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What to do with the building in business transition?

July 24, 2017

I’ve written before on the transition issues involved in leaving a small business to several siblings, meaning it doesn’t turn out well because of competing interests. That’s especially true if some don’t work in the business and especially when in-laws are involved. Now here’s a variation on that theme. Leave, or better sell the shop […]



Creating Project Time for Yourself

May 30, 2017

We need to create Project Time. “Last In, First Out” is the way most treat demands on our time. That’s why we never really get time to do our important projects. Here’s a thought to correct that. Make time. Don’t try to find it. Let me explain. We deal with the important things like we […]



Speed Up Estimates to Get More Sales

May 19, 2017

Many think there’s something magical about computerized pricing. There’s not. We estimated long before computers were invented. So, don’t clog up your system by making it too complex. In fact, increasing the turnaround time of the estimates will do more in closing the sale than having the perfect price. And our objective should be to […]



Case Against Absentee Management

April 20, 2017

We owners often try absentee management to work ourselves out of a job. We dream the shop running itself. Then we can do what we choose, not what we need to do. Some spend years developing systems while others just turn everything over to another person. Well, it doesn’t work in the long run. You […]



“What? You Quit?” Now I have to train a newbie.

September 5, 2016

Hate it when an employee quits because I have to train someone new, how about you? Here are a couple ways to make this less painful. Organize around functions and pay competitive wages whether they’re related or not. Organize around Functions, Not People: I remember when my first employee “quit on me.” Had hired her […]



Use Payback to Justify Equipment Purchases

August 7, 2016

Most business owners buy like consumers, not like businesses. They focus on wants, not needs and they don’t use the common payback method to justify equipment purchases. Least that’s what I was told by a major printing supplier late one night as we discussed the printing industry around a bar at a trade show. His […]