FIRST – YES you can go on vacation. You have worked hard for many years, and not only do you deserve to take time off, you need to take off time, for you. Here is something a very experienced therapist, and business owner, Liane Wood, told me about self care: When I take time off […]
Barb Stuhlemmer
What is Value?
Value is in the eye of the beholder. Always. Have you ever seen a very ugly, expensive item and wonder why it costs so much? Here is an article about ugly watches, most are worth thousands of dollars. They may be ugly to some, but to others they are beautiful because of the value they […]
3 Important Reasons Worth Thinking About
I’ve written on this many times, but that will not stop me from writing about it again, because it is so important. In an article in Financial Worldwide, they wrote: “To maximize value, sellers must be able to steer the exit process by identifying objectives and enlisting the right external help. Prudent company owners prepare […]
Ready = Growth But Growing ≠ Ready
Let’s start with an analogy. Let’s say you want to build a beautiful new garden; a garden that will rival that enviable garden your neighbour has created. You start with an idea The shape of the garden The location of the garden Which favourite plants you want in it The type of garden (e.g. vegetable, […]
Stop Being “The One”
You don’t have to learn everything, do everything, be everywhere, control everyone! When we are smart and we have done so much of the work building and maintaining our businesses already, it is often easier (at least in the short term) to just do it ourselves. What I am certain of is, it is not […]
Who Wants Your Business Anyway?
As mentioned in my previous article, Is Good Enough, Good Enough to Sell?, hoping to sell your business to anyone is like starting a business and not knowing your market. Getting to the day in your business when you are ready to leave, and hoping someone wants to pay you for your business is not […]
Is Good Enough, Good Enough to Sell?
Everything is humming along: The business is making you money. You pay yourself, your people, and meet your expenses. You have satisfied clients. It is what you envisioned. You worked on building it over the years, and now it is stable and running well. So, is this good enough to sell? Here is my response. […]
Anticipating the End is Not The Same As Being Done
Well, today is the day. We finally got our counter tops and sink installed. We have running water in our kitchen again! Yay! It feels like the end, but it is not. We have to vacuum all cabinets then put all the drawers back in and wash the construction waste away from every surface. Then […]
Still Doing It All Yourself Does NOT Equal Value
Recently I lost my VA. We had been working together for over 2 years and she had my processes and schedules ‘down to a tee’. She knew what needed to get done and she did it. She took so much off my plate. But, her life changed and she had to leave. It was a […]
Don’t Sink Your Business
This is my kitchen for the next 4 weeks. All of my cabinets & counters have been removed, most of the floors (the rest goes this week), and… wait for it… no sink! We’ve moved a couple of cabinets and a counter top piece back in the room, so we have some space to work […]