Starting a business is a bit like having a baby.  It's harder work than you image, it costs more, it's more time consuming, you don't get much sleep, but you're still happy you made the leap (at least most days). 

There are probably as many books out there on how to start a business as there are on how to survive the first year as a parent.  Good advice only goes so far, there is no way to get around buckling down and giving a lot of attention and love to this treasure you are rearing and growing.

With two kids and two businesses, I'll skip my parenting advice and offer a few things that I have found have helped me (or I wish I would have known) during the first year of growing a business.

The surest way to never have an epic fail is to never try something new.  At sometime all companies will face a blunder, but how you deal with the situation may determine if your business  'Fails-up' and grows and strengthens from its mistake or if you just fail.

As a marketer and communicator I have walked the unfortunate path of dealing with crisis management for some of the biggest companies and notorious blunders.  From communicating to clients during the Enron Scandal, to spinning the story of trust for a firm with a sour reputation.

One thing I learned from 10 years in the technology field is that things are going to go wrong.  You can't deliver a new solution without a hiccup or two.  It is how you deal with the situation that will determine if you fail or 'Fail-up'.

There is a conundrum that many small business owners face on how fast to grow and how fast to staff. You put the best model together, service your clients well, market, sell, and network, and then it seems at once sales begin to close and projects are initiated, only to find that you are past the capacity of your employees to complete the projects.

Even if you have begun the talent search process, you hope the recruiting process lines up with sales growth. Staffing talent can be the key to taking your business to the next level, but staffing too early can diminish profits, by leaving employees idle. On the other hand, waiting too late can leave an owner with an excessive workload that can impact sales and delivery. It's a delicate balance and it takes perfect timing to get it just right.

Have you been told you should blog? Maybe you have a website with a link to a blog that sits empty.  I hear many reasons not to blog; time, dislike of writing, lack of topics and ideas, or lack of knowledge about what a blog can do for your small business.  However, there are many reasons to blog and the biggest reason of all maybe linked to your bank account.

Last night I caught a few minutes of America's Got Talent.  In the episode, two magicians do the same trick with dramatically different results.  It reminded me how often we enter the sales process with a similar 'trick' (i.e. product or service) to our competition, but our results are dramatically different, one gets the sale, the other does not.

We all have life events that define us and make us who we are.  Sometimes these events make us stronger, for others these events remain as obstacles that cannot be crossed, passed or maneuvered around.  For me dyslexia and shyness made me a harder worker and a stronger leader.

Productivity can be found by not jumping directly into your to do list, taking breaks, dumping tasks, shutting off electronics, and going on a vacation. While this may seem counterintuitive, it may actually help you accomplish more. Here's how. 

What is Reverse Mentoring?

Traditionally when an employee enters a company, they automatically take the student role. That is where they have a higher level employee such as an executive or manager train and teach them the ropes. Everyone knows how useful it is to mentor the young employee and help them develop. What you do not know is that the reverse holds the same truth. The younger  colleague can do a lot more to help you than you might believe.

Last month IHOP unveiled its new logo. Although the previous logo wasn’t amazing, it was (it is) recognizable. The new logo is much cleaner than the old and it presents a happy face. This seems very appropriate for a restaurant that serves pancakes loaded with sugary toppings.

Starting a business is exciting, exhilarating, freeing, and terrifying.  Pretty much like my first experience learning to ride a bike.  I was six, maybe seven, and my dad must have lost 10 pounds that summer from running up and down the block, holding on to the back of my bicycle seat.  As long as I could talk to him or hear him breathing, I was good.  The minute I thought he wasn't there,  I would crash. The truth was I could ride my bike, I just needed to know there was someone there to support me.