Not long ago, my BDCo cohort Geni wrote a blog about scars or “tattoos” from our life stories. Recently I have had a couple of close encounters with my past that have caused me to, somewhat unwillingly, revisit parts of my own life story.

The chain of events was placed in motion in February when I was contacted by a former classmate with whom I had kept in touch regarding the upcoming reunion of my high school graduating class.  I was promptly added to the reunion group on a popular social media site and, being like the fish who sits at …

Is it sunny, slightly overcast or down right nasty in “your world”?  Well that may depend on what I am referring to.  My blog always has a business spin but this time I am asking about you.  That’s right you, the dad, mom, daughter, son, aunt, uncle, sister, brother.  I know you must at least hold one of those titles.

Personally, I have moved from slightly overcast to bright and sunny.  How about you?

That’s right, I am done with doom and gloom that has surrounded so many people …

There are apps for weight loss, for learning how to read, and even an app for your unborn child to choose his (her) own name.  In a world  full of “apps”  it is easy to seek a technical solution for every problem.

Unfortunately for most businesses (and for many individuals) some problems cannot be solved through automation alone. 

Look at sales and marketing. How many businesses have sought to boost their lagging sales by implementing a new CRM system? If your biggest sales and marketing problem is finding a contact’s address, then …

Here we go again.  Another year has begun and we all are looking forward to brighter days.  So what are you doing to make today better than yesterday?  Yes, it is up to you to make change happen.  If you really think the government or anyone else for that matter is going to save the day, you need to wake up and do a reality check.  In other words, quit making excuses and start doing something to improve your situation.

I believe that as our society has grown, it …

I have never met anyone who won every battle they fought or who got through every altercation unscathed. As mere mortals, we experience plenty of successes and failures. We regularly witness or experience both personal and business tragedies but in most cases we manage to persevere. The question is – how will we carry the scars of battle?

The key, in my opinion, is how we choose to view and tell our story. When a tragedy happens, do we take it as confirmation of our own failings, or do we look for lessons that we can learn from the episode? It’s never easy and I don’t want to trivialize the emotion of the moment or the …

How will you do in 2012?  I think the key to your business’s success is pretty simple.  It all comes down to execution.

For many, this is easier said than done.  You’re either  going to dig deep inside and turn the switch from pilot light to ON or you will move through 2012 with a lot of talk about what you need to do.

Step 1:  Ignite the pilot light

Step 2:  Turn the switch to on

Step 3:  Prepare for lift off

Step 4:  Set your sights on immediate …

The Napa Valley is a buzz with harvest in full swing.  I recently had the opportunity to join a grape harvest crew.  Let me clarify, my camera and I followed along to observe  the hospitality team  jumping in and helping the vineyard crew with grape picking.  It reminded me of the times when I was a kid and would get real excited about getting to do a “grown-up” task.  The anticipation was always more exciting than the actual work.  Sure, the first hour was fun but …

One of my friends has terminal cancer.  No further chemo is possible, and his oncologist has referred him to a pain management specialist.  I feel helpless that, medically, there is very little that can be done.  He is such a brave, kind, and wonderful person; he does not deserve this.

In my hours of pondering my friend and his situation, what finally came into my mind was “BRAT”.  For those of you who, like me, have a fussy stomach, you might know that “BRAT” is medical shorthand for a diet of bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast.  This is generally recommended for …

No, I am not talking about betting the horses, although the results of this kind of playing favorites can result in some pretty serious losses.  What I am referring to is the tendency of parents to favor one of their children over another.  In my experience, when this topic comes up, virtually all parents will stoutly maintain that they treat all of their children the same.  However, from conversations that I have had with family and …

We are confronted with a myriad of choices all day, every day. Ranging from what time to set the alarm, to how to spend our evenings, to which organizations we support, every decision no matter how big or how small, has an impact on our life. Our most limited resource is time. Choosing to be involved with one cause means that we have less time to support another one. Taking on a particular project means that another project must be postponed or eliminated. Getting up earlier means that we should set an early bedtime or pay the price the next day.

When it comes to priorities, sometimes …