• Deadlines

    Deadlines are inevitable!  They often cause a high level of stress for the person responsible for meeting the deadline.  There are many strategies that a Controller and CFO can implement to manage deadlines effectively and, as a result, reduce the stress level of the Controller and support staff.  Deadlines for recurring routine tasks and ad hoc assignments, that are both long and short-term, [...]

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    Is Old School marketing still relevant?

    The rapid evolution of technology over the last few years has driven organizations to take note of digital opportunities such as search, smart phones and social media.  Driven by the acceptance of younger generations, these types of media are all the rage and are driving innovation and a new way of life.  Or is it? Is this new way of life becoming the norm for EVERYONE or just the younger [...]

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    Swimming against the tide - the contrary approach to decision making

    No one can possibly achieve any real and lasting success or 'get rich' in business by being a conformist. - J P Getty In the short term the market is a popularity contest; in the long term it is a weighing machine. - Warren Buffett Why do two of the foremost successful businessmen in recent times believe that following the crowd is not a good idea - yet the average Joe follows the popular belief[...]

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    Focus on the important not the urgent

    In our daily work lives it is so easy to get swept away dealing with time-consuming tasks that seem urgent. So we procrastinate and often do not attend to, or do not give sufficient consideration to the really important projects. How many times have you looked at your watch at the end of the day and said “where did the day go?” and realized that you have not done any or most of, what you [...]

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    Jack Layton vs. Steve Jobs. Which brand's image will be hardest hit by the loss of their leader?

    I recently saw a poll that was posing this intriguing question.  Indeed, while the organization's they led are world's apart, this question certainly raises the issue of the importance of a charismatic leader that departs and potentially leaves a huge void at the top. While this poll may be somewhat theoretical, it does pose the following question: how important are you to your business, and [...]

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    The Pied Piper mentality... why following the crowd is so dangerous

    One of  the biggest misunderstandings about marketing is that it is all about communications: things like social media, advertising, public relations, brochures, websites, telemarketing, blogs, newsletters, e-mail, TV, radio, etc (I could go on and on).  If you believe this, then you are missing out on the really important parts of marketing - those parts that will probably be able to set you [...]

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    Setting pricing - you may have more choice than you realize

    Are you one of the many people that set pricing for their products and services instinctively?  If so, you may be missing out on an important opportunity.  Pricing can actually differentiate you in the marketplace so it can be used as a useful (positive) marketing tactic. Price setting can actually be quite complex, and knowing that you may have options could just help you find the right mix. [...]

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    Igniting the entrepreneurial spirit

    Every so often I find it useful to read a book about business and, in particular, entrepreneurship.  Over the past few weeks, two books in particular (not new, but good oldies) have caught my attention.  I would encourage everyone who is running a business (even a one-person sole proprietor) to enlighten themselves with some fresh thinking and would recommend these two books highly: 1. The [...]

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    5 Marketing ideas you may never have considered before

    I bet you see a marketing idea sometimes and say, "wow, why didn't I think about that?" It's amazing, but the number of ideas is endless, and very often these ideas are not really new - they often spring forth from an old idea that has been adapted, one way or another.  And most often, they are really simple. So how do you generate these ideas?  One way is to have regular brainstorming ideas [...]

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    Obtain value from your Accounting department

    In many small and medium sized businesses the head of the accounting dept. (let’s call him or her a Controller) is perceived as an overhead, or even a necessary evil and the Controller often then does everything in their power to live up to that perception.  This is exemplified by the Controller’s business associates calling him a bean counter. It is relatively easy for the owner/President [...]

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