What drives customer loyalty? Customers are loyal to businesses when their expectations are met time and time again. In my opinion, the execution doesn’t even need to be exceptional – it just needs to consistently deliver on the promises made. The biggest challenge faced by business owners is how to deliver consistently every time. A... View Article
Our guest blog post comes from Tom Andrew of Northwest Business Advisory. Tom was a speaker at our Equinox Focus Event on September 28. ————— Consider the following scenario: You have built up a successful business from scratch. You have labored to establish a loyal customer base that can rely upon your product or service... View Article
The term “succession planning” most commonly describes a company’s planning for its future. The issues typically discussed revolve around who will take over the company’s ownership and management upon the retirement of the current owners or partners. These are critical planning elements for any company but succession planning must also address the unexpected events that... View Article
Today’s guest blog comes from Dave Shapiro, a group leader at Excell CEO. Dave mentors CEOs and business owners throughout the Puget Sound and West Coast to help them gain clarity about what is holding their company back and what will propel it to even greater heights. —————————————— One of the toughest issues to face is uncertainty…... View Article
Our guest blog post is from Bert Holeton, President of The Mastermind Group (www.the-mastermind-group.com). ————————– When it comes to choosing the right individual to join your organization, or the right individual to promote into a key position, or the right combination of individuals to form a team – it’s all about performance and fit. To... View Article
Business owners know the value of hiring and developing a strong workforce – a workforce that can accomplish the business’ goals efficiently and effectively. Yet much of the hiring that’s done is informal. The process of selecting the employee typically includes interviews focused on whether we “like” the person and the person’s hands-on experience, more... View Article
Allan Vander Hamm is a principal and the Director of Business Valuation and Transition Services at Berntson Porter and Company in Bellevue, Washington. Allan’s practice focuses on designing and implementing comprehensive owner succession and transition projects; completing successful Merger & Acquisition transactions; and providing business valuations for transition, transactions, buy-sell agreements, divorce and estate and gift... View Article
Our guest blog this week comes from Bob Gruber, President of The Rainier Group, a professional firm with concentrated experience in the issues that affect successful private business owners and other successful individuals including business transition services, wealth advisory services and institutional consulting. Bob will be participating in our Succession Planning panel discussion on August 25.... View Article
As Chris Corrigan so aptly stated, “You can never over-prepare in business!” Yet, we know, from strategic plans to budget plans and marketing plans to staffing plans, business owners find it difficult to fit it all in. Now I raise the issue of succession plans… another one of those plans that doesn’t seem critical today;... View Article