Over the past few years, I’ve participated in a variety of networking groups, both online and in real life. I’ve also read several books on networking, and have been coached by a professional networking facilitator on etiquette. Out of interest, I started asking people around me about their networking experiences, what pushed them to start, [...]
With a company that spends significant amounts of time working on websites and applications for small businesses, and an association with a few other companies doing similar work, I’ve seen a large number of projects which have lent themselves to be proposed to investors for some capital. Some were being backed by someone other than [...]
Part of my business involves advising other business owners how to avoid certain pitfalls they may encounter as they grow. I teach them how to manage quality, people, expectations. I teach them how to balance the need for an immediate solution against the long-term needs of the business for a stable solution. The question I [...]
When HP was first founded, it was done on the basis of a product which had been built out of curiosity and then sold, followed by requests for more. The engineers then built another product, and then another, each of which sold to more and more customers. The company grew on the basis of many [...]
I was reading a Tom Clancy novel in which he discusses the voting system in the US. While I don’t recall the number precisely, the explanation went as follows: 40% of the population will vote Democrat, because that’s what their parents and grandparents did, it’s how they’ve always voted, and always will. 40% of the [...]
I went for massage therapy for some back pain. At the end of the session, the therapist asked if I would commit to doing some exercises to strengthen and stretch my back. I agreed, and she promptly demonstrated three exercises. All of them could be done while standing, none of them required any special equipment. [...]
In this past weekend’s National Post, there was a listing for a home which read as follows: The overall real estate market may be down by about 33%, but that’s not the case in Toronto’s central core, says real estate agent Kevin Loberg. In 2009, 613 homes sold for more than $1-million. In 2010, 825 [...]
An associate of mine forwarded me an article regarding a recent ruling against Wells Fargo regarding overdraft fees. The essence of the complaint was as follows: In 2001, Wells Fargo, the largest U.S. home lender, changed the way it treated daily debit transactions and cash withdrawals so that transactions with the highest dollar amount posted [...]
Elie Kochman is the author of Advice for Small Business Owners and the founder of Optimal Upgrade Consulting. Using his experience working in the corporate world along with his exposure to the world of small businesses, he writes these articles to assist others avoiding common pitfalls of growing a business. His experience in the corporate world, building his own business, and working directly with other growing businesses has given him some perspective on the trials and pains of running a business.
