Archive | Small Business Success

Watch how many paper clips they buy

Building on my recent post about employees’ shopping issues, I am adding another scenario that has never faded from memory. Again, some things seem so obvious to me, but alas, they are not really obvious to everyone. Many years ago, some of our promotional materials were held together using a paperclip. Because this clip was […]

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David and I evidently harbor strong resentments against some former employees, particularly those who have wasted our time, money, or both.  I am saying this because, years later, we both remember having spent too much money for, of all things, paperclips!  Not only did we waste money on paperclips, but we also had another employee […]

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Shop price – Employees probably won’t

Having run my own photography business, mostly by myself, I co-founded Magnus with one of my roles being managing the business and staff on administrative tasks. This includes shopping to buy everything from computers, video cameras, to pens and paper. We ran Magnus without employees for a couple of years and I knew the price […]

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It is a fact of owning a small business that some employees “get it” and some do not.  When it comes to buying things, I always remind Magnus’ employees to look around at everything in the office.  Everything, that is 100% of what they see, was bought by David and me.  There is nothing, absolutely […]

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Think before you speak.

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On November 19, 2015

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

Think before you speak. This is an old adage that resonates loudly when managing employees. Two examples of the failure of employees have haunted us for years. The first was with our first employee. She was caught off guard when an attorney/client asked her, after discussing Melissa’s academic background with Melissa, “What’s your background?” Mindlessly, […]

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Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On November 19, 2015

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

I suppose there is a time in many girls’ and women’s lives when they dream of becoming a princess.  Unfortunately, however, few people ever realize their princess dream, such that, at some point, they are living in a fantasy world if they persist in their search for Prince Charming.  (As an aside, I have met […]

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Apologize, take ownership, fix it – say I’m sorry

Mistakes happen. In our trial consulting work, some of the tasks employees must undertake are technical and sometimes difficult. Some tasks are more routine, but nonetheless, due to inexperience, careless work efforts, or for reasons beyond anyone’s control, mistakes happen. That is a given. But, how employees react when informed about the problem varies tremendously. […]

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When did apologies cease to exist?  And, by “apology,” I don’t mean saying “Sorry” instead of “Excuse me” when bumping into someone in the grocery store.  When referring to apologies, I mean owning up to one’s mistake, taking positive steps to ensure it is corrected, and being proactive in ensuring the mistake will never happen […]

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Quittin’ time

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On October 22, 2015

Category: Business Frustrations, Careers, Employment, Getting the Job Done, Managing Employees, Small Business Success, Work-Life

When working in the office, that is, when we are not working a “research day” conducting a mock trial or focus group, we work “normal” hours – 8 hour days. For a time, we had employees who only worked in the office and those who also worked in the field. It became apparent after a […]

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Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On October 22, 2015

Category: Business Frustrations, Careers, Employment, Getting the Job Done, Managing Employees, Small Business Success, Work-Life

Quitting time is, in my world, not a time of day but a time that depends on the amount of work to be done. If work remains to be completed after “the end of business,” “closing time,” or any other pre-defined hour, then I finish it. Furthermore, I expect my employees to finish their work, […]

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And the beat goes on

As Sonny and Cher famously sang in a song, “The beat goes on…” I am a firm believer in this axiom. Think about it. Life goes on, the beat goes on, and each of us can choose to keep the beat or, literally, march to a different drummer. There is only so much each of […]

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The beat is clearly different for each of us. I observe people whose beat is veryyyy slow. Then there are some whose beats are like Neil Peart’s – rapid fire. My energy level is in between so I try to keep it steady. In a business like ours, with spouses as co-workers/owners, being in sync […]

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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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Working like a Dog

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On October 8, 2015

Category: Employment, Getting the Job Done, Managing Employees, Small Business Success, Work-Life

Recently I posted about our star employee. She came to us as an “employee with benefits.” The benefit is her best buddy, Willy the Schnoodle. Our office environment is casual, but we have never had an office pet. We thought we’d try it. Willy keeps his own schedule; he does not work 40 hour weeks. […]

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Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On October 8, 2015

Category: Employment, Getting the Job Done, Managing Employees, Small Business Success, Work-Life

Giving credit where credit is due, “working like a dog” is part of the lyrics to a song called “Hard Day’s Night” written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney. The first line in the song is, “It’s been a hard day’s night and I’ve been working like a dog.” Since 1964, when the song, album, […]

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Space between notes

In life, just as in music, the space between notes is just as important as the notes themselves. For those among us who are not musically inclined, the “space between notes,” when applied to everyday life, is the silence that often says everything that needs to be said. On the day I am writing this […]

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It is interesting that, in our noisy world, silence, Melissa’s space between notes, is sometimes uncomfortable. But there are times when silence allows someone else to vent, or when silence provides an opportunity to listen. I sometimes find it difficult to stay quiet when I am asking questions of a prospective client who is trying […]

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Give others a Stanley

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On September 29, 2015

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

In a previous post I wrote about “giving yourself a Stanley” when one has done something amazing or otherwise deserving of recognition. Along these lines, I am also an advocate of “giving others a Stanley” when someone else has done something helpful, noteworthy, or wonderful. I rarely miss the opportunity to tell someone “good job,” […]

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Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On September 29, 2015

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

Receiving praise should feel good, and it usually does. But, it has been interesting to observe some of our best performers in the workplace react with surprise when we do praise them. It appears that genuine praise, not of the “everyone gets a trophy variety,” is somewhat rare in the business world. Maybe it is […]

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