business, but you have knowledge that other people would love to have. Think about yourself just 5 years ago. What lessons have you learned? What mistakes have you made that you “won’t make again”? There are people who…