"No matter what I do or where I am, I feel like I should be somewhere else. My world right now is totally reactive, and it sucks." That's how our conversation started. I was talking to a business owner recently whose business is in high season....

Finding the right bank for your business is not all that different from finding the right mechanic for your car, or the right surgeon for an operation. You need some objective information first. The best way to determine whether or not to consider a particular bank is...

How can your Coach to the Best Loan Package be leveraged for more than just a loan? Think of it as a sort of financial Swiss Army knife. If prepared properly, your loan package can be a valuable tool for growing your business. It can “sell” and inspire company...

Unless you have been on a walk-about in New Guinea, hibernating in a cave for the last century, or visiting us from another planet, you know that debt fuels just about everything in our world, from helicopters to housing, countries to cosmetics,  derivatives to...

In the 1990s, Michael Dell re-engineered Dell Computer's distribution model. It went from a sell-from-inventory system to a build-to-order system. The switch catapulted the company to the top of its industry and revolutionized Dell's cash and profit picture as well....

  Today's focus is on an article of Seth Golden's (which was absolutely terrific) entitled, The Struggle to Raise Money. When I look at companies, and particularly startups, the two worst things that can happen to a start-up is they have not enough money or too...

"How do I manage my cash while focusing on all the other things I need to manage?" This answer is simple. Create cash-flow projections, by the month, by quarter and by year. Business owners who know where their money is coming from and where it's going become the...

Making money isn't the only reason to be in business -- but it's the only way we stay in business. Savvy owners know that the top line is for ego and the bottom line is how entrepreneurs keep score. They also know that it’s not what you make that’s important, but what...

"But what will I do?" a CEO asked us. He told us he had a great chief operating officer to handle his company's day-to-day operations and had just interviewed a perfect candidate to take over the financial side of his business. The only problem -- hiring a CFO would...

When you leave the corporate world to go out on your own, you trade the illusion of security for the illusion of freedom. It's best to realize that now. It's also useful to think of starting a business like having a baby: It will take all the time you can give it and...

"Absolutely the worst experience at any restaurant I've ever had." - Restaurant review on Yelp.com Wow, pretty bad, huh? You wouldn't want to go there; uh-uh, no way, not now, never. This was THE first thing we saw when we Googled one of our favorite restaurants. It...