Thoughts and Opinions

Since 2013 I’ve updated this piece about the underappreciated and forgotten boss of A Christmas Carol, Mr. Fezziwig. I hope that you enjoy it. Merry Christmas! Last week was the 182nd anniversary of the publication of Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol (December 17, 1843). The immortal words of Ebenezer Scrooge are ...

If you’ve been a business owner for a long time, you’ve lived this shift firsthand. Many Baby Boomer owners started out alone—just an idea, a customer, and a willingness to take a risk. Hiring that first employee was a milestone. Now, years later, some of those same businesses employ dozens or ...

When Fear Dictates Decisions I can’t. We won’t. I shouldn’t. Sound familiar? These thoughts creep in as your business grows. You’ve overcome a lot already—taking that first leap, pushing through uncertainty, making tough calls when the stakes were high. But now, you have something to lose. The fear of getting it wrong can paralyze progress.

Work from anywhere was initially a boon for many employees. Now employers are catching up.

Each year I reprint a post from 2013 about the underappreciated boss of A Christmas Carol, Mr. Fezziwig. I hope that you enjoy it. Merry Christmas! This week was the 178th anniversary of the publication of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol (December 17, 1843). The immortal words of Ebenezer Scrooge are ...

Supply chains and labor shortages are the chief topics among the 40 or so business owners I currently work with. Their anecdotes are widespread and widely varied. I wanted to know why, so I did some research on behalf of you, my business-owner readers. Supply Chains A broken foot was diagnosed at ...

Each year I reprint a post from 2013 about the underappreciated boss of A Christmas Carol, Mr. Fezziwig. I hope that you enjoy it. Merry Christmas! This week was the 177th anniversary of the publication of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol (December 17, 1843). The immortal words of Ebenezer Scrooge are ingrained ...

Dealing with  COVID fatigue unites business owners. If that sounds strange to you, let me make my case. I’m not doing this to whine, but I want business owners who don’t have an existing support structure to know that they aren’t alone. I facilitate several peer groups of business owners. For ...

“School Daze” is more than an old Spike Lee movie. It’s the latest “COVID-19 gift” as one of my clients facetiously refers to ancillary issues created by the pandemic. As employers, we are watching and waiting to see what new burdens are going to be foisted on us in the ...

The longer this virus goes on, the more I am reminded of Don Henley’s 1982 song “Dirty Laundry.” A friend and his wife declined an invitation to come over for a glass of wine (OK, maybe a bottle) on the back porch the other night. They were concerned about being with ...