Here are this week’s links to a few good stories we found and selected. We think they might add valuable insights and perspectives for small and midsized businesses.
- So, you want to start a business. But do you have the makeup for it? In the Wall Street Journal article, How to Decide if Entrepreneurship is Right for You, the author offers five questions all budding business owners should consider. They all make sense, but I would offer a sixth: Do you have a spouse and children relying on you to succeed? To me, that is the greatest motivator of all.
- We have always stressed the importance of a carefully written employee handbook. Regrettably, many employers use a “one-size-fits-all” approach. That decision could be the biggest mistake an employer makes. In her article, The 10 Most Common Mistakes in Employment Handbooks That Can Lead to Legal Liability, Nichole Atallah of PilieroMazza has a similar viewpoint. (And, yes, the nine other mistakes are also listed.) A simple word to the wise for business owners: When it comes to employee handbooks, resist the urge to mail it in.
- My daughter’s mantra as a sales executive was always “time kills all deals.” The same can be said for business leaders. Just ask Tim Wolfe, the ex-University of Missouri president, who resigned last week. His slow-at-the-switch approach may have cost him his job, says Minda Zetlin in 5 Reasons the Best Leaders Never Procrastinate. With all due respect to my daughter, I prefer the phrase “analysis paralysis” to more accurately portray one of a business leader’s greatest mistakes. Minda Zetlin seems to agree.
