What football and bourbon can teach us about business

When the New England Patriots* came off their 2017 Super Bowl win over the Atlanta Falcons (and before, coach Bill Belichick attributed their success to “No Days Off”. He coined the mantra as a…

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Business Management,Articles

3 Reasons why my most dreaded office chore is actually good for me

Can I let you in on a little secret? I hate writing reports. I know, I know, everything sucks some, of the time.  And one thing that sucks for me about my job is writing reports. I write reports to…

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Uncategorized,Business Management,Articles

The Unlikely Reason Businesses Fail and How You Can Avoid It

The day before Christmas, I received an email from a former client, Karl, updating me on his business: “Obviously things didn't work out [[with my business]]. I’m filing for bankruptcy in February.…

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Uncategorized,Articles

The Year of Saying “No.”

Last October 2017, my mom called me first thing in the morning with a report of my dad’s strange behavior. All signs pointed to a stroke, so I called 911 to send an ambulance to their home and get…

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Articles

What does it take to be a successful boss? Leave it to Google to lead the research.

George Bernard Shaw's quote, “He who can does; he who cannot, teaches,” has always stung a little bit for me. I consider myself a teacher, and it puts a kernel of self-doubt in my work that I can’t…

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ArticlesLabor Management

The Truth about a Growing Business

I was taught (at least) two truths about entrepreneurship when I was an MBA student at Babson: A successful business is always growing; and Start-up entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs who are scaling…

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Business Management,Articles,Labor Management

5 lessons learned from a business closing (and how to avoid similar mistakes)

Les Sablons opened a year ago in a renovated bus station in Harvard Square. Despite the hype of a trendy new restaurant with a rising star chef, the restaurant closed for business last month.…

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Business Management,Articles

The Possibility of Imagination – 6 Tips to Give Your Imagination a Jolt

My partner John’s phone buzzes all day with incoming emails. The volume amazes me, as does the way he shrugs it off. Most people I know curse all the unwanted email. Not John. They’re not unwanted,…

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Business Management,Articles

The Budding Entrepreneur: Getting into the Cannabis Industry

On November 8, 2016, Massachusetts residents voted to legalize marijuana; and on July 1st the first retail shops (dispensaries) opened. No doubt, growing cannabis will be far more profitable than…

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Farming and Food Production,Articles

Want to be a better boss? Learn to give effective feedback.

The first time I provided feedback to an employee was nerve-racking. I was working as a private chef; and finding qualified assistants to work with me was difficult. Not only could I not offer…

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Articles,Labor Management