Business Tips by Chris Reich

About a month ago I wrote an entry  about a remarkable dentist. He installed a beautiful fountain in front of his office distinguishing it from the awful, cookie-cutter buildings of Union City, California. God, this whole town looks like a Staples. You can't tell...

I have the opportunity to spend this week with clients in San Francisco. The drive, though tedious, is one of my great pleasures. I love to spend 7 hours trapped in the car with an audio book on my I-Pod. I stop at nearly all the rest stops and think. Yes, think....

It's now 2007. We know how disease is spread. Unless you live in a cave you also know food servers are among the lowest paid workers in the labor force.   That said, do you really want a 17 year old kid putting your next burger together with his bare hands?...

I spoke with my mortgage company yesterday.   As usual, they tried to sell me insurance. They are always trying to sell me insurance. Sometimes, the tactics they use border on unethical. Sometimes they cross the border.   This time, the GreenTree "rep" was...

I attempted to do business with a few websites lately that offer great services. Each however was badly flawed.   overnightprints.com   I needed some new business cards so I decided to give these guys a try. After 2 hours of getting the layout exactly...

Why is it so difficult to convince companies that learning time is valuable time? Smarter people do better work.   Rarely do I visit a company that has a company library. Why? You can easily start one.  Why not add a bookshelf to the break room and...

This will take some practice and staff development but is worth the effort.   At every meeting, ask this question: Did we learn anything new this week?   At first, people will be reluctant to offer anything. You may get a few silly responses like, "if you...

Focus is important. Lose focus and you're soon adrift in non-productive paper pushing.   I sometimes find myself getting out of focus. There are things I'd rather do than those things I should do. If I fail to discipline myself to stay on track I will...

I've been involved in labor contract discussions this week. The workers actually asked for a 5% raise above their annual raise for completing 5 years of service. They also wanted 10% for completing 10 years of service. This would be a bunus for hanging around....

There are those who build and those who tear down.   I've seen people pour their heart and soul into building---organizations, projects, teams---and it only takes one person to tear things down. They tear things down for numerous reasons and none are...

Fun. In spite of more leisure time and an abundance of toys, Americans are having less fun.   Fun has been taken from the workplace. Fun is taken out of recreation in exchange for "proper equipment and technique". The fun in food has been replaced with diet,...

I watched the YouTube debates. It's great to see something new being done to raise interest and participation in the election process. People submit homemade video questions via YouTube. CNN selects which video questions to run. The questions are played, the...

I'm having a hard time with this lesson. The struggle comes from thinking I already KNEW this: Business marketing really IS about YOU and not about ME.   Where's the struggle? Websites, brochures, business cards and first contacts are crammed with information...

Computer "Training" is boring. I agree.   Computer "training" would be great if you could just pick up a couple of tips that would save you some time or make your day a little easier. It would be great if this could be done quickly. Who has time to sit through an...

Free samples don't always work. When I started my coffee business 20 years ago, a supplier from a 100 year old family business told me that giving away free coffee samples would not lead to sales. Nonsense! I gave away a lot of coffee before admitting to myself that...

Your extravagant hot fudge sundae has just been placed before you. What's the first thing you look for? What's the first thing you hear from those around you?   Can I have the cherry?! NO! Of course not! That's THE most desirable part of the entire mountain of...

Last night at 8:00 p.m. I happened to stop by my office and noticed the flashing alert on the answering machine.   "This is XYZ Delivery. I have a box for you but cannot find your driveway. Call me."   The driver failed to leave a callback number. The driver...

Here's a little exercise to open creative and productive thinking...   What if the price of paper went up 10,000%? The $6 package that loads all the printers and copiers suddenly costs $600. What would you do differently?   Seem like a silly exercise?...