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business leadership

Are You as Effective as You Want to Be?

By Meny Hoffman // Let's Talk Business, Productivity // 5 min read

Two lumberjacks were competing in the finals of the annual lumberjack competition. One was older and more experienced, the other a younger and stronger lumberjack. The rules were simple: Whoever can fell the most trees in a day, wins.

The younger lumberjack, full of enthusiasm, immediately got to work. He could hear the other lumberjack in the distance. At regular intervals, the sounds of trees being felled would stop. The younger lumberjack grew even more confident, because he knew that meant the older lumberjack was taking a rest, while he had the stamina to keep going.

Without any ONE of these, your business is in trouble.

By Meny Hoffman // Leadership, Let's Talk Business // 5 min read

What makes a business a business?

I can’t count how many times I’ve sat down with people who asked me to sign an NDA because they had a Big Idea that they wanted to share with me, only to discover during our meeting that there is no viable business to back it up. Either it’s not a market fit, or there are similar products out there doing the same thing for a much cheaper price, or the cost of developing the idea would far outweigh the profits gained.

You Gotta Love the Competition

By Meny Hoffman // Leadership, Let's Talk Business // 3 min read

It’s an old story.

Two friends, Joe and Dan, move to a new town. Both being entrepreneurial guys, Joe decides to open a pizza shop, and Dan opens a grocery store.

After a few months, they meet and start chatting about their new business ventures. Joe is distraught. His pizza store is not doing well at all, and he fears he’ll have to close his doors. Meanwhile, Dan’s grocery business is booming. They discussed what led them to create their businesses.

Joe says, “When I was looking to move to the area, I saw that there were no pizza stores in town, so I figured it would be a great opportunity.” Dan responds, “That’s funny, my thinking was just the opposite: I saw that there were a few grocery stores in town already, so I figured there’s probably room for one more.”

He Thought He Knew All the Answers. Until…

By Meny Hoffman // Leadership, Let's Talk Business // 3 min read

He sat across from me in my office, crying.

He had invested $400,000 into his new venture, and it wasn’t working. By the time he came to me to ask for advice, the only thing left to do was stop the bleeding and get out. What made this situation so much more painful was the fact that if this person had sought advice from someone sooner, he may have been able to turn the situation around, or at least cut his losses.

What Does Growing a Business Really Mean?

By Meny Hoffman // Leadership, Let's Talk Business // 5 min read

“How do you define growth?”

This is a question I posted recently on LinkedIn—and one I ask often when I’m speaking to audiences of businesspeople. And it always amazes me to see the diverse range of answers I get.

Employees: Know Your Value + Grow Your Career

By Meny Hoffman // Let's Talk Business, Productivity // 3 min read

Most of my articles, as you’ve probably noticed, are geared toward business owners, managers, and entrepreneurs. But if you’re an employee at a company who wants to know how you can grow professionally, advance in your career, and boost earning potential, this one’s for you.

(And if you’re a manager who wants to understand how to help your employees grow, this one’s also for you.)

No Rockstars, No Ninjas, No Gurus

By Chava Shapiro // Creativity, Let's Talk Business // 5 min read

As the UX (user experience) strategist at Fowardslash, Sholom leads a team of researchers, web developers, copywriters, and designers to create conversion-focused, strategy-driven websites that result in optimal conversions for our clients. He’s also Chief of Making-It-Happen-in-the-Most-Efficent-Way-Possible and is always educating himself and the team on what’s next in the digital space.

I asked him if he’d share a taste of his vast web wisdom—and here’s what he had to say.

Don’t start fresh in 2019

By Meny Hoffman // Let's Talk Business, Productivity // 3 min read

It’s 6:15. Your alarm clock goes off. But you have zero desire to hit snooze.

You are ready to tackle the day. Energized to unlock its opportunity and potential. When you sit down at your desk, you feel confident and hopeful. Unstoppable.

There’s a name for this experience. It’s called Momentum. Like rolling a boulder down a hill, beginnings are tough and slow, but once you start going down that slope, you can go faster and faster, progress becomes easier and easier, and it’s nearly impossible to stop.