As a business leader, you are faced with making the choice between working in the business and working on the business. Finding the time to take your ideas, your aspirations, and turning them into results can be a challenge. Creating a focused action plan is one of the first steps leaders use to get from […]
Learning from your customers can lead to better account retention and new business opportunities. The first thing to learn from your customers is why they selected you in the first place. They had many choices, including the option to stay with the incumbent supplier. The second important area to learn is why they stay on […]
The printing industry is lead by entrepreneurs who started a business to fulfill their vision. And guess what, those entrepreneurs had families. Those families are often engaged in the business. At times it could be brothers or sisters, and ultimately leads to adding the sons, daughters, nieces and nephews. Over the years though, I’ve […]
Being the best at what you do, and doing it every day is hard work. As a leader, what are some things that you can do to help bring out the best in your people? Start by looking at what they might be looking for at work. It may not be only the paycheck […]
Printing companies throughout the country are re-emerging. And as they do, they place a tremendous value in having their teams work well together. They respect the passion and the pride that each employee brings to their job every day. The majority of the people go to work each day, expecting to do their […]
Everyone wants to capitalize in the market rebound and participate in the economic recovery, right? Time and attendance will not, by themselves, ensure full involvement with these improving business conditions. And while the glimpses of better times can serve as a healing lotion for those who have endured difficult times, there is still some heavy […]
There are three challenges that will continue to cause business leaders to stand out from the others. They include creating their own handbook for dealing with a changing marketplace, accelerating the pace and improving on the customer experience that they deliver, and effectively managing risk. While the future of how we work seems to be […]
Your competitive advantage is your secret sauce. Michael Porter talks about competitive advantage as creating and sustaining superior performance. How would you have defined your competitive advantage prior to March 2020, and how has it changed this past year? Over the years, many print establishments sought their competitive advantage through diversification, and adding products […]
How many of your top 15 accounts are from customers you brought on board within the last 18 months? It’s understood that many of your customers will be just fine post COVID-19. It’s also understood that a select group will struggle to find their way back to their pre-COVID-19 ways. Finally, and unfortunately, you’ll have […]
Most management meetings include a recital of the latest Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for the business. As they are read out loud, some take notes and others nod their heads. A few questions are asked and once complete, the meeting proceeds to the next agenda item. Wait, what just happened? If you run a company […]