dwagner

The other day I watched a program on TV where they took a look at people who were extremely “messy”. The people they interviewed were the opposite of everything the Martha Stewart brand stands for. Picture rooms stacked to the ceiling with vast accumulations of “stuff“. In some cases the rooms were so jammed you could barely move around. One guy had four apartments just like it in different cities.

Some made the argument that the time others spend cleaning and tidying they spend on being productive or creative. Others claimed they were highly visual people and needed to “see” […]

In business, you have to realize you cannot control everything. You cannot control your employees, suppliers or customers for example. All you can do is put the culture, systems and processes in place to attempt to guide things to your chosen destination.

Most businesses are actually organized chaos. Lots of things going wrong all the time but somehow things generally work out in the end. There is a point of diminishing return for effort invested in perfection (reducing problems to zero). Ideally the system is built to deal with the things that derail and then to get things back on […]

Tired of having a boss? Quit and start your own business, right?

Sounds great! No one to answer to but yourself. Call you own shots. Master of your destiny. Top dog. Ah, life will be great….

Unfortunately, being your own boss is a not a good reason to go into business, especially if it’s the main or only reason. It’s an especially bad idea if you can’t work for someone else (anti-social, argumentative, can’t take criticism, etc.) because you need those skills in business.

Assuming that: you are actually trying build a business; you are ethical; and “you” are filling the top […]

There is a small vendor in downtown Calgary that normally makes excellent Montreal smoked meat and Reuben sandwiches. In fact, after going there a few times I became a regular customer. The owner is really personable and the walk is a nice break to the day.

Yesterday, I ordered the “regular”, a Reuben. I also mentioned that the last couple of times, the sandwich had not been quite up to par. Without a moment’s hesitation, she refused to let me pay and insisted this sandwich was on the house. A free lunch was not my goal, I just wanted what I […]

Continued from Part 1 – A Chicken and Egg Business

I am a firm believer in reading, studying and learning from others… it saves a lot of time (by not having to repeat the mistakes of others). Many ideas are worth considering even if they are later discarded. To be creative in business (or anything) you need lots of perspective.

But for balance, make sure you also read about the people who were successful before the book… they may not be as stylish or fun to read as the professional authors, but the proof is in the results.

There is no one […]

Have you ever noticed that the majority of top selling business authors and personal motivators claim to be successful business people? Most are… now.

But guess what? Often, their successful business was writing, speaking and teaching the content of their book.

Which came first, a successful business or the book?

The chicken or the egg?

Update – Another Chicken and Egg Situation: Seth Godin also mentions web sites that make money teaching people how to make money using web sites.

Part 2 – The Chicken Omelet

As stated in his latest book, “Awakening the Entrepreneur Within” by Michael Gerber, there are two types of dreams (goals):

• Personal
• Impersonal

Personal dreams are those that apply (mostly) to you: buying a new car, world travel, losing weight, going to the gym, getting rich, finding yourself, personal development, etc. The thing is… personal goals are fleeting. Once you achieve them they quickly lose their ability to bring you satisfaction and need to be replaced by new goals… over and over.

Impersonal dreams are those that affect everyone but ourselves. There is a sense of creation, changing the world (or a part […]

There are two (maybe three) types of small business.

The first type of business (owner operated) is what happens when someone who is really good (the expert) at doing something (or someone who really wants to do something because it’s a hobby or passion) starts a business built around that capability. If you are a great plumber, you may get into the plumbing business. If you are a good lawyer you may open up your own practice. If you are good at fixing computers, you can start up a computer repair business. If you love dogs you may start a dog […]

Disclaimer: This fable is only loosely based on a true story and any resemblance to real people is purely coincidental.

Once upon a time three inspired information technology technicians working for a large consulting company decided to start a business. One was an architect, one was a project manager and one was a developer. One became the CEO, one became the salesman and one became the lead technician.

This was a time of plenty. Everyone was starting a technology business and overnight success was coming to companies that had nothing to show… no products, no customers and no revenue… the gold […]