For the last couple of years, corporate America seems to have been playing it safe when it comes to growth. Currently U.S. corporations are holding on to a record $1.65 trillion in cash. Are you in a similar position, perhaps? Cash may not be your “security” blanket but you may be unwilling to take the risks …
Category: Strategy and Company Growth
How Well Do You Know Your Company?
How well do you really know your company? If you’re the owner or the CEO, you might say you have a pretty good handle on it. After all, you’ve been there since the beginning and you’re the leader. While that might be true, you may not really know everything about your organization. I’ll give you …
Forget the Competition. Think Customers.
Don’t let the competition define your external growth strategy. Instead, plan for the people who matter most ─ your customers. Let’s face it ─ we all care about what other people think, and in business that often means measuring how we stack up against the competition. While it’s important to keep an eye on competitors, …
Staying Connected: 4 Ideas for Meeting with Your Acquisition Team
Team meetings are important in order to move forward confidently when it comes to due diligence. Ideally I would want everyone on your team to be physically together, but I understand in today’s environment that may be difficult to schedule, and you’ll have to be creative to maintain team cohesion. Here are a few suggestions …
So Many Choices, So Little Time!
Choosing the best option for growth. More often than not we find our clients have too many choices rather than too few. The difficulty lies in prioritizing options and determining which one is the best path forward. You may find yourself in a similar situation. With so many options how can you choose? Although it …
What Business Are You In?
Let’s admit it right away: This is a trick question. The correct answer is usually not the first answer. Here’s a classic example from the annals of corporate America: Union Pacific thought they were in the business of railroads—the commonsense answer. In reality, they were in the business of mass transportation. Had they recognized this early …
Don’t Be a Copy Cat
Although imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, it doesn’t guarantee success. Assuming that the success of one business assures the same result for yours is a bit absurd because fundamentally the two companies are different, each with its own challenges, strengths, cultures and dynamics. You may think this concept is self-evident, but I’ve …
Growth Strategies for Credit Unions
I was invited to write an op-ed for the Credit Union Times for their focus report on growth strategies. While there are a variety of options to consider when exploring implementing new products and services to grow, credit unions can only grow by meeting the needs of future members. I offer five ways to pursue growth …
Bridging the Generation Gap
Do you work with your family? Navigating business politics and family dynamics can be tricky, especially when it comes to succession planning and determining the future of your business. Below are some key areas to focus on when it comes to selling or transferring ownership of a family-owned business to the next generation. Valuation Make …
Expanding in a Declining Market
Verso Paper announced that it would acquire NewPage Holdings in a deal worth $1.4 billion. NewPage rejected a similar offer from Verso in 2012, also valued at $1.4 billion. So what changed this time around? Quite simply, it’s the environment: Both paper companies realize the paper market is shrinking and that’s not about to change …
