Free Webinar Edition

Free Webinar Edition

In the fourth installment of an annual 4-part series on trends that will impact small- and mid-size businesses, we study social trends for 2024.

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What Anti-Trust?

I am somewhere between amused, disgusted and confused. Since the passing of the Sherman Anti-Trust Act in 1890, the U.S. government has been stepping in to ensure markets are fair and free of anti-competitive practices. Through the dot-com era and the wave of consolidation that followed, the Justice Department (DOJ) has been highly selective in […]
Read More

The U.S. Economy: What’s Next?

It is really hard to get excited about the current economic climate. While it is technically in a period of recovery, it is the most sluggish recovery in modern times. U.S. GNP growth sputtered along at a clip of +1.2% in the second quarter[i]. Ho hum. Our future prospects are about as clear the drinking […]
Read More

The Robots Are Here

It sounds like a script from a bad Tom Cruise movie. Eventually the dangerous machines become capable of limitless artificial intelligence and take over the world, only to be outsmarted by some heroic member of the human race. At this point in their evolution, robots have crossed a threshold. To date, robots have been used […]
Read More

8 Steps for Succession

There are 27 million closely held businesses in the US and it is estimated that there are roughly 5 Million baby boomer business owners. Many of them face a dilemma in years ahead: sell the business or pass it on to their heirs. Only about a third of US businesses make it to a second […]
Read More

The Next Flashpoint

They say about bankruptcy, that companies tend to fail slowly, and then suddenly. An eerily similar course of events seemed to play out in 2008, as a domino effect paralyzed the global economy. I am no alarmist, and in fact believe there is plenty of opportunity to make money in this environment. Yet the global […]
Read More

The Cost of Free Trade

Free trade is one the polarizing issues magnified during the Presidential race. It is viewed as one of the pillars of capitalism. Ironically, the first meaningful free trade agreement signed by the U.S. and an impoverished nation was the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). NAFTA was signed by President Clinton with Mexico and Canada […]
Read More

Inflation and the Price of Tomatoes

Inflation is kind of like consuming chocolate cake, you definitely want enough, and definitely do not want too much.  High inflation is crippling to consumers who cannot afford more expensive staples like food and toilet paper. Low inflation causes a myriad of problems, including constraining the ability of companies to pass on price increases. Low […]
Read More

Strategy & Execution: Creating a New Muscle

Companies who execute well are those who keep their strategy front and center. They create a rhythm and cadence for balancing long-term planning with short-term results. The executives at Amazon review their strategy every Tuesday. Most of our mid-market clients meet quarterly to update their strategy based on changing market conditions. Many entrepreneurs in smaller […]
Read More

Who knows what your Company is worth?

The market for initial public offerings (IPOs) has suddenly cooled. Venture investment slowed 30% in Q4 (compared to Q3)[i]. One might wonder if this reflects a rationalization of the broader M&A (mergers and acquisitions) market. Yet the bigger problem is there is no logical standard for valuations in today’s climate. Consider Warren Buffet’s acquisition of […]
Read More

What Anti-Trust?

I am somewhere between amused, disgusted and confused. Since the passing of the Sherman Anti-Trust Act in 1890, the U.S. government has been stepping in to ensure markets are fair and free of anti-competitive practices. Through the dot-com era and the wave of consolidation that followed, the Justice Department (DOJ) has been highly selective in […]
Read More

The U.S. Economy: What’s Next?

It is really hard to get excited about the current economic climate. While it is technically in a period of recovery, it is the most sluggish recovery in modern times. U.S. GNP growth sputtered along at a clip of +1.2% in the second quarter[i]. Ho hum. Our future prospects are about as clear the drinking […]
Read More

The Robots Are Here

It sounds like a script from a bad Tom Cruise movie. Eventually the dangerous machines become capable of limitless artificial intelligence and take over the world, only to be outsmarted by some heroic member of the human race. At this point in their evolution, robots have crossed a threshold. To date, robots have been used […]
Read More

8 Steps for Succession

There are 27 million closely held businesses in the US and it is estimated that there are roughly 5 Million baby boomer business owners. Many of them face a dilemma in years ahead: sell the business or pass it on to their heirs. Only about a third of US businesses make it to a second […]
Read More

The Next Flashpoint

They say about bankruptcy, that companies tend to fail slowly, and then suddenly. An eerily similar course of events seemed to play out in 2008, as a domino effect paralyzed the global economy. I am no alarmist, and in fact believe there is plenty of opportunity to make money in this environment. Yet the global […]
Read More

The Cost of Free Trade

Free trade is one the polarizing issues magnified during the Presidential race. It is viewed as one of the pillars of capitalism. Ironically, the first meaningful free trade agreement signed by the U.S. and an impoverished nation was the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). NAFTA was signed by President Clinton with Mexico and Canada […]
Read More

Inflation and the Price of Tomatoes

Inflation is kind of like consuming chocolate cake, you definitely want enough, and definitely do not want too much.  High inflation is crippling to consumers who cannot afford more expensive staples like food and toilet paper. Low inflation causes a myriad of problems, including constraining the ability of companies to pass on price increases. Low […]
Read More

Strategy & Execution: Creating a New Muscle

Companies who execute well are those who keep their strategy front and center. They create a rhythm and cadence for balancing long-term planning with short-term results. The executives at Amazon review their strategy every Tuesday. Most of our mid-market clients meet quarterly to update their strategy based on changing market conditions. Many entrepreneurs in smaller […]
Read More

Who knows what your Company is worth?

The market for initial public offerings (IPOs) has suddenly cooled. Venture investment slowed 30% in Q4 (compared to Q3)[i]. One might wonder if this reflects a rationalization of the broader M&A (mergers and acquisitions) market. Yet the bigger problem is there is no logical standard for valuations in today’s climate. Consider Warren Buffet’s acquisition of […]
Read More