By Daniel M. Murphy on 7/28/2008

This past weekend, I spent considerable time with a dozen or so business owners, executives and salespeople while attending my kids' two-day soccer tournament and a full day in Indianapolis at the Brickyard 400 NASCAR race.  Unfortunately, it seems that a black cloud of negativity has started to hover over most of these entrepreneurs. I was able to glimpse into their current mindsets by simply listening to the words they used to describe their obstacles in colorful detail.  

Since it seemed...

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By Daniel M. Murphy on 7/24/2008

What's better than having your own pool in your own backyard?  Having access to your neighbor's pool right next door.  My family is blessed to have good and generous neighbors with an incredible pool a hundred yards away. The other night, I was doing my early evening ritual of swimming laps.  When I finished, my kids were playing in the pool.  My boy is nearly 10 years old and very athletic.  My daughter is less athletic, very strong, and quite determined for a 13 year old.  To keep them occupied,...

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By Daniel M. Murphy on 7/21/2008

This past Friday, we had a group of prospective franchise owners visit the Corporate Office of The Growth Coach in Cincinnati.  I love spending time with these soon-to-be business owners in the fulfilling, financially rewarding, and fast-growing industry of business coaching.  These were very impressive individuals wanting to put their passion, experiences and our business coaching process to good use in their communities to help small business owners achieve greater success and balance in their lives.  Not only were there folks from the United States, but there were interested buyers from Ireland and Puerto Rico as well.

...

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By Daniel M. Murphy on 7/17/2008

Without exception, every business owner will eventually get a shocking wake-up call that will shake them to their very core, get them to question their current beliefs and behaviors, and make them more receptive and open to changing their ways, whether at the office, home with the family, or both.  Sadly, most of these jolting wake-up calls could be prevented, softened or dramatically delayed through on-going participation in a business coaching and accountability process that gets an owner to regularly...

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By Daniel M. Murphy on 7/14/2008

All the weeding in my backyard last week made for an unpleasant afternoon and a lasting impression.  Weeds really tick me off!  They will flat out take over and strangle out all the good plants if you let them.  At least I had a revelation that made all the bending over, pulling and sweating worth it -- if the mind of a business owner is like a garden, what kind of negative thoughts (weeds) are choking out the positive and productive thoughts (good plants)? 

As business owners, we can't afford...

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By Daniel M. Murphy on 7/10/2008

I was working in my yard this past weekend and it hit me.  The nature of all living things, plant and animals alike, is to grow, advance and develop.  Nature loves growth, shuns stagnation.  Even the survival of the fittest is based on every living thing's desire to grow and thrive.  Shouldn't every business owner try to grow and improve?  I think so.  However, the reality is many owners do not and suffer the consequences.  If you do not continually grow your knowledge, mindsets, skills and habits,...

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By Daniel M. Murphy on 7/7/2008

Some of my best clients and friends over the years have been successful salespeople. These are true professionals always willing to grow and get better at their valuable and profitable craft.  Most of them have embraced business coaching because they view themselves as independent owners taking care of their clients (their book of business).  They realize to get better results, they must get better.  As they grow, their sales grow.  Above all, their mindset is very different from most salespeople...

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By Daniel M. Murphy on 7/3/2008

My neighbor Mark is a highly successful entrepreneur who owns and runs a multi-million dollar cleaning business in a unique and profitable niche.  He started the business in college and has consistently grown, systematized and improved his business.  He has truly adopted a strategic mindset over the years and is always thinking about his business, customers and employees.  He and I get along very well and enjoy discussing business and entrepreneurship quite often, sometimes over a few beers.  I help...

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By Daniel M. Murphy on 6/30/2008

The reason you start a business is to some day sell the business for a fortune.  That's how substantial wealth is created.  So let's pretend.  What if you put your business, as is, up for sale today?  What's it worth?  What would be your asking price?  Now let's face reality.  Knowing what you know about the business, do you think a third-party buyer or some of your key managers would be willing to buy the business and if so, pay your asking price?  Let's forget about other buyers for a minute.  An even more revealing question is would you, the current owner, be willing to buy your company as it is right now for your asking price?  Would you buy what you're selling?  

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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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