"Finding good workers has always been a problem. I suspect the comment, "You just can't find good help any more", has been spoken in every language since the Sumerians started serious commerce thousands of years ago. Aristotle has been attributed to saying, "Today's...

"Sit deep in the saddle!", my riding instructor shouted long ago. "Huh? Sit deep! This ain't no Lazy-Boy recliner, It's a bouncing rock! It's all I can do to maintain my balance", I whispered to myself. You may have had the same thoughts when you were first learning...

If you are like most other small business owners, your primary measures of success weekly, monthly and annually are in the numbers like these: lessons given horses boarded horses sold commissions earned horses trained summer campers enrolled and most important,...

Once a foundation is built, the framing process takes just a few days to shape the new house. The owner sees dramatic results in a short period of time. However, when the framing is completed the detailed finishing process seems to move slower than a wall clock in an...

There is an old story about pricing that you may have already heard. It makes an important point about how some business owners think about pricing. It goes like this: Farmer Bill, stopped at the local diner for lunch and parked his truck, loaded to the max with baled...

Even though the price of this newsletter remains the same have you had enough yet of the increased burden of the constantly rising prices for: 1. Fuel - gas and diesel 2. Feed - hay and grains 3. Bedding Economists are talking of recession; I'd prefer to talk about...

Mamma, just like her Mamma, reminded all of us never to run with scissors, knives or any sharp objects. It's good motherly advice to heed and pass on to the next generation. Presumably, this advice has saved countless injuries to children and obedient adults. But,...

Farmer Bob watched me struggle with my arms stretched to the limit and my feet slipping on the concrete floor as I pushed the heavy cart valiantly across the shop floor. I was making progress moving the heavy load, but it was painful and slow. Farmer Bob said in a...

Television, radio, Internet and print news reports have been feeding us a slurry of bad news regarding the economy for the U.S., Canada and many parts of the world. Lately, I've resisted channel surfing or page turning to avoid adding more worry to my life. It's no...

One wet and wintry morning, I watched one of the children clomp out the door toward the barn wearing boots large enough to hold both feet in one. Sailors say, "Any port in a storm" and children paraphrase, "Any boots near the door." The boots, of course, were mine....