Earl R. Smith II's Blog, page 58

Customers as Financiers

Earl R Smith II, PhD DrSmith@Dr-Smith.com Dr-Smith.com Customers can be one of your best, lower-cost sources of the financial resources essential to building your business – yet many early-stage companies totally ignore them. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ One of my suggested rules, ‘If your product or service is as good as you think it is, and they want [...]

A Leadership Mentor – Finding the Right One

Earl R Smith II, PhD DrSmith@Dr-Smith.com Dr-Smith.com Leadership mentoring can make a huge difference in the career prospects of an up-and-coming executive. The delays and risks of learning by experience – by your mistakes and successes – can put you seriously behind your competitors. There is a sense of gambling about letting fate take the [...]

What’s in a Name?

Earl R Smith II, PhD DrSmith@Dr-Smith.com Dr-Smith.com The initial focus of my mentoring engagements centers around the words that an individual use to describe themselves. I generally start with a detailed self-assessment. The process tells me a great deal about how a person sees themselves and the labels that they choose. Labels Can Be Dangerous Things

Mergers & Acquisitions: Thinking About Selling – Confronting the Reasons

Earl R Smith II, PhD DrSmith@Dr-Smith.com Dr-Smith.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Most M&A transactions fail to close for reasons that do not relate to the structure, timing or fairness of the deal. In fact, the emotional state of the principal seller is a far more potent factor than any thing that the lawyers or accountant might focus on. [...]

Five Reasons Why Business Development Is So Difficult To Get Right

Earl R Smith II, PhD DrSmith@Dr-Smith.com Dr-Smith.com This is one of the most commented-on articles that I have written. It started me writing a book about how to make business development work better. (Business Development the Right Way) You never know when something is going to be such a beginning – but this is one. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Every extended [...]

Climbing a Ladder That Leads to a Hole in the Ground

Earl R Smith II, PhD DrSmith@Dr-Smith.com Dr-Smith.com There is a sea change going on among millennials and the rest of us should pay close attention to it. The Harvard University survey, which polled young adults between ages 18 and 29, found that 51 percent of respondents do not support capitalism. Just 42 percent said they support it. [...]

Shutting Down the Casino

I was moved by Warren Buffett’s recent piece in the Wall Street Journal. He wrote, in a straightforward way, what I have believed for some years – and what more and more Americans clearly believe. The dominance of finance and the irrationality of the casino that Wall Street has become, and continues to be, creates [...]

The Money Chase: One Way to Avoid Being ‘Avoided’ – Red Team Review

Earl R Smith II, PhD DrSmith@Dr-Smith.com Dr-Smith.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I spend a fair amount of time talking to CEOs of mid-market companies. They generally have two major frustrations. The first is the challenge of getting business development to work. The second, and the focus of this piece, is the heavy lifting of arranging for sufficient financial resources. [...]

A Mentor Can Help You Become a Great Leader

Mentoring can help you to improve your leadership and personal growth dramatically. You can enhance your professional and personal relationships with the help of a mentor. You can gain confidence and increase productivity.

Talking to Yourself Authentically

Have you ever had this experience? You meet with someone for the first time. First thing you know you’re listening to their elevator speech. They go on about the business that they’re in and the latest deal there working on.