Many small business owners start businesses not because they are fabulous business owners or budding entrepreneurs, but because they are passionate technicians. They have a particular skill that they know they can market and sell without working for someone else. But, for many of those business owners, that skill that sets their business apart can also be their Achilles Heel.It’s eas...

Whether you are trying to build a company, secure funding for an entrepreneurial dream, create business relationships, or even land a job, you have to be confident in more than your resume and what you have to offer. In today’s market you can be sure that, before you get a call back or a client, there’s a good chance someone is going to look for your name (and your business name) online....

It’s hard to hear, but… any time something goes wrong in a business, the business owner is to blame. If you’re the owner of the company (or even the president of the organization) and customer has a terrible experience, it eventually comes back to you. For example, if a customer at a restaurant has a bad experience, it’s easy to blame the server or the chef, but your managers hired and t...

Running any business is hard, but when you’re running a family business, you face a unique set of challenges – it’s hard to leave work at work, it’s hard to manage the emotional entanglement of family and there’s more at stake than money when something goes awry. So how do you manage and grow your family business without fraying the relationship you’ve built with your loved ones? It come...

Being a business owner is hard – you don’t clock in and out, it’s hard to leave work at work, and, in many cases, you are wearing a LOT of hats, from marketing to HR. In the course of running the business, it’s easy to let the business run you. But if you let the stress of running the business weigh on you, it’s impossible to enjoy the benefits of being a business owner. So what do you d...

No matter what kind of business you own or manage, business success leans heavily on the quality of your team – not just what each individual can do on his or her own, but also what they can do together. Every person you hire brings a different skill set, a different experience and a different perspective to your company and, when they can work together effectively, it’s powerful. From a...

Networking takes time and, even for extroverts, it can be uncomfortable to talk about yourself and your business or career. But we have good news! Making a great first impression at a networking event actually requires a lot less talking and a lot more listening.When You Meet Someone NewIf you’re new to a networking group or you meet someone new, making a good impression starts like any ...

Company culture – and the importance of having great culture – has been making the news for a few years now. Great company culture can help you attract and retain top-notch employees and, as you look for the next batch of leaders, it’s important to note that the Association for Talent Development recently found that millennials desire a strong company culture more than anything else when...

At The Growth Coach, our coaches have worked with thousands of small business owners over the years. One of the most common challenges those business owners face is that, in addition to being the business owner, they are the lead technician. For example, if they own a cookies and cake shop, they are the one in the back icing cupcakes (sometimes in addition to everything else). They might...