Business Strategy

1 Mar 2010

Remember to Stop and Smell the Roses

By |2017-04-03T11:57:39-06:00March 1st, 2010|Categories: Business Strategy, Doug's Blog, Mindset and Motivation|

I was just looking out the window. There is a full moon shining on a low lying fog over the hills and prairie; the light reflecting off the tin roof of a barn to the south of us. Absolutely haunting and stunning.

The other day, I saw what initially looked to be a gopher running across the lawn. Upon closer look it was white and not quite a gopher. In fact it was a ferret with its winter coat; and a black tip on its tail. It looked like a white stick standing in the yellow grass. Thanks to our recent […]

23 Feb 2010

Your Attitude Changes Your Results

By |2017-04-03T11:57:58-06:00February 23rd, 2010|Categories: Business Strategy, Doug's Blog, Mindset and Motivation|

I am constantly amazed at how the grey matter upstairs works.

It is kind of like when you buy a new car and then you start noticing all of the similar cars out there.

When you make the commitment as an individual and company to:

  • Making a difference,
  • Be innovative and creative,
  • Making the pie bigger,
  • Be indispensable,
  • Be more entrepreneurial,
  • Deliver (or ship)

Essentially being much more optimistic and less fearful of hypothetical problems that may never come to pass.

Then more of those things (opportunities) come your way.

Why? Because you are looking with the right filters.

22 Feb 2010

Effective Business Optimization

By |2017-04-03T11:58:03-06:00February 22nd, 2010|Categories: Business Strategy, Doug's Blog, Leadership|

Business optimization is not a one time thing.

Business optimization is not about looking at the numbers (though that is part of it) and squeezing every last penny out of your business.

It is an ongoing process; a journey with a destination far in the future.

Effective business optimization is a continuous cycle (not a rigid order):

  • Strategy – where you want to go,
  • Planning – how you plan to get there,
  • Communicate – involve the team in the discussion,
  • Goals and measurements – to determine if you got there,
  • Orchestration – what are your processes,
  • Innovation – big changes and leaps, creativity,
  • Improvement – incremental
  • Measure and Validate […]
21 Feb 2010

Business Strategy: What Do You Really Want to Optimize?

By |2017-06-21T15:53:41-06:00February 21st, 2010|Categories: Business Strategy, Doug's Blog, Leadership|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Man in Office - Business Performance - Business Strategy

Before you spend resources on improving your business performance, it is best to know where you want to go. This means getting clear on your business strategy.

Improving Business Performance

There are two main ways of improving business performance:

  • Optimization – Making things better, best practices, incremental improvements,
  • Innovation – Doing different things, doing things differently, leaping past the competition.

It is easy to think there is a magic bullet for optimizing your business’s performance. […]

11 Feb 2010

All Talk and No Action?

By |2017-04-03T11:58:27-06:00February 11th, 2010|Categories: Business Strategy, Doug's Blog|

Lately, I've been talking in my blog about what it is to be an entrepreneur. Working on the business versus in the business. Strategy versus busy work. Keeping customer happy, etc.

Is it all talk and no action?

Not at all.

Sure I blog about the things that I find interesting or attract my attention. If I am focused on something, it get's more attention over a period of time in the business.

We have been in business almost 10 years now which is an accomplishment in and of itself. We have had the pleasure of working with and building great software […]

5 Feb 2010

Are You Building an Entrepreneurial Business?

By |2017-04-03T11:58:50-06:00February 5th, 2010|Categories: Business Strategy, Doug's Blog|

Are you an entrepreneur or are you a builder of an entrepreneurial business?

An entrepreneur is someone who has an idea for product or service and turns it into a viable business; making money in the process… repeat.

A builder of an entrepreneurial business is someone who builds a business full of people who have ideas and they turn them into viable products and services; making money in the process.

The first depends on one person. The second leverages the potential of many.

Both can work and can generate enough to retire on, plus some.

One has the potential to become much more.

Which one are you? […]

27 Jan 2010

Who Is Right?

By |2017-04-03T11:59:02-06:00January 27th, 2010|Categories: Business Strategy, Doug's Blog, Mindset and Motivation|

Read ten different business books and get 10 different stories on the secret to business.

Talk to 10 different entrepreneurs or business owners and you will get another 10 answers.

The reality?

There are many paths to business success.

Most companies will make lots of mistakes along the way. Some will have some luck and some will have some hard luck. Some will ride a trend and some will pick one that doesn't pan out. Some will survive and some will thrive. Some will bloom quickly and fade just as quickly and some will struggle and bloom later.

Just like judging people, it is easy […]

25 Jan 2010

Lessons from the Coyote and Hare

By |2017-04-06T12:48:47-06:00January 25th, 2010|Categories: Business Strategy, Doug's Blog|

This morning I saw a hare (big rabbit) duck under our fence with a coyote hot on his heels. The hare stopped and went motionless. The coyote could not fit through and stood 20 feet away, staring at the hare, trying to figure out how he could salvage his breakfast.

Who is trying harder?

The predator or the prey? The obvious answer is the prey. However, if the predator doesn’t eat on a regular basis they will eventually become too weak to catch food.

If your business is struggling, it may feel like you are the prey and the market is out to […]

12 Jan 2010

Development and Business Optimization

By |2017-04-03T12:18:53-06:00January 12th, 2010|Categories: Business Strategy, Doug's Blog, Software Development, Technology|

The other day a developer asked me what we really know about business optimization; after all, developers build software not run businesses.

I would suggest that the right kinds of developers are exactly the right people to help with business optimization. I say help because no one person should be responsible for business optimization; it should be something done by everyone in your business and any external advisers as a team. No one person has all the answers and every business is different.

So if you are great developer what talents and skills can you bring to the table? Great developers:

11 Jan 2010

Great Idea Equals a Great Business

By |2017-04-03T12:18:59-06:00January 11th, 2010|Categories: Books and Courses, Business Strategy, Doug's Blog|

Apparently this is a bit of a myth. Sure some companies were founded on great ideas and become very successful.

I think this feeds into our desire to find the quick fix.

Great idea. Build a great strategy. Start a company. Instant wealth.

In 99.99% of the cases "instant" is actually many years in the making; kind of like the odds of winning the lottery.

In "Built to Last" by Jim Collins, they dispel this myth.

"Why? Because the great-idea approach shifts your attention from seeing the company as the ultimate creation."

Essentially, you focus on the product and not the […]