You know the traditional methods of earning money with horses: sales, boarding, lessons, training, competition and breeding. These revenue generators have been the reliable feed bag of the horse business for centuries. A legendary tribal elder once quipped, "There...

I replaced the handle cover and was finally done with the faucet repair. I had watched that faucet drip forever and was delighted to have completed the overdue plumbing project. For weeks, the drips, discreet and barely noticeable, had been whispering to me, "fix me,...

When you are in the consulting business, sometimes you forget about following your own advice. I wrote the following essay several years ago and reread it recently to remind myself of the message. I believe it may help you, too. Horses have been training me for a long...

I was in the office of an investment advisor yesterday. Our discussion involved the investment rewards and risks of stocks, bonds, mutual funds and a variety of alternative investments. The advisor has thirty eight years of experience and loves his job. He confided he...

You probably know or have instructed a riding student who obsesses in fear of falling off. And you have heard statements like, " I'm not any good", "the horse doesn't like me", "I have nothing but bad luck", contribute to a self fulfilling prophecy of an unplanned...

When you were a kid, perhaps you got your introduction into business by opening a lemonade stand. The ingredients for instant business: a hot summer day, a need for some spending money and a desire to break the occasional boredom of summer vacation. Assuming no need...

I've been busy this week with a rush of business items landing on my desk via phone and e-mail. Added to that are all kinds of year-end forms, reports and unfinished business resulting from the "we'll take care of it after the Holidays" rationalization. Earlier this...

No doubt you've spent time in the malls or online this month in a gift buying spree. Experience has taught me that the best part of holiday shopping is being able to check the last item off on the list and to say, "I'm done." I wasn't even close to "I'm done" while...

My mother asked (and so did yours) , "How many times do I have to repeat myself?" I answered, " 'Bout a million". At age 12, I was no wise man, just a wise guy. But if asked, a wise man would have told me then that repetition is good for communication. This bears...

During a spontaneous fit of year end cleaning in the office the other day, a tool fell out of the closet and landed on my foot. Luckily, it wasn't a hammer or worse, an anvil. It was a paper SWOT form for business planning. I suspect it appeared as a reminder from the...