Archive | Business Frustrations

Who really pays your pay check?

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On October 15, 2015

Category: Business Frustrations, Careers, Employment, Managing Employees, Trial Consulting

Employees work for that regular paycheck they receive weekly, biweekly, or on some other pre-determined schedule. They earn it, they deserve it, but clearly some do not understand how it ends up in their hands (or bank). Yes, the check has the company’s name on it, and in small companies like Magnus, I usually hand […]

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Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On October 15, 2015

Category: Business Frustrations, Careers, Employment, Managing Employees, Trial Consulting

I have been working for a living since the age of 15. I learned, early in life, that money does not grow on trees and that, at least in my case, it results from hard work. Unlike some of Magnus’ employees, when I worked for other people prior to co-owning my own business, I realized […]

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Keep the beat

One of my responsibilities as a bass guitar player is keeping the beat. The bass guitar is a rhythm instrument (as are drums and other percussive instruments) and, as a bass player, if I fail to keep the beat, I am not doing my job within the band. Sometimes, the beat is up tempo; other […]

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Keeping the beat in business is crucial as part of the juggling act of working on current business, looking for new business, and managing everything. I often feel like I have to keep the beat in terms of nudging clients along because I know how many beats there are in one of our projects and […]

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Peer Reviewed Publications as a Measure of Credentials

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On October 1, 2015

Category: Business Frustrations, Getting the Job Done, Marketing your Business, Trial Consulting

I have written about the challenge in knowing how to select a trial consultant. This is a topic which causes frustrations because there are more and more trial consultants all the time and the qualifications vary from qualified to clearly, not at all qualified. But, while this is apparent to me, it is often not […]

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Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On October 1, 2015

Category: Business Frustrations, Getting the Job Done, Marketing your Business, Trial Consulting

Peer review is one of the hallmarks of any scientific endeavor. In scientific and other academic circles, it is not enough to write an article or book. A scientist has to go beyond merely forming a hypothesis, designing research, conducting research, analyzing data, and writing a report of the findings; a scientist’s original work has […]

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The Pearl

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On September 17, 2015

Category: Business Frustrations, Business Relationships, Careers, Employment, Getting the Job Done, Managing Employees, Small Business Success

It is great thing to find a gem, actually, a pearl, of an employee. Our most recent hire came as a referral from a trusted source, her father. I’ve known him for well over 20 years as our business and personal accountant and friend. Along the way, Melissa and I met his family, including his […]

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Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On September 17, 2015

Category: Business Frustrations, Business Relationships, Careers, Employment, Getting the Job Done, Managing Employees, Small Business Success

The title of this post is “The Pearl” because pearl is the meaning of our wonderful employee’s name. In every way possible, she fits her name; she is truly a pearl, a gem, of a person! Interestingly, as with another of our best employees, she applied for a job with Magnus at a time we […]

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2 or 4 Groups?

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On September 10, 2015

Category: Business Frustrations, Careers, Employment, Getting the Job Done, Litigation Tips, Managing Employees, Small Business Success, Trial Consulting

There are at least 2 parts of the question which is the title of this post, “2 or 4 groups?”. Part 1 is the research question, and, it could be, is it 2 or 3, 4,…10, or more groups? The question is one we work through with clients when planning their mock jury/mock arbitration research. […]

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Prospective clients often ask, “So, how much is all of this going to cost?” to which I reply, “It depends on how much you want to know.” This answer may, at first, seem trite, but I do not intend it to be. I immediately follow this response with an explanation of how the cost for […]

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Just – Do It

I used to work in a large corporation where staff meetings, committee meetings, and meetings of other varieties were commonplace. These meetings seemed, to me, to drone on endlessly, with much discussion, but little actual work, being accomplished. In the years I have co-owned and operated a small business, I have kept meetings to a […]

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I believe “Just Do It” has been Melissa’s motto for longer than it has been Nike’s. In other words, she likes to “git er done.” While meetings are often necessary to coordinate to ensure that everyone will get things done with the same information and goals in mind, as Dilbert illustrates, meetings often take on […]

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Facilitating Fraud: Part 2

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On August 27, 2015

Category: Business Frustrations, Getting the Job Done, Small Business Success

Shame on Bank of America. It happened again. I guess it is different day, different tricks for the criminals in this world. Recently we learned the hard way how easy it is for criminals to commit check fraud using the modern convenience of mobile banking. I could not believe it when I saw an employee […]

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Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On August 27, 2015

Category: Business Frustrations, Getting the Job Done, Small Business Success

The ability to perpetuate this fraud is simple enough for almost anyone to figure out; that is, anyone except modern day banking institutions. The person who stole from my company by electronically depositing a photo of my company’s check, then cashing the same check at her local grocery store, was an uneducated woman from a […]

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“I won’t make that mistake again”

Magnus’ first employee suffered from a lack of foresight. She was unable to think through to completion the results of certain actions. She certainly had many positive traits, but this was not one of them. I do not know how many times we heard her say, “well, I won’t make that mistake again.” While it […]

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There is nothing inherently wrong with learning from one’s mistakes, but there are unavoidable costs associated with making these mistakes. Some of the costs are related to lost time, from expending efforts that are largely unproductive, while other costs are monetary. As small business owners, David and I often bear the brunt of our employees’ […]

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Wish Them Well

As a final post, hopefully ever, in the series on unprofessional lawyers, I am borrowing some lyrics from my favorite rock band, RUSH. Written by Rush’s lyricist and drummer extraordinare, Neil Peart, and featured on their most recent album, Clockwork Angels, the song entitled, “Wish Them Well” is about realizing there is sometimes a need […]

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David finds a lot of inspiration from his favorite band, RUSH.  Unlike the lyricist for RUSH, Neil Peart, I have difficulty wishing well to someone who has harmed me.  However, wishing someone well is probably the healthiest attitude one can take upon being wronged.  The few clients with whom David and I have had an […]

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Unprofessionalism in law

As trial consultants, we are generally hired on “big” cases which have enough complicating factors that the attorneys and their clients need our help to figure out. In other words, when the stakes are high, our help is needed. Because of this, perhaps, we have very rarely interacted with unprofessional attorneys. There have been some […]

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I am a “peace and love” aficionado and, as a social psychologist, my people skills are slightly more elevated than those of the attorneys with whom I have chosen to spend my career. It has always amazed me that some attorneys, who are paying me for my help, do everything they can to alienate me, […]

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