Source: http://columbiamissourian.com/stories/2011/01/31/columbia-residents-stock-storm/
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Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Understanding Your Company
Dear Norm,
Fifteen years ago, I answered an ad in the paper for a sales job in the foundation repair industry and got hired. The owner ran the business out of his garage and had two installers, plus me. With a lot of hard work, we became one of the top companies in our area. Well, about a year ago, I bought the company by somehow persuading a bank to loan me $2 million. My problem is that I have only a high school diploma and have come this far by working hard and winging it. I realize I need to stop winging it and build the company the right way. I'm just not sure what I should do to become the kind of leader it needs. What's your advice?
Bud Norton
Matthews Wall Anchor Service
Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania
Good entrepreneurs are constantly striving to improve themselves and expand their knowledge, but sometimes you have to stop and give yourself credit for what you've already done. What Bud has accomplished with so little formal schooling is nothing short of amazing. He's actually had a great education in business and one that he could never have gotten in a college classroom. To me, that is a big positive, not a problem, and I suggested that he start thinking—and talking—about it that way.
That said, I could tell after a few minutes of conversation that there is one area Bud hasn't yet mastered and needs to: the numbers. In that, he is no different from the vast majority of entrepreneurs, most of whom find accounting mysterious and daunting. But you really can't know what's happening in your company or make consistently good decisions without mastering the numbers.
There are many ways to acquire the knowledge Bud needs. I suggested four. The company used QuickBooks, he said. I told him he should get the employees who put in the numbers to show him how the program works. Second, I thought he should hire a strong accounting person willing to also serve as a kind of tutor. Third, I urged him to sign up for an introductory accounting course. Finally, I recommended that he read Financial Intelligence and Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs, both co-written by Karen Berman and Joe Knight, with my former Inc. colleague John Case. They provide the best, clearest guides to the numbers that I know of.
Please send all questions to AskNorm@inc.com. Norm Brodsky is a veteran entrepreneur. His co-author is editor-at-large Bo Burlingham. Their book, The Knack, is now available in paperback under the title Street Smarts: An All-Purpose Tool Kit for Entrepreneurs.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/inc/headlines/~3/c0iySjQ7Pd0/understanding-your-company.html
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Spire Corporation Receives Multiple Rankings in the 2011 Boston Business Journal's Book of Lists
Spire is one of Massachusetts' Top Public Companies & Fastest Growing Public Companies. BEDFORD, Mass., Jan 28, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Spire Corporation (Nasdaq: SPIR), a global solar company providing capital equipment and turn-key manufacturing lines to produce photovoltaic (PV) modules, and providing Engineering, Procurement and...
Source:
http://article.wn.com/view/2011/01/28/Spire_Corporation_Receives_Multiple_Rankings_in_the_2011_Bos/
Your Debts
RSS feed Home World UK England N. Ireland Scotland Wales Business Politics Health Education Sci/Environment Technology Entertainment & Arts Market Data Your Money Economy Companies 31 January 2011 Last updated at 11:07 Debt advisers surrender licences...
Source:
http://article.wn.com/view/2011/02/01/Your_Debts/
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Home Price Declines Accelerate
The Wall Street Journal reports that the pace of U.S. home price declines is accelerating, their latest survey...
Source:
http://article.wn.com/view/2011/01/31/Home_Price_Declines_Accelerate/
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Google Docs update brings Collections, Priority Sort, and file previews
Your Google Docs dashboard just got a whole lot easier to use, thanks to a slew of new features. The update includes additional filtering options and Priority Sort -- sort of the Google Docs equivalent of Gmail's Priority Inbox. Priority Sort uses a number of signals to determine which files require your immediate attention. Folders have been replaced by Collections, which are a mashup of both folders and tags. Just as you can slap multiple tags on an email message in Gmail, your Docs files can reside in several Collections.
The preview pane -- which we told you about a little while back -- is now live as well. The preview pane shows thumbnailed images as well as a file's sharing settings and which collection(s) it belongs to. One other minor -- but extremely useful -- addition is keyboard-powered multiple selections. No longer do you have to check multiple boxes. Just hold down shift or control on Windows (as you would do in Explorer) or cmd on Mac.
As with other Google updates, this is being rolled out gradually -- so you'll have to wait patiently for your Docs interface to update to enjoy the new features.
The preview pane -- which we told you about a little while back -- is now live as well. The preview pane shows thumbnailed images as well as a file's sharing settings and which collection(s) it belongs to. One other minor -- but extremely useful -- addition is keyboard-powered multiple selections. No longer do you have to check multiple boxes. Just hold down shift or control on Windows (as you would do in Explorer) or cmd on Mac.
As with other Google updates, this is being rolled out gradually -- so you'll have to wait patiently for your Docs interface to update to enjoy the new features.
Google Docs update brings Collections, Priority Sort, and file previews originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 31 Jan 2011 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Exit the Israeli Alibi
Roger Cohen, International Herald Tribune
LONDON — One way to measure the immense distance traveled by Arabs over the past month is to note the one big subject they are not talking about: Israel.
LONDON — One way to measure the immense distance traveled by Arabs over the past month is to note the one big subject they are not talking about: Israel.
Source: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/2011/01/31/exit_the_israeli_alibi_249746.html
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