Dov Charney and the Question of Personal Ethics in Business

Yesterday, I wrote a story about American Apparel founder and former CEO Dov Charney’s new apparel company, which he plans to build into a rival of his former company. So far, we don’t actually know the name of the company, but we do know that it’s based in…

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11 Keys to Great Success in Life and Business: Key 10: Grow Your Sales Skills

Most of us will never win the big lottery, so we have to go out and earn our successes. And earning success equals selling. In Key No. 8, I talked about the four pillars of success, the only four things a business owner can do to create wealth: Earn new customers. Sell more to your…

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Concubines, Coffee and Change

“Sixty queens there may be, and eighty concubines, and virgins beyond number; but my dove, my perfect one, is unique…” (Song of Solomon 6:8-9). This Old Testament verse, interestingly written by one of my very distant relatives (Solomon), beautifully makes a point that modern day language can’t quite convey. Every business must have a unique…

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Scary Stuff: Innovate or Die

What are you going to do in 2016 that is going to make you even more relevant in 2017? What are you going to do to create the customer experience needed to ensure that you can compete and flourish long term? Are you going to curse the online challengers who are driving you crazy? Or,…

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How Well Do You Know Your Customer’s Business?

Your job is to solve your customers’ problems. Period. That’s all. You need to become a part of their organizations. This is vital if you want to earn the right to charge a little more and be compensated for your expertise. Think of your job as earning a job at your target prospects’ companies. This…

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Security Is Sexy

Security always has been considered anything but sexy. Money rarely flows to security projects since most executives pay little mind to security. Instead, sales and marketing receive the majority of the investment.

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A Personal Reflection on Life and Loss

Life has its ups and downs. We can all rejoice about the good things we have experienced in life. As a kid, you may have done special things in sports or celebrated academic accomplishments.

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Do I Have to Collect Sales Tax for Out-of-state Sales?

Question: Do I have to collect sales tax for out-of-state sales? It depends, and it’s complicated. State governments would like to collect as much sales tax as possible and, with declining revenues over the last several years, are looking to every possible source.

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What Can We Learn from The Artist Formerly Known as Prince?

Since I recently wrote a commentary titled ‘Are You Too Old To Rock,’ I thought I would share another thought from the world of music.

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Let’s Drink to Success

Perhaps this title grabbed your attention? Business is done through building relationships that we build through personal connections. These connections happen when being involved in our community and in our industry. They are created by being engaged with others. Relationships can be built while drinking the beverage of your choice.

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