Business Tips by Chris Reich
Tips from growing a business to dealing with disputesAre You Sick of TheseToo?
Rant!Here are some things I'm really sick of coming from the marketing universe:1. I'm already sick of Black Friday2. I'm sick of Black Friday being moved UP a week so they can squeeze MORE out of us.3. I'm sick of guilt based advertising. (Be a good parent and buy...
The Death of…
Writing good web copy is an art. Not everyone has the talent to write engaging content. However, butchering the English language is damaging to your business. Sure, people make mistakes. There will be a skipped word or misspelling. These things happen.Bad writing is...
Mixed Signals Hurt Business
This is a short and sweet Friday post.I hope the right people read this. It could save a few businesses.Seth Godin calls mixing things up badly a "Meatball Sundae". That makes me a little nauseous every time I read it.It goes something like this. "We're the best in...
Marketing Is Getting Tougher
Until recently, a business that made the right moves could succeed on a well-controlled marketing budget without too much effort. That changed with Google's three major alterations to how it ranks sites in search results. Sites with great page rank vanished. The game...
The Most Important Thing a Business Owner Does
I would love to take a survey of this question: What is the most important thing a business owner does?* See the PS after reading thisOften, we tend to spend the least time on the truly important and the most on those squeaky wheels in need of grease. The customer who...
A Priest and a Rabi Walk into a Restaurant…
It goes like this, a Priest and a Rabi walk into a restaurant. They look around and leave. A nice young couple then walk in. They look around and leave. An elderly couple come in. They too look around and leave. But wait! A large group just came in! Looks like four...
Titles? We Need No Stinking Titles!
What a week. I'm helping people through mazes of data mining and presentation landmines at corporations. These people fear people with titles such as Vice President of Operations or COO or BFD. There are small, and I mean small, business owners who try to impress...
Panic is a Symptom
This is called a "short and sweet" post.If you find yourself in a perpetual panic to meet deadlines, that is a symptom of disorganization.At a conference recently I used the International Space Station and the free-floating astronauts as a metaphor for balance. Look...
What Is a Plan?
I'm working with several businesses on different issues and the one thing they all have in common is they lack a plan.There's an old expression about. We don't plan to fail but fail to plan.But what is a plan?One business has personnel problems, another is...
I Am Taking You to Task!
Tisk tisk. Task, task, task, tasks. I am busy. Sorry, too busy. Can't, busy. You busy? Yes, busy. Still busy.Friday.Wow, glad this week is done. Done. Get much done? Well done?Well, lots of tasks make for a busy week but not necessarily a productive week.Yes, it is...
Feeling Stressed? Here’s Why
There is a cause for feeling stress in business. I see it every day. I experience it myself.The primary cause for stress in business, and perhaps other areas of life, is loss of focus.When I see an entrepreneur begin to get stressed out, I can just around and see the...
Too Noisy
Is it just me or is the world getting noisier? Even the internet is noisy.
Game Theory is NOT a Game
Game Theory involves a mathematical study of solving the problem of achieving most beneficial outcomes for parties to a transaction. That's a bit dry for a casual read so get it into practical terms.Game Theory, approached intelligently, is a strategy to maximize...
Most People Miss This Step When Making Decisions
There is an important step that most people do not even consider when making important business decisions. Today I want to address the most important of those overlooked steps.When making an important decision, stop and consider what the answer, or outcome, will look...
Two Ways to Launch a Business
There are two ways to launch a new business and one is better than the other in most cases. No, I don't mean the right way or the wrong way.The first, and most common way, is to make a plan, get started, obtain financing, finish putting things together and then open...
New DOW Composition
So we learn today that the DOW is shifting its composition:"The three companies - an investment bank, credit card payment processor and apparel company, respectively - will also replace Bank of America Corp, Hewlett-Packard Co, along with Alcoa in the 30-stock...
Starting a New Business
Part of any solid athletic training involves visualization of the sport. This should be part of business planning as well. We need to learn to create a realistic mind movie and run it in our heads. We should look for flaws that can be corrected before starting the...
What Sale Should I Run?
The summer months are not the best time to run "sales" unless you have a business that benefits from the back-to-school season. Here's what you should be doing to promote your business instead of offering discounts.Summer is the time to strengthen the foundation of...