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So you’ve had the good fortune of being asked to Present your business to a potential investor.  What do you do to get ready? As Jack is fond of saying, “It depends!” It depends on how often you Present your business.  If you’ve never Presented your business before, it’s going to take you a while to get ready to Present. Are you a “natural” Presenter?  Someone who is charismatic and can connect with any audience? Most folks aren’t natural Presenters, they just work really hard to make it look natural.

Maybe start with something a little simpler like Presenting to a banker or your team where the stakes are a bit lower.  Practice is one of the key things in preparing to Present. And each audience (e.g. investors, bankers, employees) requires a little different Presentation.  Things they care about are going to be different.

During the show tonight we shared several recent experiences we’ve had with Presenting as well as our clients.  We also tapped into our prior big corporate and Wall Street experiences to provide some guidance on how to properly frame this opportunity and where to start.  And yes, it should be viewed as an opportunity when you are asked to Present your business.

People, Companies and Resources We Mentioned in the Show

Apollo 13 (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112384/)

JumpStart (https://www.jumpstartinc.org)

Steve Jobs (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Jobs)

Can’t Buy Me Love (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092718/)

Tim Cook (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Cook)

Apple (www.apple.com)

The post How Do I Prepare To Present? appeared first on Dirty Secrets of Small Business.

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In This Episode

During tonight’s show we were joined by Mike De Stefano, owner of DMS Management Solutions (https://www.dmsmgmtsolutions.com) which provides accounting, bookkeeping, and related services to small businesses. Mike shared several stories about common mistakes they see with people who keep their own books as well as several of the most common discussions he has with clients about their numbers.

In addition, Mike also provided some great insights into what to expect from your CPA vs. a company like DMS as he provided an overview of their three tiers of service. Mike also shared some of the keys to DMS’s growth as they are now a multi-year recipient of the Weatherhead 100 award. Last but not least, Mike shared something he does that is a little different from most advisors where he actually puts his money where his mouth is!

He is also a graduate of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business Program (https://www.goldmansachs.com/citizenship/10000-small-businesses/US/) and he shared with us some of his key takeaways from that program in our monthly Goldman 10 for 10 segment. One of his key takeaways was he the power and importance of peer-to-peer learning. In fact, it’s been five years since Mike completed the 10KSB program and he and about 10 other fellow graduates from his cohort meet every month to continue sharing and helping each other.

People, Companies and Resources We Mentioned in the Show

DMS Management Solutions (https://www.dmsmgmtsolutions.com) Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business Program (https://www.goldmansachs.com/ citizenship/10000-small-businesses/US/) ADA Architects (http://www.adaarchitects.cc) Corrigan Krause (https://corrigankrause.com) Entrepreneurs’ Organization Cleveland (https://www.eonetwork.org/cleveland) Weatherhead 100 (https://weatherhead.case.edu/events/weatherhead100/)

The post How Do I Get Help With My Numbers, Mike DeStefano of DMS Management Solutions? appeared first on Dirty Secrets of Small Business.

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In This Episode

During tonight’s show we were joined by Ken Fanger, co-owner of On Technology Partners (https://ontechnologypartners.com), a company focused on planning and strategic design when it comes to your technology.  Ken shared some of his early work experiences with bigger companies like BP and Ben Venue Laboratories and how that inspired him to do his own thing.

A big part of Ken’s story with On Technology Partners was how they basically reinvented their business which started out as a company focused on IT support and network services and then shifted to focus on planning and strategic design of that technology.  This shift was based on the discovery of how critical technology had become to their client’s success and they needed more help on the bigger picture strategic front vs. simply the day-to-day support of their technology assets. Ken also shared some nuggets he’s learned along the way, such as Always Be Wrong and Lay-off Employees Sooner vs. Later.

He is also a graduate of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business Program (https://www.goldmansachs.com/citizenship/10000-small-businesses/US/) and he shared with us some of his key takeaways from that program in our monthly Goldman 10 for 10 segment.  One of his key takeaways was he didn’t feel so alone any more as he saw people in his cohort facing the same challenges as he had.

People, Companies and Resources We Mentioned in the Show

On Technology Partners (https://ontechnologypartners.com)

Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business Program (https://www.goldmansachs.com/citizenship/10000-small-businesses/US/)

BP (https://www.bp.com)

Ben Venue Laboratories (https://www.cleveland.com/business/2015/11/closed_ben_venue_laboratories.html)

JumpStart (https://www.jumpstartinc.org)

R&K Electric (https://m.facebook.com/pages/R-K-Electric/158913390797905)

People of Substance (http://peopleofsubstance.net/)

The post How Do I Reinvent My Business, Ken Fanger of On Technology Partners? appeared first on Dirty Secrets of Small Business.

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One of the things we love the most about small business is that it’s much easier to find a “heart” in a small business.  People really know each other and care about each other. That includes employees as well as customers and vendors. It can become an extended family.  But that’s also one of the challenging things about small business. Especially when it comes to parting ways with an employee, in particular a long-term employee.

So what options do you have?  It depends what category the person falls into.  Short-term employees can be short and sweet. But if they’re a longer-term employee, especially one who has been a key person in the business.  Or if they actually are friends or family outside of the business setting. That “heart” can often get in your way when making a decision for your business.  Or not making a decision.

During tonight’s show we shared lots of stories about our personal experience and those of our clients and how they worked their way through some of these tough people decisions.  Whether the company has outgrown that employee or if they’ve made some costly mistakes or they’re poisoning the other employees with their attitude or anywhere in between, we’re sure you’ll find tonight’s episode helpful!

People, Companies and Resources We Mentioned in the Show

Office Space (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0151804/?ref_=tt_ch)

Neil Sedaka, Breaking Up Is Hard To Do (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breaking_Up_Is_Hard_to_Do)

Depend (https://www.depend.com/en-us/)

An Officer and a Gentleman (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/An_Officer_and_a_Gentleman)

Debbie Downer (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debbie_Downer)

Roadhouse (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Road_House_(1989_film))

Goodfellas (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099685/)

The post How Do I Fire An Employee? appeared first on Dirty Secrets of Small Business.

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In This Episode

What does a successful organization look like?  Is your organization successful? Is it set up for growth?  How do you know?

If you’re like most small business owners, you have no idea how to answer this.  In fact, most small business owners have no idea what I’m talking about! Well it all starts with your Functional Organization Chart.  And no, this is not the typical Org Chart you may have put together a few years or decades ago.

It’s time to get your Organization ready for growth and success.  In tonight’s show we provided some examples of the power of getting your Functional Org Chart pulled together.  How it can do things like help you offload things from your plate, onboard new people, and realizing just how much of a difference one good person can make to your organization!  How do you know what that next hire should look like and what they should be doing to help your Organization? If you don’t have your Functional Org Chart down it’s going to be tough to keep it all straight!

People, Companies and Resources We Mentioned in the Show

Office Space (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0151804/?ref_=tt_ch)

The post How Do I Know If My Organization Is Set Up For Success? appeared first on Dirty Secrets of Small Business.

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