documents | The Barefoot Spirit

8 Steps to Making Mistakes WRITE

“THEY’RE BUILDING A BETTER IDIOT!”

by Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey | Business Blog

One of our favorite talks is on making mistakes write. Not just right R-I-G-H-T but WRITE like W-R-I-T-E! When we started our business, we made so many mistakes, we got good at it. So, it seemed natural to us to develop a process for making mistakes. Our business was...

How to Take Control by Aiming, Not Blaming

by Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey | Business Blog

Behind many seemingly outside problems are inside solutions. But with your ire focused on the other guy, you can easily overlook what you can do to mitigate the situation. “It’s not our fault,” becomes the order of the day with its cousin, “There’s nothing we...

How to Get Ready to Sell Your Business — Even if You Don’t Plan To

by Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey | Business Blog

There’s much talk these days about the business plan, yet the sale-of-the-business plan seems to get little attention. Right now is the time to discuss the eventual transition and the due diligence checklist. Planning ahead for your potential acquirer’s required list...

Listen to and Learn from your Sales Staff

5 WAY TO PROTECT YOUR SALES FROM "COST SAVING" SUGGESTIONS

by Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey | Business Blog

In the previous post we examined some of the ways your well-meaning office, marketing, production and accounting staff may come up with “cost-saving” suggestions than can actually hurt sales. When little things go missing or the package gets simplified in the name...