Recipe to Make a Small Business

We had a “happy” show with Sara Bencomo, co-owner of Happy Cakes Bakeshop in Denver. Sara and some friends started making cupcakes seven years ago and now are being recognized by places such as 5280 and Martha Stewart. So how do you take a cupcake and make it a profitable business? Sara shared some tips.  Continue reading

How Many Projects Is “Too Many”?

Every year as the fourth quarter approaches, capacity planning kicks off. With the speed of business we tend to try and cram in as many projects into a year as possible. We can’t risk falling behind, so we figure out how to implement every great idea. Often we get caught in the trap of believing we can just use staff augmentation to offset the greater capacity needs extra projects create. When doing capacity planning, don’t forget these other big hitters: Continue reading

The Great American Spirit

Today’s job market is volatile. As job elimination occurs, many people approach their careers differently and many start their own companies. Whether an entrepreneur or someone with a corporate job, it’s important to be running your career like it’s your business. You should always be building your brand and your network. That way, when you need it, you aren’t starting from scratch.

We had George Krueger and Mary-Lynn Foster from Bigg Success on the show this week. Here are a few tips for those who are thinking of taking the entrepreneurial plunge. Continue reading

Be Dispensable

Ever wanted a promotion? How about going on a vacation without work tagging along? Want to learn a new position at work? The key is to be dispensable. For ages people have tried to make themselves indispensable, attempting to avoid lay-offs or seeking ways to be worth more to the company. This strategy doesn’t work, as companies have proven time and time again, everyone is replaceable. And if you try to be irreplaceable, that’s all the more reason for companies to try and replace you. This starts off my first point about being dispensable: Continue reading

Is This Thing On?

Have you ever suffered from the case of “I shouldn’t have said that” or “That’s not what I meant?” It’s tough to say the right thing, at the right time, in the right way. We had Rebecca Barth from She Shares Ministries on the show this week talking about how to communicate for maximum impact. And while we talked about the different ways to communicate, from senior leaders to direct reports, I want to expand more on the topic of communicating with our peers.  Continue reading

Are You Social Enough?

Everyone has a social media brand whether they like it or not! From companies to individuals, your social media presence is becoming more and more important. And if you aren’t on social media, that tells people a lot about you as well! Social media levels the playing field: anyone can create and potentially communicate to vast audiences. Oftentimes the first place people go when researching a company or a potential employee is out to the web to see what they can find. Gina Schreck, social media guru and Chief Hooligan at SocialKNX, and all-around one of my fave people, was on the show this week, giving tips to both entrepreneurs and those employed in the corporate world.  Continue reading