So often, it seems that the default answer to a problem in an organization is to get rid of someone, often the person at the top. Here’s my take on this: This is a lazy approach that often avoids dealing the root cause. Some examples follow. Get the Right People on the Bus It is […]
Author Archive | david lightfoot
The Shedding of the Hats
Unless one buys an existing business, the start of a new enterprise usually begins with the owner being the only employee. It’s the typical start-in-a-spare-bedroom/garage story. The owner fulfills every job and ‘wears many hats.’ If this new enterprise enjoys some success, eventually the owner hires their first employee, an important milestone. Hopefully more employees […]
Long-term Success
This month marks the seventh anniversary for me of becoming a Consultant CFO. In my practice I try to help business owners and particularly enjoy long-term relationships because the client can accomplish so much. Two of my clients have been with me steadily from almost the start of my practice; one for over six years […]
How I Help Clients
I have now been a consultant CFO for seven years. I enjoy my work very much because it is satisfying to help business owners achieve their dreams. Still, business associates sometime don’t know how I work with clients and what I really do. So the topic for this newsletter is How I Help Clients. The […]
Make a Decision, and Then Make That Decision the Right One
In business we tend to overanalyze a situation because we’re afraid to make the wrong decision. Everyone is familiar with the term ‘paralysis by analysis.’ A different take on decision making comes from my friend, Ross Bentley. Ross is a race driver coach and an accomplished former racer himself. How accomplished? He raced Indy cars […]
Delegating, Not Telling People What to Do and Achieving More
Perhaps the most common advice I give to business owners is to delegate more. This is because the ultimate scare resource is the business owner/operator’s time. By delegation, we hope to accomplish more by working through others. One can achieve managerial leverage much as we achieve financial leverage. Delegating is difficult. One must let go […]
Ice Chip Grannies
I was a sponsor of Impact 2016 again this year. Impact is an annual three-day gathering of CEOs of small to medium-sized businesses. Our closing speakers this year were the “Ice Chip Grannies.” These are two grandmothers who have started a number of businesses. But they’ve finally hit the big time with a sugarless candy […]
The Three-Week Vacation Test
Later this month I will be participating in Impact 2016, a meeting of one hundred CEOs, COOs and business owners. The theme of the event is Change. I’ll be co-presenting on the topic of “How to Build a Business a Buyer Would Love.” It’s a great topic and fits well within the overall theme. We […]
Why are My Taxes so High and What Can I Do about It?
I get asked this a lot lately. Here is what I think has happened. Back in Olden Times when I was working for a CPA firm and the Earth was cooling, earned income tax rates were 50% and unearned income rates were a whopping 70%! I’d ask successful clients whether they were considering expanding. Most […]
Built by Anhalt
Do you know the name Fred Anhalt? If you’ve been around Seattle for a while or you’ve been involved in Seattle real estate, you might. Real estate professionals often speak of “an Anhalt” being for sale. “An Anhalt” means one of the buildings built by Fred Anhalt, mostly apartments. I think most people agree that […]