Blogs

It took me at least four attempts to start writing this blog. I kid you not. It’s not that I didn’t want to write the blog, or that I didn’t have anything to say. (I rarely have nothing to say!) Rather, every time I pressed my finger tips to keyboard, something else seemed to grab…

There’s an old adage, “You can’t plan for everything.” True. But if you plan for most things, you can put yourself in the best position possible to ACT versus REACT when opportunities and challenges present themselves. Why is this important? I much prefer to act with intention than to react to what life throws my…

Each New Year brings mystery, uncertainty, anticipation, excitement, and even nostalgia for what has come and gone. You name it. The switching of the calendar from December to January is a literal grab bag of emotions. How did 2012 treat you? Was it a good year for you personally, professionally, or just sort of ho-hum?…

Business success is as much about timing as it is about having good ideas and working hard. In my “world” timing encompasses things like pace and execution, of knowing when to “hold ‘em and when to fold ‘em” as Kenny Rogers would say. Most of us—at least those of us NOT in retail—try to take…

Watching “Superstorm Sandy” roll up the eastern seaboard last week—albeit from the comfort and safety of my west coast apartment!—got me to thinking about crisis management. Namely, what would I do if disaster struck, natural or manmade? How would I respond personally, professionally? Of course, living in California means I should already be quite aware…

I actually find myself breathing heavy as I begin to write this blog. Could it be stress and anticipation as I slip into “trip preparation mode” and my mind starts going a million miles an hour trying to think of all the possibilities, all the eventualities, all of the contingencies I need in place for…

I am always being approached by friends, colleagues, and sometimes even strangers who are thinking about starting their own small businesses. They want my advice, my insight, a glimpse at whatever “secret sauce” I’ve been cooking that’s allowed me to start-up several successful small businesses in the last decade. On one hand, I want to…

Learn from the past. Apply lessons in the present. Create a better future by looking six, 12, 18 months ahead. The above seems like a good formula for success—a no-brainer, really—whether you’re talking strategic marketing, engineering a project, building better relationships, or simply living a more balanced life. You’d be surprised, though, how many people…

Maybe it’s because I spent time over the holidays in Alaska, marveling at the wonders Mother Nature has to offer, or back here in California skiing in the mountains, refreshing mind, body, and spirit—whatever it is, I am looking at 2012 with a feeling of renewed energy, piqued curiosity, and clarity of purpose. Even though…

Are you looking forward to year’s end? Do you find yourself thinking, “If I can just hold on another week or two” or “If I can just make it to January 1, everything will be OK?” If so, you’re not alone. What with the economic ups and downs of 2011, business as usual in Washington…

This time of year, people of every size, shape, and walk-of-life tend to step back from the monkey chatter for a look at the preceding 11 months, wondering where did the year go?  I know I do. And the older I get, the faster the days and months seem to fly by. For many, December…

What a last week I’ve had, perhaps best summed up with one word (no not that one). The word I am thinking about is “hectic!” From personal commitments to professional pursuits to the unexpected passing of a dear friend (plus preparing to move residences), I felt like the Universe was trying to tell me something.…