Entrepreneurs Share Their Advice At Commencement Ceremonies Across The Country

Want entrepreneurial wisdom in bite-sized pieces? Red McCombs, Muhammad Yunus, George Foreman, and more gave some great tips in their graduation speeches. Now that it’s June, graduation season is almost over (our Acton MBA students graduated on May 2). For the past several weekends, happy grads everywhere have been...

Do You Have The Valuation Instincts Of A Master Entrepreneur?

At a recent Acton MBA information session, one candidate expressed a deep need for a better understanding of cash.  This led to a brief discussion of Bill Sahlman’s “Four Rules of Cash,” taught in our Cash and Valuation course. Sahlman’s “Four Rules of Cash” are general guidelines for maximizing...

The Power of Powerful Assessments

Assessments are a powerful tool to use when having your own business. Whether you give criticism or affirmation, you want to do it right. Follow these tips by Master Teacher Ed Perry. Entrepreneurs learn that managing people is usually the most difficult part of entrepreneurship. As your business grows,...

Be Unusual To Be Successful

You want your company to stand out against all of the other companies that are just like yours. What do you do? Ed Perry comments on how to garner more word-of-mouth marketing. Sunday morning I sat in The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf on South Lamar in Austin, Texas...

Find A Calling? Or Make One?

Are you thinking about making a drastic change in order to find job satisfaction? Read this post by Master Teacher Steven Tomlinson first. In the current issue of Fast Company, Po Bronson, author of What Should I Do with My Life?, offers some cheeky tough-love for those of us...

Seth Godin’s Death Spiral

Your business is declining.  You’re losing customers.  What do you do? Don’t make matters worse for yourself by falling into a “death spiral.” This is a re-post from best-selling author and entrepreneur Seth Godin’s blog. For businesspeople interested in fresh marketing ideas, this is a great blog to visit. You’ve...

Getting Their Attention When You Want A Job

The next time you’re talking to a prospective employer, follow these tips from Master Teacher Steven Tomlinson. Looking for a job, particularly in tough economic times, can easily fray your nerves. Cold calls, cover letters, interviews all put you on the spot. When you feel observed and judged, it’s...

Are You Ready To Be An Entrepreneur?

It’s great if you turn a recent layoff, cutback or downsizing into an opportunity. Just do a little research first. With dour economic news pretty much anywhere you turn, it’s no surprise that news outlets are trying to find a silver lining — something positive to report. They have...

Career Without Fear – Making Peace With the Success Game

Do you feel as if you need to prove yourself to others? Read this post by Master Teacher Steven Tomlinson about why we shouldn’t fear failure. In one of our many, tedious conversations about what I was going to do with my life, my mentor asked me: What do...

I Fired Him/Her Too Soon!

Those are words I have never heard. Usually, I hear, “Why didn’t I fire him/her a long time ago?” What prevents us from taking that strong right action quicker? Firing someone is one of the hardest matters for us to get right – and yet one of the most...