Business Owner Resources

By Daniel M. Murphy on 2/26/2009

Growing is the natural order of all living things, including businesses.  If something is not growing, it's by default declining or even dying.  Besides, if you aren't continually growing your company, odds are one of your savvy competitors is!  As an owner, your challenge is to keep your business vibrant and growing at all times...even in challenging economic times.  Have the right mindset, marketing, and dare to go for growth!

Start by making no excuses.  Even with a tougher economy, you...

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By Daniel M. Murphy on 2/23/2009

Yesterday, I had a very busy Sunday afternoon with my boy.  It was an unusual sports extraveganza... one indoor soccer game and three basketball games all in ONE day.  While Matthew did well and had a blast, I on the other hand was flat out exhausted by the early evening.  Since I was mentally and physically fried, when we arrived home last night I turned on the TV, turned on the fireplace, turned off my brain, lay down and chilled out.  I had to re-charge my battery.

As usual, I began channel...

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By Daniel M. Murphy on 2/19/2009

The New York Enterprise Report, a magazine dedicated to helping small and midsize businesses with practical solutions, approached me to respond to a reader's question for their February magazine.  The question I was asked to answer in depth was as follows: "In order to stay competitive in this economic climate, I find I have less and less time and energy to be strategic because I'm spending more and more time putting out fires.  How can I focus on being the strategic business owner I know the company...

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By Daniel M. Murphy on 2/16/2009

This business coaching blog will be brief today.  I am in San Diego at the International Franchise Association (IFA) Convention.  And yes, I am actually working hard while I am here.  I am proud to represent The Growth Coach franchise system and my primary purpose is to meet with and convince other franchise executives on the merits of offering business coaching programs to their franchise owners throughout North America.  National accounts (franchise systems) are becoming a growing segment of The...

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By Daniel M. Murphy on 2/12/2009

Youth sports when properly coached are a great way for kids to learn many important life lessons...winning and losing with grace, competing, giving their personal best, goal setting, earning play time, playing by the rules, respecting coaches and officials, playing as a team, fulfilling their role for the greater good, and striving to improve, to name a few.  Also, sports in general can provide many business coaching lessons if one pays attention.

Case in point.  My 10-year old son Matthew...

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By Daniel M. Murphy on 2/9/2009

This past Saturday morning, I happened to be surfing through the cable TV channels and came across a show called Flip This House.  Since I had seen it a few times before and knew that it had interesting business dynamics and good drama, I decided to watch it.  The premise of the show is pretty straightforward.  A group of investors buys ugly looking, distressed and troubled houses at greatly reduced market rates and does a complete make-over on them.  They invest the vision, time, sweat, and money into these projects and then expect to make a very good and quick return on their investment when they re-sell ...

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By Daniel M. Murphy on 2/5/2009

As President and Founder of The Growth Coach, a business coaching franchise system, one of my biggest delights is seeing the testimonials our business coaches earn from thousands of small business clients throughout North America.  I get to live vicariously through our business coaches as they share testimonials received from their many clients writing about how their businesses and lives have been improved and how thankful they are for discovering our business coaching process.  Those testimonials...

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By Daniel M. Murphy on 2/2/2009

Last week, the Greater Cincinnati area was hit with a beautiful but highly disruptive winter storm.  While we had about 8 inches of snow, it was the inch or more of freezing rain and ice and frigid temperatures that made driving treacherous and brought down tree limbs and power lines.  As a result, all the area schools were shut down for 4 full days.  Such school closures are rare in Southwest Ohio.  To say the least, my kids were thrilled and enjoyed every minute of the reprieve from their ordinary...

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By Daniel M. Murphy on 1/29/2009

Are you a business owner with a insatiable need for speed?  I don't mean driving a car type of speed, I mean "running a business" type of speed.  You know, that urge to move fast, decide fast, act fast...think later.  If you are not taking the time to slow down, think, and properly decide BEFORE you act, you unfortunately are not alone.  You my entrepreneurial friend have the dreaded condition known as the need for speed.  Be warned, if you run a business too fast and by the seat of your pants, you...

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By Daniel M. Murphy on 1/26/2009

As a business coach, my heroes have always been the small business owners I have served during the last decade and a half.  These are the folks who put their passions, energy, and futures on the line.  They were bold enough to take risks to chart their own course in order to serve others and make a difference.  At some point, all of these entrepreneurs got overworked, overwhelmed and lost along the way and needed a business coaching process to help them get back on track.  As such, my life's work...

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