It could take a year to sell but if you’ve taken the time to prepare it can be much faster
Selling your business can be exciting and scary. Often business owners aren’t sure what to expect. It typically takes much longer to sell a business than it does a house, up to a year in some cases. However, under the right conditions – when you’ve taken the time to prepare your business – the sale…
But there is no proven path to preparing for it
Thousands of books have been published about leadership because millions of people have fantasies of being top dog. Former presidents, prominent military leaders, CEOs, academics and consultants of every stripe have written books about what it takes to be an exceptional leader. It's worth finding out. While theories abound about what makes a great leader,…
Leadership depends entirely on how other people in the workplace evaluate you
Leadership presence, that illusive but “we know it when we see it” quality, is a blending of personal and interpersonal skills which, when combined, send all the right signals. It’s how you show up, how you make others feel, and how effectively you communicate both verbally and non-verbally. It’s the “wow” factor that sets you…
Doublespeak protects a company's image
You're summoned to your boss's office and told that you've been "selected out." Strange words. What do they mean? "Selected" sounds positive. But "out"? That's clearly a negative and confusing word. Together, both words are perplexing. An optimist may interpret it as sort of a promotion. A skeptic is worried. The term "selected out" is…
Lockdowns, inventory disruptions, staffing issues and cash-flow challenges have sapped many entrepreneurs of their passion
The economic climate has changed the way business owners think about their businesses. While my firm worked with companies before the pandemic, helping them to prepare their businesses for transition, there seems to be a flurry of interest from owners ready to exit their businesses. There are several reasons why people are thinking of selling…
Dave Yager has spent nearly half a century in Alberta’s oil and natural gas industry and 40 years in journalism, notably with the oilfield trade magazine, The Roughneck. His first book, From Miracle to Menace: Alberta, A Carbon Story, combines his extensive experience in a well-written and fact-centred analysis of the economics, politics and history…
How much more could you achieve in business and life if you just focused on doing fewer things?
I love to read. Ever since I was a young boy, learning to read in the arms of my parents, I have enjoyed the written word. I’m amazed at how the crafted phrase can capture my imagination and open my mind to worlds and ideas I’ve never explored or considered. I read for pleasure, entertainment…
Practical solutions for achieving a more harmonious workplace
Common Sense is NOT Common Practice, a nifty, little book by Rhonda Scharf, draws from her work in corporate Canada and the U.S. While it probably won't make the best seller list of "business books," it is an indispensable book leaders should read because it's about business on the day-to-day level in the office. Divided…
When faced with pressure on their business model, most leaders simply focus on reducing expenses. That's not nearly enough
My dog died last week – but the truth was that she had been dying for several months. Last winter, she had a couple seizures in my driveway and I considered having her put down. But after a couple weeks she revived and had a great spring and summer. In the last month, she definitely…
When we learn how to deal with the cycle of hope, despair and forgiveness, we're well on our way to success
A wag once said that the only one who really likes change is a wet baby, yet we face continuous, dramatic and ever-accelerating change in both our personal lives and work lives. What we learned at our grandparents’ knees half a century ago doesn’t fit the 21st century world. When our grandchildren sit on our…