I am a lifelong entrepreneur and I love the challenges and opportunities presented by operating a small business enterprise.
Today, I am honored to manage an amazing resource for small businesses in Orlando, Florida, called the National Entrepreneur Center. I love my job!
This blog is an outlet to share my thoughts, ideas, and perspectives on small business with you. Please feel free to comment, add your perspectives, or just drop in occasionally for some food for thought.
I have worked for the largest business in the world (AT&T) and the smallest (my own), but I don't have all the answers! I do have lots of opinions, questions and ideas to ponder...so I hope you come back often to enjoy the journey into the mind of a serial entrepreneur!
"get Me The Ball!"
(General)
Friday, December 02. 2011
I had an opportunity to hear Orlando Magic’s head coach, Stan Van Gundy, speak about his experiences coaching in the NBA. A small group was invited into the Magic locker room for a short “chalk talk” by the coach and then we took a backstage tour of the facilities that are used by the team. It was great fun, Stan was very knowledgeable and engaging, and I truly enjoyed hearing his insights and perspectives on the NBA.
Coach Van Gundy shared many anecdotes from his years of coaching in competitive sports and most of the lessons learned...
The Juggle
(General)
Saturday, March 12. 2011
Entrepreneurs have to be masters at performing multiple duties, playing a variety of roles, and generally doing whatever is required to get the job done. Most start-up ventures are woefully understaffed and owners and employees realize that they have to be flexible in performing a variety of jobs and can’t be too rigid in conforming to any makeshift job description. Additionally, owners realize that a job remains undone, and there is nobody left to do it, or there is no money to hire someone, the task will undoubtedly be added to the owner’s to-do list. It just goes with the job,...
The War On Excellence
(General)
Thursday, February 24. 2011
The problem with trying to do something exceptionally well is that it is much easier to be average, and for some people and most organizations, that is acceptable. Jim Collins, in his book Good to Great starts out with the sentence, “Good is the enemy of great.” The older and more experienced I become, the more I understand the truth and the depth of that statement, and the more terrifying it becomes.
Excellence isn’t easy. In sports, academics, or your workplace, if you want to be excellent, you have to spend the time, do the hard work, make...
Closing Time
(General)
Wednesday, January 19. 2011
As an entrepreneur, I have spent many an evening in the office long after all the employees had gone home. It was just an accepted part of being an entrepreneur. Working late is the norm for most small business owners, not the exception. Filing, paperwork and other administrative tasks always wait until after the clients are served, and believe it or not, many sales occur after the business is technically “closed.” In fact, if there is a willing client with a check, my business is always open, and I am closing the sale!
This entrepreneurial attitude...
When You Know That You Know...
(General)
Tuesday, December 14. 2010
As a small business owner, there are always times that you wonder what you should do. Do you expand or contract? Do you hire now? …or wait until you are sure that things are going to get better? For the decision maker, there is usually not a clear answer.
Many times the decisions that can make you a hero, or a hound dog, are split second decisions that are based not on your research, or your training, but on your gut. You just know that you know, what to do. Others can doubt me, people can question and even ridicule my decisions, but more often than not, when I know that I...