Category: Growing a Business

How to Be a Terrible Leader (Hint: It’s Easy)

How to Be a Terrible Leader (Hint: It’s Easy)

They say that leaders are born, not made, but a couple of decades at the helm of multiple companies has taught me otherwise. I've made every leadership mistake in the book and probably invented some new ones along the way. In spite of that--and in spite of being a born introvert--I managed through trial and error to arrive at a place where I feel confident in my ability to motivate, guide and love a large, diverse group of people. There's… Read More
How to Become a Certified Woman-Owned Business

How to Become a Certified Woman-Owned Business

If you own a business, you’re undoubtedly always looking for ways to increase its growth. Fortunately for female business owners, the Woman-Owned Small Business (WOSB) and Economically Disadvantaged Woman-Owned Small Business (EDWOSB) certifications give you access to resources and government contracts that can help you stimulate your company’s growth. What Is the Woman-Owned Small Business (WOSB) Certification? The WOSB certification is a program coordinated by the Small Business Administration (SBA) that was created to provide a level playing field for women… Read More
The Inner Circle: How Your Peers Could Be the Key to Business Success

The Inner Circle: How Your Peers Could Be the Key to Business Success

Ric Franzi is the owner of Critical Mass for Business, a company dedicated to making a lasting positive impact on the lives of business leaders through the power of peer learning. Ric’s presence both in Orange County, California and nationally is accomplished through his CEO Peer Groups, a weekly podcast and authoring the first book on peer learning called Critical Mass: The 10 Explosive Powers of CEO Peer Groups. “I believed in this business and the power of social learning… Read More
3 Tricks to Write an Email People Will Actually Read

3 Tricks to Write an Email People Will Actually Read

Imagine what it would be like to receive over a hundred versions of your favorite thing every single day. At first thought, it seems really nice, right? But the more you ponder the sheer room those things would take up, or the calories you’d take on, or god forbid the zoning and code enforcement regulations some of us would be breaking, over a hundred of anything on a daily bases seems like a horrible idea. Realistically, our email inboxes tell an… Read More
How One Woman Grew Her Business 6X in 2 Years

How One Woman Grew Her Business 6X in 2 Years

When Ingrid Murray took over Prospect Cleaning Service Inc. in 2014, she didn’t have direct experience in the janitorial industry. But she did have an accounting background and the drive to grow the business — a commercial janitorial service started by her husband — beyond the $75,000 or so a year it had been earning. While she knew she would do whatever it took to make it a success, she likely had no idea that in just a couple of years she… Read More
How to Get Your Employees to Do Their “Homework”

How to Get Your Employees to Do Their “Homework”

Last week I shared some sites that offer free (or nearly free) professional development opportunities, specifically online courses. It’s true that these sites can offer your employees a great way to improve their skills while solidifying the internal workings of your company, but how do you motivate your employees to enroll and complete the courses? Of course, making them mandatory is an option, but forcing this type of growth isn’t always the best approach. Instead, you may want to try… Read More