Archive | Small Business Success

Optimism is Hard Work

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On June 9, 2016

Category: Business personalities, Careers, Getting the Job Done, Getting Through Life and Work, Managing Employees, Small Business Success

I recently attended a 99th birthday celebration for a wonderful woman who has blazed trails her entire life. Her name is Dr. Frances Bartlett Kinne; she is Chancellor Emeritus of Jacksonville University, my alma mater. I have written about Fran in the past, probably more than once. But, a point made during the celebration of […]

Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On June 9, 2016

Category: Business personalities, Careers, Getting the Job Done, Getting Through Life and Work, Managing Employees, Small Business Success

My late mother, who lived until the age of 93, frequently said, “You can choose to be happy or you can choose not to be happy.” She also had a scrap of paper, attached to her refrigerator door, on which she had written, “I am alive. Life is good. God is with me. I am […]

Are our Posts Negative? It is a matter of perspective.

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On May 19, 2016

Category: Business Frustrations, Business Partnerships, Business personalities, Careers, Employment, Getting the Job Done, Getting Through Life and Work, Managing Employees, Small Business Success

Someone mentioned to me recently that, based on reading our posts, it seems like Melissa and I have had lots of negative experiences. My friend mentioned this out of a concern that it might reflect poorly on us that we have these difficulties. I see her point, but, in discussions with other small business owners, […]

Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On May 19, 2016

Category: Business Frustrations, Business Partnerships, Business personalities, Careers, Employment, Getting the Job Done, Getting Through Life and Work, Managing Employees, Small Business Success

No one has ever accused me of being a Pollyanna. (For those readers who don’t know the meaning of this expression, it means someone who thinks good things will always happen and finds something good in all experiences. It originated in 1913, in a novel of the same name by Eleanor Porter.) I believe some […]

Be nice to the Assistants and Associates

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On May 5, 2016

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

When we work with a trial team our client is the lead attorney. Though we own the company, we know the lead attorney is our boss, at least as far as that case is concerned. And, that boss is almost always the boss of many other people. Some trial teams have lots of lawyers, paralegals, […]

Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On May 5, 2016

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

I have never understood why some people have only enough niceness and courtesy to bestow on the people at “the top,” leaving none for the rest of those with whom they interact. It is not the case, in my opinion, that there is a finite quantity of pleasant emotions, such that they have to be […]

Traveling as a team

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On April 14, 2016

Category: Business Frustrations, Business Travel, Careers, Common Courtesy, Getting the Job Done, Managing Employees, Small Business Success, Travel, Trial Consulting

Like Palidin, the adventurous, “gentleman gunfighter for hire,” played by Richard Boone in the TV series from 1958 to 1963, whose calling card said, “Have Gun will Travel”, as trial consultants, we go where the action is. The action is the case; we travel to the trial venues. Members of the Magnus team have worked […]

Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On April 14, 2016

Category: Business Frustrations, Business Travel, Careers, Common Courtesy, Getting the Job Done, Managing Employees, Small Business Success, Travel, Trial Consulting

I met a naive young person recently who, upon learning I travel with a team of people for work purposes, remarked, “That must be great not to travel alone!”, to which I replied, “It depends on who is traveling with me.” I have traveled far and wide in the performance of my job on behalf […]

Disappointments

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On April 7, 2016

Category: Business Frustrations, Business personalities, Marketing your Business, Small Business Success, Trial Consulting

Operating a small business is not for the faint of heart. Though some say, “its just business,” I can say it is still personal. There is a saying, life is full of disappointments. And, running a business is full of them. By definition, because an entrepreneur is taking risks, seeking business, etc., hearing “no” is […]

Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On April 7, 2016

Category: Business Frustrations, Business personalities, Marketing your Business, Small Business Success, Trial Consulting

I share David’s frustration over the ratio of proposals sent to clients versus cases for which we are retained. In fact, I have contemplated charging potential clients for their proposals, particularly those who repeatedly contact us about their cases and rarely or never retain us. However, as much as I would like to be able […]

Bad Employees

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On March 31, 2016

Category: Business Frustrations, Business Partnerships, Business personalities, Careers, Common Courtesy, Employment, Getting the Job Done, Managing Employees, Small Business Success

One of the inspirations for this blog, as has been noted previously, was the 2011 movie starring Jason Bateman, Charlie Day and Jason Sudeikis. It was a comedy about an oppressive boss and work environment that I quite enjoyed. But, I have to say, when I first heard the title, it was at a time […]

Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On March 31, 2016

Category: Business Frustrations, Business Partnerships, Business personalities, Careers, Common Courtesy, Employment, Getting the Job Done, Managing Employees, Small Business Success

I have been working since I was 15 years old. In the years since I have been working, I have had my fair share of bad bosses, bad co-workers, bad subordinates, and bad employees (not to mention bad clients and bad assistants of clients). David and I rarely forget the bad experiences we have had […]

If you know an employee is drinking on job, tell the boss!

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On March 24, 2016

Category: Business Frustrations, Business personalities, Careers, Common Courtesy, Employment, Getting the Job Done, Getting Through Life and Work, Managing Employees, Small Business Success

Many years ago we had a secretary working for us who had a secret; let’s call her “Polly.” And, the secret manifested itself in a strange way. For the first few months of her employment we had no issues. Then we started noticing that she performed okay in the morning, but not as well in […]

Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On March 24, 2016

Category: Business Frustrations, Business personalities, Careers, Common Courtesy, Employment, Getting the Job Done, Getting Through Life and Work, Managing Employees, Small Business Success

Drinking alcohol on the job is never a good idea (unless one is a professional wine taster or something similar). I have worked with many, many people over the years who were intoxicated on the job or who were experiencing the ill effects of intoxicants they consumed prior to reporting for work. I have also […]

Help the boss – it is why you have a job

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On March 17, 2016

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

Over the years we have had a few employees who failed to comprehend that Job # 1 was helping the bosses help the clients. Regardless of what we as bosses are doing, we need the employees to be “support staff.” More than 1 employee has been fixated on a task to the point that we […]

Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On March 17, 2016

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

I have never understood why some employees fail to realize their only purpose is to work for their employer. And further, I do not understand why some employees fail to realize that working for their employer means performing job duties requested by their employer. For me, the only point of going to work is to […]

Not your first gig; Not your first day on job

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On March 10, 2016

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

Everyone who works had a first day on the job. A first time to interact with customers, a first sale, a first something. For my partner and me, when new employees are hired, they are trained and they ultimately participate on their first jury research project. New employees cannot be expected to know enough from […]

Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On March 10, 2016

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

Magnus Research Consultants has employed many people who are working in their first professional job following their graduation from college. Some of our employees have worked during high school and college, while others have never been employed prior to working for Magnus. David and I have spent considerable time over the years coaching these eager, […]

Make ‘em look good

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On March 3, 2016

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

One aspect of our work as trial consultants is to evaluate cases so that our attorney clients learn how their case will be perceived by jurors, judges, arbitrators, or mediators. We always learn things that the attorneys and our other clients did not know or did not anticipate. The truth is, we may not have […]

Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On March 3, 2016

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

There are many ways an employee can help his/her boss look good. In the days when I worked for a large corporation and did not perform administrative tasks, I had a secretary. (I actually had a series of secretaries in the early days of my career, which dates back to the time when being a […]

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Archive | Small Business Success

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

A Point of View

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Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

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A Point of View

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Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

A Point of View

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A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

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Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

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