Mark Kleinschmidt

KPIs are not just for MBAs

When the term Key Performance Indicator (KPI) is mentioned, many quickly associate it with business school curriculums or big corporations. While it’s true that the concept of KPIs are taught to MBA students,  it is crucial to understand that they are an important tool in managing a large corporation but also a small business. Basically, […]

Clockwork: Design Your Business to Run Itself

Mike Michalowicz is one of my favorite business authors because he provides practical ideas that are easy to understand and implement to help a small business succeed. “Clockwork: Design Your Business to Run Itself”   offers workable strategies to anyone looking to create a self-sustaining business model. The book is broken down into three phases: 1) Align, […]

How CEOs Manage Time

How CEOs Manage Time It’s the scarcest resource you have. How you allocate it matters—a lot.  Time management is just as important for a small business owner as it is for a corporate CEO.  Both positions require a significant amount of time and energy.  However, there is a problem, there is never enough time. As […]

From the CEO Bookshelf: The Structure of Success

If you are a small business owner you want to do everything possible to achieve success and avoid failure.  As the CEO of your business, you are the chief decision maker and you must make a lot of decisions. The fate of your business is directly influenced by the internal and external structures that you […]

How the Consumer Confidence Index can help your business

As the CEO of your business, you worry about daily operations, but you also need to be forward-looking and keep an eye on future economic conditions. Since most of us are not economists and do not have a crystal ball we have to make a best guess about where the economy is heading. A good […]

Super Bowl Marketing Strategies for Small Businesses

This year’s Super Bowl was a mega-event watched by over 120 million people.  That’s a lot of eyeballs!!  There was some great football with a come from behind win by the Chiefs, a much-anticipated half-time show with Usher and Taylor Swift got  more than a few moments of TV time.  But how about the commercials? […]

From the CEO Bookshelf: Profit First

 Profit First  By: Mike Michalowicz Michalowicz’s book presents an innovative look at the financial management of your business. As the title suggests, he puts profits first. One might assume that prioritizing profit is an obvious business strategy, but most businesses follow the traditional accounting formula of Sales – Expenses = Profit. The author proposes a […]

What’s on the Small Business Radar for 2024?

As the CEO of your business, it’s vital to stay ahead of the competition and maintain a forward-looking mindset. However, with emerging technology and unpredictable economic conditions, what key areas should you be looking at? It is a good idea to check the radar screen for new opportunities and challenges for your business. But are you […]

How are Small Businesses Doing?

We are swimming upstream as we look at all the data that tries to explain the performance and health of small businesses.  Numerous trustworthy surveys exist, each featuring their own methods and objectives aiming to accurately portray the small business environment. Which survey provides the most accurate view? The Small Biz CEO has examined quite […]

CEOs need to decide

CEOs need to decide The “40-70” Rule As the CEO of your business, you must make many critical decisions about the strategic direction of your company. Every decision that you make is determined by a variety of factors such as information, confidence, experience and your willingness to call the shots. When all these pieces come […]