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At the end of the day, who holds you accountable? Probably just the person looking back at you in the mirror. And how honest are you with that person?

As the owner of your business, do a majority of the problems or issues, either in your organization or with customers, seem to end up on your desk?

You're not alone.

The term leadership is often used interchangeably with management. With management tasks get accomplished.  With leadership, vision becomes reality. Here are 6 critical skills necessary in being a great leader.

You're not going to go undefeated in your business. All entrepreneurs suffer defeats, failures, setbacks. It's how you rebound, learn and grow from them that makes the difference in small business success. Here are six action steps that can help .

Small businesses need excitement and passion to keep their business fresh. The “Fireworks”  to create that can't be one or two big events to keep people motivated and excited and get the best out of the business. It takes way more.

Is this you? Starting your business it was just you. However, the longer that goes on, being the only decision-maker is not only a lonely existence, but could threaten the business' existence. Here's some guidance to help you let go and grow.

Every small business, no matter the size, generates data. If and how you track and manage that data can be the difference between whether your small business succeeds or not. Here are 4 key points to consider to make your data the basis for your success..

The term “silver bullet” has been around for many years, where tradition has it, a bullet made of silver was supposedly the magical method to kill werewolves. We've come a long way, but we're still looking for the simple solutions to c

Being a boss is not the same as being a leader. Leaders inspire, guide and motivate, hoping to help those they are leading to achieve both results and growth. Here are 5 key ways to ensure you are leading instead of just "bossing."

Where you're going can't just be driven by where you've been, if you want to grow. What got you here, won't necessarily get you there. You can't manage today's (or tomorrow's) business through yesterday's eyes. For companies to grow they have to change.

Quality transcends company size and documented procedures. And, it starts the day you open your doors. It means everything is done with pride, at the highest level of your capabilities with the highest level of service possible. It is a state of mind.

Most companies develop products that they either "think" their customers need or they let their ego believe that they "know" what their customers want Few entrepreneurs involve their customers in the product development process and it hurts them later.

Starting out most of you will only have a great idea, a plan to execute that idea and your integrity. Your idea might or might not be great. Your plan may or may not be executable. But your integrity is who are you and your business' reputation.

A great quote from a great NFL coach, Bill Parcells. It's a philosophy that can serve entrepreneurs well because it reflects results - what has happened and where you are. This helps you know what you have to do to change the score.

Wasn't this entrepreneur stuff supposed to be controlling your own destiny and riches beyond your wildest imagination? Yet, as each day passes you feel like the proverbial hamster on a wheel, running as fast as you can...mostly in place!

As you grow your company you will have to hire and manage people to achieve that growth. You will have to learn how to be a boss and how not to become like the one (or ones) you hated most in your business life. The jerks!

Anybody with kids knows the toughest question they ask you always begins with "why." Where there's a problem, understanding "why" the problem exists, puts you on the path to solving it. For entrepreneurs there isn't a more important question to ask.

Surely, that phrase from "The Godfather" conjures up a particular vision in your mind. But, for entrepreneurs, they should think of it as the way they do business with customers, employees and supplies. Under promising, over delivering.

It's one thing for an entrepreneur to believe in his/her business and market. Quite another to understand it. That's reality! Are you dealing with reality in your small business?

If a best practice fits, improve on it, modifying it to fit your business model.

It comes down to what works. If it's working, my advice is keep doing it. But, of course, if your results start to suffer find new ways to do what works for you...

Relationships evolve, be they personal or business. As they do, we often miss key signs that they are headed to an unhealthy place and suddenly we find ourselves "hostage" to the relationship.

Recently, I was contacted by a company that I had worked with early in their history that had grown very nicely and quite profitably. However, when they reached a certain revenue level and they seemed to "stall out,"...

As with most of my blog posts, a recent encounter with a client and one of their key suppliers triggered this one. The supplier had negotiated a "sweetheart deal," hammering out an almost-untenable agreement with my client...

I had a small business client whose relationship with a key vendor was, at best, rocky. The client was one of the vendor's largest and most visible customers. Yet, response time to specific requirements, problems or issues, while never all that good ...