Tag Archives: Business Growth Strategy

Founder & VC Misalignment More Often Than Thought

The misalignment between vc’s and founders is painfully obvious from the quotes below from the IPO S-1 filing of Applied Medical Corp. (Dan Primack of Fortune did the reporting and should get the credit).  First is the company stating why they are going public (bold emphasis mine). … Continue reading

Golden Age of Productivity Tools for Business — a Good Investment

Productivity tools are expanding at an incredible pace all around us.  These tools are particularly relevant for smaller business owners to understand and a good investment of time and money.  This struck me while being told a story a few months ago by the proprietor of Borsheim’s… Continue reading

Rich vs King? Spoils Go To Business Owners Who Delegate & Share

As is often said around Silicon Valley, “Would you rather be rich or be king?”  I think the rich vs king question is too crass and is aimed narrowly at convincing a founder to bring in senior management to manage a growing enterprise. However, I… Continue reading

Company Culture Key to Growing A Business

Every day in a small business I know, 100,000 interactions happen among employees, customers, and external parties — the only way I know to align all of those interactions is through a strong company culture.  So, company culture is key to growing a business and… Continue reading

Optimal Owner for a School — Not Private Equity or Wall Street

The School Business Finding a perfect match between a business and an owner is not easy.  This hit home to me last week at a gathering for private post-secondary schools in California where I heard an owner of a private, post-secondary school describe an epiphany… Continue reading

50th Post Since April — How am I doing?

Today’s post marks my 50th blog post since I began the blog on April 22, 2012.  To me, it feels good to be writing posts and I hope it is helpful to some business owners and investors out there.  To make sure it is helpful,… Continue reading

Learning Business Lessons: Business as a Dojo Space

Business Lessons Life and business lessons can be gleaned from all directions when managing and owning a business.  This idea was captured for me when a long-time employee of the National Holistic Institute said, “NHI is everybody’s dojo — or a space where we learn… Continue reading

Keep Pedaling When You Most Want to Coast

When cycling to the top of a big hill, it is tempting to coast down the other side.  However, I have found that in business it is important to keep pedaling when you most feel like coasting.  It is often those investments made in a… Continue reading

Congratulations to Appointment Plus, National Holistic Institute, & Main Street Gourmet for Recent Awards

A Rewarding Week: The last week has been a big one for awards at companies affiliated with my investment partnership, Greybull Stewardship.  We are focused on investing in existing businesses with $1 to $3 million in net income that want a stable co-owner (minority or… Continue reading

Elusive Moats of Competitive Advantage — Definition by Morningstar

Moats of Competitive Advantage Investors look for “moats” or competitive advantages that create more certainty and more growth in revenue and margins.  In managing or investing in businesses, it is helpful to understand what moats other companies have been able to build and why.  This… Continue reading