I read an article in the April 24th issue of the Wall Street Journal that examined the way that the pandemic has changed not just the experience of grocery shopping but what we buy. It reminded me of a joke I heard recently: I have discovered a new restaurant—it’s called the kitchen. But I… Read More »
Don’t Let Uncertainty Paralyze You
We are currently facing tremendous uncertainty as a result of the economic impact of a nationwide shutdown of business. This uncertainly about the future creates a great deal of stress and causes us to focus on the immediate situation rather than the broader possibilities that may become available to us. In his recent article for… Read More »
How Bank Ties Are Impacting Federal Aid
Several news outlets, including the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday April 21st, have reported about the aid businesses received under the federal government’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and the fact that many of the businesses that received aid were not the ones with the greatest need. It looks as if receiving PPP was heavily influenced… Read More »
How to Face Uncertainty
Last week I posted an article written by my oldest son, Nathan Furr,* for Harvard Business Review, which you can find here or on my website. Nathan discusses his interview with Nobel Prize winner Ben Feringa, who shares his wisdom about uncertainty. Mr. Feringa says that we need to be resilient in the face of… Read More »
You’re Not Powerless in the Face of Uncertainty
These are uncertain times and the path forward is not yet clear. Many times in business and life we find ourselves dealing with issues outside of our circle of control. How we deal with those issues has a tremendous impact on our businesses and our lives—and even the lives of those around us. One approach that… Read More »
Setting Your Business up for Recovery
The Seattle Shrimp Tank Covid-19 Expert Panel This global pandemic is already having a profound impact on small- and medium-sized businesses, but now is the time to prepare strategies for recovery. Listen to this podcast produced by Dan Weedin in Seattle where he interviews business experts from Seattle, Portland, Miami, Canada, and Australia on what… Read More »
Make Your Banker Happy and Grow Your Business
In mid-February I gave a presentation to 60-plus members of the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA) based on my book How to Make Your Banker Happy. The book was developed as a result of interviews I conducted with ten small- to mid-market banks on what their best customers do well. The majority of the audience… Read More »
How to Increase Your Productivity and Bottom Line
This last week I was asked to give a presentation to a group of twenty business owners in the Portland metropolitan area on value stream mapping. In an economy where it is hard to find enough qualified employees to get the volume of work out in a timely manner, business owners are trying to figure… Read More »
The Countdown Is On
In just two months, the year 2019 will come to a close. How are you planning on finishing the year? Do you have a plan? Will you increase sales in these last two months? Will you increase efficiency? Will you improve customer service? As Stephen Covey said in his book The Seven Habits of Highly… Read More »
FINISH STRONG IN 2019
We are starting the last quarter of 2019, and with that you have a great opportunity to have a successful close to 2019. Henry Ford famously said: “If you think you can or think you can’t, you are right.” If you want to finish the year strong and you believe that you can, you will… Read More »