Tag Archives: business groups

A Short Course in Numbers

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John McCarthy, computer and cognitive scientist who coined the term “artificial intelligence” stated…”he who refuses to do arithmetic is doomed to talk nonsense.”

In the next few newsletters I hope to help you through some of the numbers of business.  Recently I wrote about KPIs, Key Performance Indicators.  Many of the KPIs in business take at least a basic understanding of a few mathematical concepts.  In this article I’d like to introduce or reintroduce you to Ratio.  Don’t run – stick with me – it will be painless, I promise, and if you need more help, just call for an appointment to work on the numbers for your business. Continue reading →

11 Networking Turnoffs Entrepreneurs Make

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Many of our clients are making the commitment to network more this year to help get the word out and grow their business.  A quick review of what not to do may help make this year’s networking lead to greater results.

Upstart Business Journal posed this Up Take and question.  The responses that follow are from entrepreneurs regarding their networking experiences.

The UpTake: Networking events are an opportunity to build future relationships, not sell your product and life story. It only takes two to form a healthy business relationship, so don’t waste it by dolling out business cards after saying “hello.”

Question: What’s one common networking mistake or turnoff that you see business owners make? Continue reading →

Slow and Steady

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Which of these scenarios is more likely:

  1. A small business gets a call out of the blue and is offered a huge distribution deal – instantly growing their top line (assuming they can deliver) by 10X what it was before.
  2. A small business focuses on getting the little things right, gets a little better every day, and over the course of 3-5 years grows by 10X. Continue reading →

GIST – Great Ideas for Starting Things

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Guy Kawasaki likes to start his speeches with a top-ten list based on the topic he is speaking about.  When it comes to the list of most important things an entrepreneur must accomplish, his list has only five. Continue reading →

Fast Pitch Winners Announced!

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The Cumberland Business Incubator’s (CBI) Global Entrepreneurship Week’s final event on November 22nd provided the opportunity for 7 business owners to pitch their business plans to a crowd of family, friends and community leaders. Continue reading →

WELCOME to Global Entrepreneurship Week!

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What is Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW)?  Check out the Kauffman Foundation sketchbook  http://www.gew.co/resources  for an overview.  GEW is 35,000 events in 125 countries around the globe – all in one week.

Global Entrepreneurship Week at the CBI concludes with FAST PITCH FINALS on Friday November 22nd at 5:30pm.  This free event is open to the public. 

Seven entrepreneurs will each pitch their business for 5 minutes and answer questions from the audience.  It’s a bit like Shark Tank, with the twist that the audience will be there to provide support and offer suggestions to help the entrepreneurs make the connections they need to succeed in their businesses.

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Continue reading →

Where Are You When It Comes to Effort vs. Success?

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Every now and then it’s a good idea to take a step back from your day to day focus and take a look at where you are in terms of the success you’re trying to achieve. For business owners, the definition of Success is very personal, but usually it’s going to be measured by how much money and freedom your business generates for you.

“The road to success runs uphill.”  – Willie Davis

Mr. Davis makes a great point – you can’t achieve long term success without effort.  In a lot of things you do, your success is directly tied to the amount of effort you put into it.  The more effort you put in, the more success you’ll get. Continue reading →

CBI Open House – What a Success!

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What a great day it was at the CBI on Thursday September 12th starting in the early morning when our clients and friends started bringing in their materials and setting up their marketing areas throughout the building.  There was a lot of activity and a lot of friends sharing ideas and networking. Continue reading →

The Power of Accountability

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Personally as the entrepreneur in residence and business coach at the CBI, and our volunteer CBI business mentors, our job is to help business owners develop bigger better businesses.  If you are actively trying to build your company, then you could benefit by looking for an advisor/coach/mentor to help you.

What can an advisor/coach/mentor help you do? Continue reading →

Focus on the Benefits

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You’ve heard it before I’m sure: focus on the benefits to your clients, not the features.  When you are writing copy, talking about what you do, or in a sales presentation, it’s the benefits and results of the service or product you provide that people are interested in, rather than its features or how it works.  A lot of people struggle to get this right. Continue reading →