Expert insights. Personalized for you.
How we often handle employment issues today. When we accept the work commitment from a person we hire, we make a pact with the new employee that often stops at agreeing to pay for service rendered and to provide a safe working environment. There should be more than that. . MORE
When do most companies communicate? Early stage company investors as a group have a common gripe – almost universal. Information flows from the company irregularly, in fact most often when the company is urgently in need of more money. How these investors try to solve the problem. MORE
First, let’s recall the four “P’s” of marketing. Marketing is a science devised to help drive customers to your door. There are lots of ways to define how to market well, including the four P’s of marketing (1): product, price, promotion and place. MORE
Some businesses are built around a single idea. . And sometimes that idea is just too small a slice of the big picture to be interesting to investors. There was a recent investor event where I was keynote speaker, on stage only after several panels of experts had wowed the audience with their predictions and observations. One of the panelists made a point that resonated with me. Just a button, on a feature, in an app”. MORE
Here’s the question: Sean Ellis, the marketing guru behind DropBox and other successes, advises clients that “The most important question on a survey is , ‘How would you feel if you could no longer use this product?’” He goes on to quantify the response. MORE
How planning is done today. Most entrepreneurs and managers, when modeling their business operations using a spreadsheet, start with expected revenue by month. Then they calculate cost of sales, and then project their expenses, to find the bottom-line profit or loss each projected month. MORE
My stories of missing the context of the times. Over the years, as I managed my several computer companies as CEO or executive chairman, I made the decision to go to market with a brand-new product that had never before been exposed to my customer’s marketplace. MORE
How easily it happens…. Sometimes it is easy for someone to make a statement that, in the enthusiasm of the moment or to make a point, crosses the line between fact and fiction. Sometimes it seems to you to be just an unimportant little stretch of the facts. MORE
First, the short answer. No matter what your size, if you intend to grow your business into more than just a lifestyle workplace, you should create a board of directors. If you take money from knowledgeable investors, you will be required to create a board as a part of the investment process. MORE
Here’s the problem. Negotiating an agreement, especially one that involves personal gain, is tough for the person personally involved. There is too much to lose to be objective, to be willing to walk when terms go upside down. What if the negotiation is personally important? MORE
Remember when? Back when we were all trying to figure out the real value of traffic on the web, investors – and acquiring companies – got a bit crazy with metrics used to value acquisitions and investments. MORE
Reward failure? . That may be a difficult concept for an executive. And there are limits of course. We wouldn’t reward a failure to follow laws, or protect lives, or deliberate endangerment of the company or its people. There are “good” failures. MORE
Several years ago, I wrote a book entitled, Extending the Runway , using parallels to piloting a plane to equate to the process of creating and building a small company, making maximum use of resources to get to and beyond breakeven. It is worth revisiting the most. MORE
We know that one of the ways we hold onto our customers is if there are high switching costs to move away to a competitor. But how about the other side of the coin? Do you have an estimate of the cost for a potential customer to switch to your side? MORE
This is a trick headline. . There can be three “whys” or twenty, depending upon the issue and the responses. To make the point, the word “why” has to be one of the more powerful words in your vocabulary. MORE
A story of a CEO attuned to creating great company culture. A CEO friend of mine who managed her one-hundred-person remote workforce as a virtual company told me her story of how she welcomed new employees as she grew her firm. Strike that. She over-welcomed her new employees. MORE
Here’s a question to help you decide if you’re guilty. How many times have you heard someone say, “Let’s do it now and ask permission later?” Have you done it in front of your cohort? MORE
So, you are close to selling your company, and counting the profits a bit early. Well, that’s human nature. Here’s a thought for you to recall later when and if the event happens. Remember those who got you there. And for tax reasons, remember them before the closing of the deal, so that you can do so by sharing a bit of your proceeds without paying personal income tax upon those amounts. Formal option plans for some. MORE
Your past and present experiences. Ever had a manager above you who said one thing and did another? At least once? Or in a pattern of repeats? Well, you’re not alone. Did you think less of that person for it? Would you follow that manager to the ends of the earth? MORE
This is the tale of two CEOs, one of them unfortunately….me. me. . It’s a story of how people handle unusual situations when selling to the top – an executive of a prospective customer. And the stories couldn’t be more different. First, my friend’s story…. MORE
It seems to be a rule, not an exception. Many senior managers and early entrepreneurs create their own mess with this one. The first professional senior manager that an entrepreneur hires to share the growing workload does not last more than a year. MORE
Here’s one that most small company founders and CEO’s miss until it may be too late. What is the role of a chief financial officer in growing and protecting the company? How about co-strategist? MORE
How to get more performance from your directives. Empowering your direct reports with the reasons for your orders gives them incentive to act, motivation to accept authority, and purpose behind action. I try to teach this with the simple phrase that is the headline of this insight. MORE
Here’s a test of your patience and your willingness to suppress your tendency to avoid conflict or confrontation – all in the same insight. MORE
Plans do not often work as devised. . We are not always smart about the market or the product. We may miss the context of the times and come to market too soon or too late. We might not have researched the market diligently or used a focus group or other market research. MORE
First, let’s recognize the problem. Here’s one for executives of any company with next generation products in mind. MORE
This is one of my favorite insights, since I lived this one in a positive exit from my computer business. Types of business buyers expanded. Most people will tell you that there are two kinds of eventual buyers for your business: financial and strategic. A financial buyer will analyze your numbers, past and forecast, to the n’th degree, and calculate the price based upon the result, after carefully comparing your numbers with those of others in the same and similar industries. MORE
Especially for social media-based businesses, we all need to recalibrate our thinking about who is the teacher and who is the student. There is nothing wrong with a manager slowing a conversation to ask for more background when speaking to an often-younger and more involved associate. MORE
To start: “new source of energy” and “new ideas.”. When a new CEO or manager is hired into a company, for a while lots of energy flows from the top and new ideas seem to be generated daily. MORE
Here’s one for debate around a cup of coffee or a glass of wine. Most innovation occurs when creative people are relaxed and thinking about other things. Coffee, wine, quiet time, showers…. How it occurs in large companies…. MORE
There are lots of ways to measure a great leader. Here are three that should resonate with you as leader and with those who follow you. MORE
When meeting with investors or even your board, during the period devoted to feedback after your presentation, you will hear comments and recommendations that don’t resonate with you. Some will be from a misunderstanding of your explanation. Some listeners will challenge your assumptions. MORE
Reorder your priorities for maximum impact. There are two reasons to consider reordering your priorities to attack your most critical issues first, before the easiest ones to knock off the list. MORE
It’s a big issue within any company. . With easy access to Internet shopping, games, social networks and more, employees can find many ways to focus on personal issues while at work, detracting from productivity and demonstrating a disrespect for the time paid for by their employer. MORE
How we usually do this in our businesses. The best managers we all know are the ones who take the time to praise good work in public, before an employee’s peers. Most of us have a monthly award for the top person in a group of employees. MORE
It doesn’t happen by accident. Not every new game-related site is a Steam, and surely not every social network is a Facebook. And not every texting application is a Twitter. A story of an app from nowhere to near dominance. MORE
We’ve debated this one forever it seems. Should be overwhelm prospective employees with stock options and perks? Or concentrate our available resources on just plain money as an attraction? MORE
The title of this insight happens to be the name of a CEO roundtable organization I belong to and have been a member since 1989 (Adaptive Business Leader Organization – or ABL). MORE
It starts with sharing the opportunity and upside. Think of startups and early stage businesses whose entrepreneurs you know. MORE
It is hard to coach or teach leadership in a few paragraphs. But let’s try by limiting this short insight to a list of the five principal tactical skills of a great leader. MORE
Focus upon you as marketing genius. Let’s focus not upon the process of marketing and positioning, but on you. How should you become the best marketer you can be, even if you are a first-time entrepreneur or a seasoned CEO? There’s an answer for that. MORE
Enterprise time as a measurable commodity. Let’s examine the challenges to a CEO in making use of enterprise time, one of your most valuable and often misused assets. MORE
Well, of course it is. So, let’s dig a bit deeper. MORE
Berkonomics
OCTOBER 21, 2021
We’ve debated this one forever it seems. Should be overwhelm prospective employees with stock options and perks? Or concentrate our available resources on just plain money as an attraction?
Berkonomics
SEPTEMBER 13, 2018
This is one of my favorite insights, since I lived this one in a positive exit from my computer business. Types of business buyers expanded. Most people will tell you that there are two kinds of eventual buyers for your business: financial and strategic. A financial buyer will analyze your numbers, past and forecast, to the n’th degree, and calculate the price based upon the result, after carefully comparing your numbers with those of others in the same and similar industries.
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Berkonomics
AUGUST 26, 2021
How we often handle employment issues today. When we accept the work commitment from a person we hire, we make a pact with the new employee that often stops at agreeing to pay for service rendered and to provide a safe working environment. There should be more than that. .
Berkonomics
OCTOBER 14, 2021
Here’s one for debate around a cup of coffee or a glass of wine. Most innovation occurs when creative people are relaxed and thinking about other things. Coffee, wine, quiet time, showers…. How it occurs in large companies….
Advertiser: Aggregage
Office leases are one of companies’ largest expenses, and if your whole team is working from home with no clear end in sight, you may be wondering what to do about your lease.
Berkonomics
OCTOBER 7, 2021
Reward failure? . That may be a difficult concept for an executive. And there are limits of course. We wouldn’t reward a failure to follow laws, or protect lives, or deliberate endangerment of the company or its people. There are “good” failures.
Berkonomics
NOVEMBER 1, 2018
So, you are close to selling your company, and counting the profits a bit early. Well, that’s human nature. Here’s a thought for you to recall later when and if the event happens. Remember those who got you there. And for tax reasons, remember them before the closing of the deal, so that you can do so by sharing a bit of your proceeds without paying personal income tax upon those amounts. Formal option plans for some.
Berkonomics
SEPTEMBER 23, 2021
This is the tale of two CEOs, one of them unfortunately….me. me. . It’s a story of how people handle unusual situations when selling to the top – an executive of a prospective customer. And the stories couldn’t be more different. First, my friend’s story….
Berkonomics
SEPTEMBER 16, 2021
First, let’s recognize the problem. Here’s one for executives of any company with next generation products in mind.
Berkonomics
SEPTEMBER 9, 2021
To start: “new source of energy” and “new ideas.”. When a new CEO or manager is hired into a company, for a while lots of energy flows from the top and new ideas seem to be generated daily.
Berkonomics
NOVEMBER 19, 2020
Remember when? Back when we were all trying to figure out the real value of traffic on the web, investors – and acquiring companies – got a bit crazy with metrics used to value acquisitions and investments.
Berkonomics
SEPTEMBER 2, 2021
Here’s the problem. Negotiating an agreement, especially one that involves personal gain, is tough for the person personally involved. There is too much to lose to be objective, to be willing to walk when terms go upside down. What if the negotiation is personally important?
Berkonomics
MARCH 4, 2021
My stories of missing the context of the times. Over the years, as I managed my several computer companies as CEO or executive chairman, I made the decision to go to market with a brand-new product that had never before been exposed to my customer’s marketplace.
Berkonomics
AUGUST 19, 2021
How to get more performance from your directives. Empowering your direct reports with the reasons for your orders gives them incentive to act, motivation to accept authority, and purpose behind action. I try to teach this with the simple phrase that is the headline of this insight.
Berkonomics
AUGUST 12, 2021
Your past and present experiences. Ever had a manager above you who said one thing and did another? At least once? Or in a pattern of repeats? Well, you’re not alone. Did you think less of that person for it? Would you follow that manager to the ends of the earth?
Berkonomics
AUGUST 5, 2021
When do most companies communicate? Early stage company investors as a group have a common gripe – almost universal. Information flows from the company irregularly, in fact most often when the company is urgently in need of more money. How these investors try to solve the problem.
Berkonomics
JULY 29, 2021
This is a trick headline. . There can be three “whys” or twenty, depending upon the issue and the responses. To make the point, the word “why” has to be one of the more powerful words in your vocabulary.
Berkonomics
JANUARY 7, 2021
It starts with sharing the opportunity and upside. Think of startups and early stage businesses whose entrepreneurs you know.
Berkonomics
MARCH 11, 2021
Here’s the question: Sean Ellis, the marketing guru behind DropBox and other successes, advises clients that “The most important question on a survey is , ‘How would you feel if you could no longer use this product?’” He goes on to quantify the response.
Berkonomics
JULY 22, 2021
Here’s a test of your patience and your willingness to suppress your tendency to avoid conflict or confrontation – all in the same insight.
Berkonomics
JULY 15, 2021
It seems to be a rule, not an exception. Many senior managers and early entrepreneurs create their own mess with this one. The first professional senior manager that an entrepreneur hires to share the growing workload does not last more than a year.
Berkonomics
JULY 8, 2021
The title of this insight happens to be the name of a CEO roundtable organization I belong to and have been a member since 1989 (Adaptive Business Leader Organization – or ABL).
Berkonomics
JULY 1, 2021
Here’s one that most small company founders and CEO’s miss until it may be too late. What is the role of a chief financial officer in growing and protecting the company? How about co-strategist?
Berkonomics
JUNE 24, 2021
It is hard to coach or teach leadership in a few paragraphs. But let’s try by limiting this short insight to a list of the five principal tactical skills of a great leader.
Berkonomics
JUNE 17, 2021
There are lots of ways to measure a great leader. Here are three that should resonate with you as leader and with those who follow you.
Berkonomics
JUNE 10, 2021
Reorder your priorities for maximum impact. There are two reasons to consider reordering your priorities to attack your most critical issues first, before the easiest ones to knock off the list.
Berkonomics
JUNE 3, 2021
How easily it happens…. Sometimes it is easy for someone to make a statement that, in the enthusiasm of the moment or to make a point, crosses the line between fact and fiction. Sometimes it seems to you to be just an unimportant little stretch of the facts.
Berkonomics
MAY 27, 2021
First, the short answer. No matter what your size, if you intend to grow your business into more than just a lifestyle workplace, you should create a board of directors. If you take money from knowledgeable investors, you will be required to create a board as a part of the investment process.
Berkonomics
MAY 20, 2021
Enterprise time as a measurable commodity. Let’s examine the challenges to a CEO in making use of enterprise time, one of your most valuable and often misused assets.
Berkonomics
MAY 13, 2021
Several years ago, I wrote a book entitled, Extending the Runway , using parallels to piloting a plane to equate to the process of creating and building a small company, making maximum use of resources to get to and beyond breakeven. It is worth revisiting the most.
Berkonomics
MAY 6, 2021
It’s a big issue within any company. . With easy access to Internet shopping, games, social networks and more, employees can find many ways to focus on personal issues while at work, detracting from productivity and demonstrating a disrespect for the time paid for by their employer.
Berkonomics
APRIL 29, 2021
Especially for social media-based businesses, we all need to recalibrate our thinking about who is the teacher and who is the student. There is nothing wrong with a manager slowing a conversation to ask for more background when speaking to an often-younger and more involved associate.
Berkonomics
OCTOBER 29, 2020
Some businesses are built around a single idea. . And sometimes that idea is just too small a slice of the big picture to be interesting to investors. There was a recent investor event where I was keynote speaker, on stage only after several panels of experts had wowed the audience with their predictions and observations. One of the panelists made a point that resonated with me. Just a button, on a feature, in an app”.
Berkonomics
APRIL 22, 2021
How we usually do this in our businesses. The best managers we all know are the ones who take the time to praise good work in public, before an employee’s peers. Most of us have a monthly award for the top person in a group of employees.
Berkonomics
APRIL 15, 2021
A story of a CEO attuned to creating great company culture. A CEO friend of mine who managed her one-hundred-person remote workforce as a virtual company told me her story of how she welcomed new employees as she grew her firm. Strike that. She over-welcomed her new employees.
Berkonomics
APRIL 8, 2021
It doesn’t happen by accident. Not every new game-related site is a Steam, and surely not every social network is a Facebook. And not every texting application is a Twitter. A story of an app from nowhere to near dominance.
Berkonomics
APRIL 1, 2021
Plans do not often work as devised. . We are not always smart about the market or the product. We may miss the context of the times and come to market too soon or too late. We might not have researched the market diligently or used a focus group or other market research.
Berkonomics
MARCH 25, 2021
We know that one of the ways we hold onto our customers is if there are high switching costs to move away to a competitor. But how about the other side of the coin? Do you have an estimate of the cost for a potential customer to switch to your side?
Berkonomics
MARCH 18, 2021
Well, of course it is. So, let’s dig a bit deeper.
Berkonomics
FEBRUARY 25, 2021
Focus upon you as marketing genius. Let’s focus not upon the process of marketing and positioning, but on you. How should you become the best marketer you can be, even if you are a first-time entrepreneur or a seasoned CEO? There’s an answer for that.
Berkonomics
FEBRUARY 18, 2021
First, let’s recall the four “P’s” of marketing. Marketing is a science devised to help drive customers to your door. There are lots of ways to define how to market well, including the four P’s of marketing (1): product, price, promotion and place.
Berkonomics
FEBRUARY 11, 2021
How planning is done today. Most entrepreneurs and managers, when modeling their business operations using a spreadsheet, start with expected revenue by month. Then they calculate cost of sales, and then project their expenses, to find the bottom-line profit or loss each projected month.
Berkonomics
FEBRUARY 4, 2021
When meeting with investors or even your board, during the period devoted to feedback after your presentation, you will hear comments and recommendations that don’t resonate with you. Some will be from a misunderstanding of your explanation. Some listeners will challenge your assumptions.
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