Independent Thinking Blog
Independent Thinking Blog
6 Keys to Business Success
My latest IABC Independent Thinking column is out, and the focus is on lessons learned over my 20 years in business. The article looks at six keys to business success, including blowtorches, community, quality, and change. Take a read, then come back and tell me: what...
Second Look: Netflix, Social Media Side Trips, Mobile Trends
A double-decker second look covers two weeks of top posts, surveys, and other news that I have read and/or tweeted about that you may not have seen. As the name implies, I think they deserve a second look: 1. Netflix, Innovation, and ROI: The second place team in the...
Do You Work the Room?
One of my favorite reasons for attending a conference is the opportunity to meet new people and expand my community. At last week's GrowSmartBiz conference, Washington Business Journal's Alex Orfinger asked for a show of hands as to who sat with someone they didn't...
Killer Business Cards
Since I recently wrote an ode to business cards, it seems fitting that I pass along some takeaways from Steve Fisher's terrific, funny, presentation on 10 Rules for Killer Business Cards: Tell me what you do (and quickly). Don't use your personal e-mail address. You...
What Makes a Small Business Successful?
Not surprisingly for a business conference, the state of small business was the topic of much discussion at GrowSmartBiz. The anchor: the Small Business Success Index, a survey of the competitiveness of small businesses (defined as privately-owned, with 100 or fewer...