Entrepreneurship & Small Business

H ave you ever come across a solution to a problem that was so simple you almost rejected the solution out of hand because it was just too simple? "Surely there's more to it than just that," you reasoned!

What is your company's vision statement? Can you recite it at a moment's notice? Does it inspire you?

Credibility is the currency most people want. Like dollars in the bank, credibility can be spent in the company store. When you need to get buy-in on a new idea, others are more willing to get behind it. When a new position is available, your name can be advanced as a candidate others can safely support. If you disagree with a decision made by senior management, they are more willing to listen to your argument.

Believe it or not, 2012 will soon be coming to a close and the new year provides business owners with an opportunity to take a fresh look at their company retirement plans.

The five fastest-growing companies of the Future 50 in 2012 are understandably bullish about the future.

The producers of the Wisconsin Early Stage Symposium are looking for cutting-edge companies from Wisconsin and the upper Midwest to present to investors at the Nov. 13-14 conference at Madison's Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center.

Whether I am coaching leaders, executives, employees, salespeople or individuals for personal growth, often the need to improve one's listening becomes a focus, if greater success is the goal.

“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”
— Ralph Waldo Emerson

Pinstripe Inc. has been doubling in size every 12 to 18 months since it was founded in 2005, and the Brookfield-based company recently received a substantial investment from California private equity firm Accel-KKR.

In case the sluggishness we are feeling in the economy continues beyond the election, this is a good time to revisit what to do. In periods like this, cash is king and you need to operate accordingly; you may not be able to cover up mistakes by growing revenue. Here are some additional thoughts: