I am a typical middle class child of the ‘70s. We were taught hard work was the only way to “get ahead.” My parents were the...
Oct. 2-7 OPERATIONS Finalize work schedules through mid-January. Check staff obligations and work around any clashes. CUSTOMER RELATIONS Take a valued customer to lunch. Let her...
PUBLIC SPEAKING Going Off the Leash If giving a presentation makes you nervous, test your best lines on a dog, who can usually be trusted to...
I’m thinking it could be time to open a second location. What factors should I be considering? There’s an adage in retail that if you’re going...
OWNING AN EYECARE business can be incredibly satisfying, as vision is so core to the way people interact with the world around them. However, in every...
Document Your Big Shopping Trip You’re not just an optical retailer, you’re a tastemaker scouring distant markets, like Vision Expo West, and maybe even SILMO. Build...
An employee is starting to show her age. She’s losing her hearing and becoming forgetful. She wants to work to age 68 — three more years....
When things slow down after the back-to-school season, consider a temporary staff exchange with a noncompeting practice. (You could also “lend” an employee to a store...
A doctor alienates his manager by relying too much on his favorite tech. How can balance be maintained?
Week 1July 3-8 MANAGEMENT Summer is a time for fun, sun and strategy. To help, a question from Jonathan L. Byrnes, author and lecturer at MIT:...
24 Stop us if you’ve heard this one: “How do you entertain a bored pharaoh? You sail a boatload of young women dressed only in fishing...
IT’S GRADUATION SEASON across the country and your chance to show your community credentials. Bay Optical Lab, in North Bend, OR, did that last year by...
A staff person has a personal issue with a patient. Where does the manager draw the line? Gina, the managing optometrist of Oxford Optics, was busy...
Is it true that SBA loans take longer than regular bank loans to be approved? I’d expect as much from a government agency. Actually, the Small...
We want to hear your opinion. In our latest Real Deal scenario, long-term staff member Bonnie has a personal issue with a new patient — her ex-sister-in-law,...
Billionaires can be competitive, egotistical and controlling, but also smart, hardworking and obsessive. It’s a description that could apply to many small business owners. So what...
Take care of your people and they’ll take care of your customers. People work for people! As the business grows it’s important to grow the team...
WEEK 1May 1-6 OPERATIONS Spring cleaning: The rule is if it hasn’t been used in a year, toss it. That applies to old advertising, POP materials,...
We need to change the way we do staff meetings. People don’t show up, they complain, and once they’re in there, they aren’t very engaged. There’s...
But things aren’t all bad. Finding and keeping good people is a challenge for business owners — and it’s getting tougher. The number of Americans quitting...
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