If you ever sell horses, you know what it's like to try convincing inexperienced riders or the non-horseman parents of a youth rider to buy a well trained horse. Unlike a car, a few years of age and miles on the odometer are two great features. While those features...

If you are fiercely independent, you may have a love/hate relationship with problem solving like I do. My problem started in fourth grade and continued through college and for many years to follow. When problems arose, phrases like, "I can figure that out" and "I know...

You just got in the horse business yesterday if you haven't heard the cry, "I can't afford that!" From a non horseman mom inquiring about her child's riding lessons to a ten year horse owner considering investing in a competitive level show horse, the confusion over...

Here's a story from my friend, Paul, who lives about 100 miles from me. His eight year old son, a student in a Montessori School, had been thrilled with the idea of learning how to ride after several school outings to a local stable. Paul's wife called the stable and...

As the Labor Day holiday weekend approaches, many will celebrate the lingering days of summer by taking a day or two off to relax or play. It's a natural to also take some time to think about how your business can prosper in the last four months of the year. Your...

Early in my career, one of my mentors would often ask me, "So how's business this week?" And I would regularly answer, "Quiet." He would reply emphatically, "Then stir the pot!" I wasn't in the restaurant business, but I understood the intent of his message. Think...

Say "Nitty-Gritty" out loud. You hear two simple but powerful rhyming words that create an instant picture in your mind of getting down to the basics. When you see or hear nitty-gritty, no further explanation is needed. The message conveys as effectively as "help" or...

No doubt you've heard of bottle stoppers, show stoppers, and crime stoppers, but have you ever heard of a clock stopper? During World War II, German bombs rained on England. Some of these bombs didn't detonate on impact; they wedged in the soil six feet deep or more...

It was a beautiful summer afternoon earlier this week and on my driving route to my appointment was a McDonald's. With a milk shake impulse that couldn't be denied, a quick right turn landed me in an empty drive thru lane for my intended Indy 500 style pit stop. My...

"There is less competition out there than you think there is." That's what Robert Middleton of action plan marketing , a small business marketing expert, told me and forty one others at a seminar last week. I made a note immediately of Robert's words because they made...