Jim Blasingame's Blog, page 29

VIDEO: There is no handshake in “the cloud”

In this week’s message I discuss how to begin and maintain virtual relationships in “the cloud.”

There is no handshake in \”the cloud\” from Jim Blasingame on Vimeo.

Poll Results: What Will Make Gas Prices Come Down?

The price of gasoline is up again. What do you think could be done to make it come down?
5% - Oil companies should stop gouging customers.

46% -Obama should approve the Keystone Pipeline.
22% -Stop oil speculators from driving up the price of crude.

27% -The price of gas is a product of supply and demand market forces.

Jim’s Comments:

As you can see, most small business owners believe–correctly I think–that approving the Keystone Pipeline would go a long way to bringing down crude oil prices, an...

Until Next Time: Learn from your failures

Billy Joel is a pretty fair musician and singer, but he’s a world-class songwriter. He and I were born on the same day, so perhaps that’s why I like his words. One of my favorite Joel lyrics is fromthe song, “Second Wind,” “You’re not the only one who’s made mistakes, but they’re the only things that you can truly call your own.”

We’re not likely to learn much when we succeed because we think it’s a result of our being so smart. Who wants to think about lessons when there’s so much self-congra...

Three fundamentals of small business capitalization

The first sentence in the job description of every CEO should be, “Get the capital your company needs.”

Webster defines business capital as, “any asset, tangible or intangible, that is held for long-term investment.” Capital blended with operating cash flows becomes the financial fuel your company’s engine uses to operate with and fund growth.

• Investment Capital — from you or someone else.

• Borrowed Funds — for most small businesses, from a bank loan.

Additional capital is required just to ST...

Video: The greatest challenges of small business owners today

In this week’s message I discuss some of the biggest hurdles small business owners may need to overcome.

The Greatest Challenges of Small Business Owners Today from Jim Blasingame on Vimeo.

SBA Poll Results: How has Obamacare impacted you?

The Question:

Now that Obamacare has been in force over 6 months, how has it impacted you?


43% - Obamacare has had no negative impact on me or my business.
11% -Our previous policy was cancelled because of Obamacare.

43% -The cost of our existing insurance has increased because of Obamacare.

3% -Our new policy is not as good as the one we had before Obamacare.

Jim’s Comments:

When we asked recently what the big challenges for small businesses were, Obamacare was no higher than third on a list of f...

Until Next Time: Maintain Your Uniqueness

Do you spend a lot of time worrying what others think about your ideas? If you have what you think is a great idea, something you are passionate about, do you drop it when someone else shoots it down? Obviously, it’s good to bounce ideas off of those you trust. But ultimately, you are the best judge of your own idea.

Did you know that Dr. Seuss’s first children’s book was rejected 23 times? If he hadn’t believed in his idea, the world might never have know about Sam and his green eggs and ham....

How to know when to change your business’ DNA

In nature, all life comes in two forms: plant and animal.

In the marketplace, all business entities are found in two forms: human and non-human. But unlike plants and animals, a human business can morph into a non-human entity.

The human businesses are sole proprietorships and partnerships. Of the non-human entities, there are three: C Corporation, S Corporation and the Limited Liability Company (LLC).

So why should your human business morph to non-human?

There are three excellent reasons:

1. To...

The Big Three: Boomers, Gen X, and the Millennials

Never before has the workplace been so diversified in terms of generations. Indeed, there are five different generational forces at play in the workplace today. But our focus here is on what I’m calling, “The Big Three.”

Generation Y

The new kids on the block (18-32), this group has two aliases: Millennials and entitlement generation. The way Gen Y approaches job and career has created not a little workplace disruption. Not so much tech savvy as tech dependent, their heads are full of content,...

Video: Customers now co-own your brand message

In this week's video I share how your customer have control over your brand.

Customers now co-own your brand message from Jim Blasingame on Vimeo.