Posted by George Cloutier on 10/22/09 | (1) Comments
Get your behind to the office. That’s where you need to be. Your family will still be there when you get home. Weekends are the perfect time to get work done. The phone’s not ringing. There are no distractions. People aren’t wandering past your office. The emails aren’t overloading your in box. It can be your post productive time of the week, particularly for backend housekeeping and financials. Hell, have your accountant come in and go over the books with you. Buy her coffee. If she says she can’t make it, find another bookkeeper!
Posted by George Cloutier on 10/19/09 | (0) Comments
Forget the firearms. Try to avoid threats of bodily harm. But always remember: YOU are the boss, so act like one. It’s not your job to dispense praise, affirmation, hugs, and cookies to your staff. They have to respect you, not like you. Wanting to be liked is perceived as weakness. Your employees will walk all over you. Let them know that you are going to hold them accountable for their actions. Be in control and be controlling. It’s better to drive your employees nuts than to lose money.
Posted by George Cloutier on 10/18/09 | (0) Comments
The commitment it takes to reach that level of profitability in your business does not stop at 5:00 on Friday. I know you probably think you are entitled to spend the weekend recharging, catching up with family, or worshipping God. But I don’t care, and neither does your business. Weekends are for work.
Sure, you should probably go to church, or the temple, or the mosque, and pray for profits——because many times you will need divine intervention to overcome your lousy decisions and foolish ways. But the second you get up off your knees, head straight back to the office, because this profit rule applies to everything that takes time away from your business, however sacred.
Don’t get me wrong. I have the utmost respect for the millions God-fearing business owners across America. I’ve prayed with them and I’ve prayed for them. Absolutely go to church on Sunday or temple on Saturday. Religion is a worthy pursuit. But what are you doing for the rest of the day? That hour or two you’ve spent meditating or worshipping may be just the thing you need to clear your head and get you ready to tackle the bookkeeping and sales reports for the rest of the afternoon.
Posted by George Cloutier on 10/16/09 | (1) Comments
If there’s a difficult task on your to do list that you’ve been putting off, do it first and do it now. Are three out of ten employees failing miserably? Fire them! Is your biggest problem that you need a new banking institution? Don’t waste time shooting the breeze with clients. Make the calls and find the bank with the best loan terms. Suck it up and do it!
Posted by George Cloutier on 10/14/09 | (0) Comments
It may sound obvious to some of you, but in today’s warm, fuzzy and politically-correct environment, where it’s all about collaboration, fairness, and listening to your employees, many small business owners forget one important thing: they have a business to run. This ain’t a democracy. The only opinion that matters is your own.
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