Author Archives: Whittaker

In times of economic uncertainty we tend to focus on reducing our cost structure and keeping our prices low so that we don’t lose market share. While I advocate that businesses should always contain costs, I also advocate that they should be aware of their pricing structure and terms. Over the last couple of years

For several years I have heard successful business leaders say that profits are earned on the margin, meaning that profit is earned on the outskirts of your business, or not necessarily on the core of your offering.  It could be your competitive advantage, your unique core differentiator, or your value added product or service that

How are you progressing toward the plans you set for your business this year?  Most all business owners and management teams start each year with a set of goals/objectives that they intend to achieve for the year.  Those goals/objectives are supported by strategies, and those strategies are supported by action plans.  Now that we’re about one-third

I recently read an article in the Harvard Business Review titled A Radical Prescription for Sales, exploring the possibility that compensating salespeople with the traditional commission model  is based more on tradition than logic, and the model can sometimes do more harm than good to a business  by hindering growth and limiting profits.    The

I was recently listening to a leadership podcast.  The topic of the podcast was questions that good leaders ask. Questions are very valuable and good leaders learn from reading and asking questions. Early in the podcast there was a statement made that “the questions we ask communicate our values and what is important to us.”

As 2012 comes to an end and you are planning for 2013, there are many things to consider.  The purpose of this post is to help propel you forward quicker in 2013 than in 2012.  You can revisit the planning that you do each and every year:  setting goals, budgets, getting the team on board,

I recently read an article in the January-February issue of the Harvard Business Review titled ‘The Grass Isn’t Greener comparing the prospects of shifting your business into a new industry or focusing on winning in the space that you currently are playing.  I speculate through the economic downturn that many businesses have considered a foray into

I was recently in a meeting with about 40 other business owners who were sharing their experiences in their specific industries.  One of the participants noted, “if it wasn’t for my Vistage group, I would have been out of business three times.”   I was thrilled to hear him say that, because I believe every business

I recently read a report published by Sageworks, the leading company in the financial analysis of privately held companies. Sageworks reviewed revenue growth and profit margins trends of privately held companies in the United States for the 12 months ended February 2013.  Here are the facts: Revenue is growing at an annual rate of 9.7%

For the last several years, I have been interested in Design Thinking (a human-centered, prototype-driven process of innovation that can be applied to product, service, and business design) and business models.  Recently, I was introduced to a new concept, the Business Model Canvas, and to the book Business Model Generation by Alexander Osterwalder & Yves