Archive for 'Business Startups'

The Law of the Limiting Reagent

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The Law of the Limiting Reagent

The Law of the Limiting Reagent

Have you heard of the Law of the Limiting Reagent?

Well, if you are a Member of the Blue Elevator™ Group, I hope you have.  Or, maybe you learned this concept as a chemistry student.  And, for sure if you were blessed to receive instruction from chemistry teacher Mrs. Connie Grosse at El Dorado High School in Placentia, California.

And, that’s where I first heard it.  In 1983.  For me, chemistry wasn’t the easiest of courses.  But, ...

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The Big Secret

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The Big Secret

The Big Secret

In this article, I’m going to tell you the big secret.

I’ve been telling you about My Quest.  Like looking for Sasquatch or Big Foot, I have spent decades looking for the secret to business success.  And, the big question was and is: Is there such a thing as Business Alchemy?

Is there a simple way to turn an ordinary business into gold?

Business Alchemy – Debunked?

You might recall a cable show called “MythBusters.”  In this show, two pseudoscientists ...

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Business Alchemy

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Business Alchemy

Business Alchemy

If you’re here, chances are you came from the article My Quest – The Secret to Business Success .  If you haven’t read this article, I invite you to read it first – then return and follow-up with this read.

Have you ever wondered if there was a secret to business success?  Is there something key that every successful business knows or does?

Have you ever wondered why some businesses just take off?  And others just kind of limp along?

Additionally, ...

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A House Divided

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A House Divided

A House Divided

“If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.” – Mark 3:25

Back Story – A House Divided

Many years ago, I was managing a relatively large company.  We had a lot of departments.  We had a lot of managers.

In my immediate case, we were coming out of a turnaround situation and forging ahead, but we were experiencing some turbulence.  We had seemingly committed and focused managers.  The trouble was, for various reasons, sometimes they seemed to be ...

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Lonely At The Top

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Lonely At The Top

Lonely At The Top

I have been blessed with a long and storied career in business.  I have found business to be very challenging.  And, thank God, I have also found it to be very rewarding.

But, I have also found it to be very lonely at the top.  Here’s why: When you are the leader of the organization, sometimes it’s hard to find the right person to talk to.

Is This You?

Let’s say you are a Controller or CFO.  An Executive Director.  ...

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Sweet Tea and Economics

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Sweet Tea and Economics

Sweet Tea and Economics

This article could have also been titled A False Sense of Security.  But hopefully you’ll understand the title selection in a bit.

Sweet Tea

When I was a kid, I would enjoy an annual pilgrimage to my parent’s home state – Arkansas.  I would enjoy my grandmother’s freshly-boiled sweet corn, french fries, fried okra, and all other types of Southern comfort food.  But what I didn’t enjoy so much were grandpa’s fresh shot, squirrel and dumplings.  I didn’t like ...

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The Business Cycle

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The Business Cycle

The Business Cycle

In the cycle of life, a plateau is called maturity.  The cycle of life is this: birth, growth, maturity, decline, and then ….

The business cycle follows this same natural cycle.  Start-up, growth, maturity (e.g., a plateau), decline.  Left unto itself, your business or organization is likely going to follow that natural progression.

Ask your typical entrepreneur.  Start-up is fun.  Growth is pretty cool.  Plateaus and declines – not so much.

The Dreaded Plateau

You and your organization are somewhere in the ...

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Thoughts on Thanksgiving

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Thoughts on Thanksgiving

Thoughts on Thanksgiving

What are your earliest recollections of Thanksgiving?

Many of us may recall the stories of The Mayflower, Plymouth Rock, Pilgrims, and Squanto.  That first celebration was in 1621.

Our first president, George Washington, issued the first Thanksgiving proclamation in 1789.  In 1817, New York became the first state to declare and celebrate Thanksgiving as an official holiday.

But, the United States of America didn’t recognize Thanksgiving as a national holiday until the first celebration in 1863.  I have included President Abraham ...

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Tools

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Tools

Tools

The typical business consultant sells business tools.  Like a hardware store sells hammers, business consultants sell business tools.

The challenge is that all too often, the consultant’s hammer is often heralded as the “cure all” for all business ailments.

Most people have the common sense to know that a hammer will not saw wood, drill holes, or router a decorative edge on a piece of wood.  It is used for driving nails.

But when it comes to business, neither the business malady nor ...

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Hard Work

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Hard Work

Hard Work

In one of our Membership articles, we provided our Member clients one of Blue Elevator™’s secret formulas for success in business.  Whereas we won’t spill those beans here, we do want to provide you with another secret.

It is the secret of hard work.  And that being: hard work is a limiting reagent.

I learned the concept of a limiting reagent from my high school chemistry teacher (i.e., thank you, Mrs. Connie Grosse).  I will summarize it here.  A limiting reagent ...

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