Employee Reviews are no one's core competency in small business. They can be time-consuming, sometimes awkward, and potentially polarizing. Done well, reviews can help your team grow, make you a better manager, and enhance company culture. Done poorly? I have seen good employees quit on the spot, dedicated employees give up, and poor employees continue to wreak havoc on your business.

I don't often talk about how to get your price down. I'm more of a 'how to get more money out of your target customer' kind of coach. However, some of my followers are cost leaders and sometimes they need to leverage that advantage. Too often we conflate our cost with price. There is a correlation: If your costs are higher so must your price be. But never forget that... The marketplace sets the price for most of us.

When it comes to finding the perfect customer, what we all need is one key non-negotiable quality. Without that key quality, you will spend too much time, money, and brand capital wasted on chasing imperfect, unsatisfying, and unfulfilling buyers using resources that could be developing ideal customers. Trust me. I have done it. It's not worth it.

Most of my clients have predictably busy and slow seasons. Of course they would prefer to have steady business year-round with no timing conflicts, but I will write a fantasy blog another time. Today I want to expose an opportunity many companies are missing. It begins with a change in mindset: There are no slow months.

I've been a Marriott customer for a long time. When I started my solo career as a consultant, my travel agent encouraged me to pick one chain and stick with it. At the time I chose Hilton, stayed mostly at Hampton Inns and was unimpressed. The hotels were often tired and the points system was not very generous. Then I stayed at a Residence Inn somewhere I don't recall, but I clearly remember walking in and seeing a message board that welcomed elite guests by name. At the front desk they were thanking guests for being an elite guest. Recognition. I switched.

If you call me or any other business advisor for advice, sometime in that first 30 minutes you are going to express concern about a business outcome and we are going to ask you about the relevant budget. It's OK to say you don't have a budget if you don't. You are not alone.