By Daniel M. Murphy on 6/26/2008

As a business owner, in good times and bad, it pays to think like a Chief Executive Officer (CEO).  As a CEO, you should elevate your mindset and obsess about getting more from your current resources and efforts, especially during tougher economic times.  You must learn to ask yourself and others more empowering questions.  For example, “How can our business get greater results from every action we take, every expenditure we make, every effort we expend, and every relationship we have”?  Sounds like...

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By Daniel M. Murphy on 6/23/2008

Whether people are trying to lose weight and keep it off or improve their businesses and personal lives, it takes a system and time.  There are no quick fixes or short-cuts.  No matter the desired change, people perform best when they set their own goals and are provided with a proven process, structure, discipline and on-going support and accountability to reach those goals.  We all reach higher levels of performance with a coach and system, athletes and entrepreneurs alike. 

What appears...

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By Daniel M. Murphy on 6/19/2008

"I just kept telling myself to be a shark.  Stay hungry and aggressive and my team mates will feed off of that."  While that would make a good opening of a novel, that came out of the mouth of a softball pitcher.  Here is how I happened to hear that powerful, mental metaphor that resided in the head of a true champion. 

Nearly a week ago, I happened to be surfing the TV with my powerful remote control and trying to feed my voracious attention-deficit disorder by watching 8 channels simultaneously. ...

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By Daniel M. Murphy on 6/16/2008

I am always trying to learn from my day-to-day experiences.  In fact, I try and transform any experience, especially my mistakes, into valuable lessons for myself and others, including my business coaching franchise owners and blog readers.  I simply review any business or everyday experience and reflect on what went right, what went wrong, what should I do differently next time, and what's the lesson for me.  This "life is an educational journey" approach has served me well and also helps me to view any setback or unintended result as merely valuable feedback, never failure.  I highly recommend it.

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By Daniel M. Murphy on 6/12/2008

To be an effective business owner, you must adopt a CEO mindset and big-picture perspective.  As a leader, however, don’t over-complicate business.  Keep business simple and straightforward.  Simplicity allows for clarity of focus, and focus allows for superior performance.  Following is a simple framework by which to see and guide your enterprise.



First, as owner/CEO, you are ultimately responsible for the company’s leadership process (direction, strategy, focus, goals, accountability)...

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By Daniel M. Murphy on 6/9/2008

For some of you, you may sense storm clouds on the economic horizon.  As such, some of you are now taking actions to metaphorically fix your leaky roof or foundation -- better late than never.  While a bit unsettling, a slowing economy may be the wake-up and shake-up smart entrepreneurs use to get energized to improve themselves and their businesses for continued success.  

After all, for your business to get better, YOU must get better.  For your employees to get better, your managers must...

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By Daniel M. Murphy on 6/5/2008

What business are you really in?  Did you respond by saying the industry or technical nature of your business?  Did you respond by the type of work you do?  For example, did you respond with food service, construction, plumbing, accounting, janitorial, car dealership, consulting, manufacturing, or retail?  If so, you may well be limiting the growth and success of your business.  Stop thinking small like a technician, employee or doer.  Start thinking big like a strategic business owner and leader. 

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By Daniel M. Murphy on 6/2/2008

My wife and I just took a 5-day, planned-at-the-last-minute, no-kids, get-away vacation to a wonderful resort in West Virginia.  We both needed a break from our respective businesses in order to clear our minds, re-charge our batteries, and reconnect with each other.  Our moms gave us a wonderful gift by watching our kids. 

We had an absolute blast playing and discovering together.  We learned how to fly fish and successfully caught rainbow trout in the rain.  We learned how to do extreme off-road driving in the mountains and both of us along with the vehicle survived.  We took long walks, road horses, had great dinners, and even got treated to a massage.  Talk about rejuvenation!

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