People watching can be fun.  It can also be instructive and scary for a business owner.  A great place to observe the diversity of people and their activities is at an airport, waiting for the boarding call that herds you like cattle to your next destination.  While waiting at DFW International Airport with two hours of impromptu office activities and people watching to endure, I began to observe two small retail businesses “selling” their products to passing fellow travelers.  Selling is in quotes for a

Is your business thriving?  Or, are you holding on, struggling to survive? If it is thriving, congratulations!  You have probably aligned your mission and vision, your strategies, tactics and resources to market realities and a set of customers.  Your customer value proposition is clearly stated by employees and your marketing materials and your CVP is resonating in the market. Your success will likely inspire you to strive for more – more customers, revenue, profits and market share.  With the desire for more, and a willingness

On a recent flight I was reading American Way in route to San Antonio, and specifically the article on Zappos titled “Corporate Culture Shock.”  I was aware that CEO Tony Hsieh had instilled a unique culture at Zappos, but the article significantly expanded upon my understanding.  Without suggesting that the zany, over-the-top and fun-loving culture of Zappos is appropriate for all organizations, I will suggest that the success of Zappos is a lesson for every business owner to consider.  Success warrants consideration at minimum, or

“We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.” The above quotation is yet another gem from Albert Einstein relevant to current affairs, passed on to me by a friend after reading an earlier WordsMatter blog.  With apologies on this Monday, August 1, 2011, my focus today is more a frustrated commentary on our current collective dilemma in Washington D.C., and less about the original purpose of this blog. While a much needed “compromise” on extending the federal

I was asked to share my perspectives on the subject of market strategy with a highly talented group of executives attending a long-standing monthly forum – the Small Emerging Growth Companies – professionally led my Wyn Davies, President of C.F. Advisors, LLC, the creator of WynPlan.  I recommend this forum to all.  Joining Michael Fronk, President of Network Business Computing and Sandy Hull, President of Sandy Hull & Associates,we shared insights on our respective businesses.  Michael’s was about acquiring and ramping up an existing business. 

Two observations and a lesson learned long ago are driving today’s posting.  I recently witnessed a rigid business negotiation with one executive setting an uncompromising tone, rigidly locked into a status quo position.  While business negotiations can be contentious and all parties must articulate their positions before reaching a mutual accord, it was clearly evident an inflexible word or tone can have a chilling effect upon the outcome of such negotiations.  Fortunately, an agreement was finally reached. It struck me how important listening to the

As a companion piece to my last posting and with a growing admiration for the applicability of Albert Einstein’s recognized genius beyond the worlds of theoretical physics and mathematics, below is another Einstein quotation relevant to business executives of all stripes. “If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.” Consider the requisite for every business to effectively communicate Customer Value Propositions (CVP) to employees, active clients and prospective customers.  Setting aside the issue of an Employee Value Proposition (a subject to

Delving into a mountain of information on various topics of interest I was once again intrigued by an offering from Seth Godin, this time on the subject of “Unbetterable.”   Seth’s insights are always thought provoking; this is no exception.  I encourage all to make Seth a regular part of your day.  His comments reminded me of the rather famous, but murkily attributable quotation to Albert Einstein (maybe not?), and one more by him: “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting

Welcome to WordsMatter, the business management blog by Spiers & Associates, a management consulting practice.  

Let me pose the following two questions to the Small Business owner, its board and management team.  One, how frequently does a trusted associate or colleague recommended an article or book as a must read, as a blueprint or magic elixir for transforming your business?  Two, how frequently have you nodded your head in acceptance of the author’s premise, but found the application or execution of that premise unrealistic within your business?  We believe the answer to both questions will be at least two or