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A blog post inspired by a presentation given by Gail Goodman CEO of Constant Contact to TEDx. In a recent TEDx Beacon Street talk she referenced a great phrase – Where the CEO spends her time is an investment decision. Read More

The Academy of Management Journal just published a new study conducted by academics “Do They Walk the Talk or Just Talk the Talk? Gauging Acquiring CEO and Director Confidence in the Value-Creation Potential of Announced Acquisitions.” Surprising results. Read More

As a contract COO I’ve embedded a world-class sales process in several businesses. I’ve covered the details of that process in previous posts. But the success of that process depends on a deep understanding of the procurement process of the other side – the buyer. Read More

There was a fascinating article in the FT last week concerning Intuit and others using big data to smooth bank lending to small business. I've trapped seven interesting developments in this post. Read More

I built two investment banks in London both focused at small to mid-market transactions, working approximately, in the $10m to $100m deal range. So what does an investment bank do and what does it not do? Read More

But they can make great leaders! In this current chapter of my business career I’m getting invited into many businesses. Here is what I’m finding. Read More

Every company is different. Every business has a lifecycle. Hopefully you will recognize some or all of your company's profile in these graphs. The question that needs to be asked is always where do I go from here? But first you need to do a deep dive to understand what caused that profile? Read More

We all know how important a good question is. The incisive interrogation of Richard Nixon by David Frost. Ronald Regan’s question for the nation prior to voting in 1980 – Are you better off than you were four years ago? Questions define you. Read More

It sounds plausible. You focus your marketing story on outcomes you deliver for companies. Your sales team’s chatter is all about how they can improve prospect company X. They’ve improved similar companies. It’s a slam-dunk! Read More

I regularly meet senior financial executives to discuss their business. I’m often impressed by the quality of analysis that has been performed on the numbers. However as a leader of a company, what I really want are stories not numbers. Read More