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Small Business Strategy

Apr 1
2 min

A Coming Inflection Point?

I think the Initial COVID-19 Crisis will end the weekend of April 17, or the week of April 20 at the latest. I don’t mean that the battl...

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Phimation Strategy Group

Mar 15
2 min

The Importance of Judgment

In this previous post, I described the Business Growth Stack. You’ll notice that Management appears twice. The dual-role that Management...

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The Business Growth Stack, and The Role of Judgment

Phimation Strategy Group

Mar 13
3 min

The Business Growth Stack, and The Role of Judgment

There is a lot of conversation these days about Business Operating Systems, which have generated great productivity improvements for many...

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What Your Reset Needs: The 4 parts of a business restart

Phimation Strategy Group

Jan 23
2 min

What Your Reset Needs: The 4 parts of a business restart

Small businesses are often dealing with situations in which performance has not met expectations. It’s not really a failure, per se, but...

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Ebenezer Scrooge Teaches Strategic Planning

Phimation Strategy Group

Dec 9, 2019
3 min

Ebenezer Scrooge Teaches Strategic Planning

Picture this… A friend of yours runs a successful Stage 2 business – but is also frustrated that things aren’t going as well as he’d like...

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Misalignment, Dysalignment & the Small Orange Cube

Phimation Strategy Group

Aug 30, 2019
3 min

Misalignment, Dysalignment & the Small Orange Cube

My brother is a great guy…and a great investment banker whose boutique firm uses the Haviland & Co brand that our family’s china business...

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The importance of framing to strategic planning

Phimation Strategy Group

Jan 18, 2019
2 min

The importance of framing to strategic planning

Are you in growth mode, or survival mode? I have some clients who are growing, some who are hanging on – and some who are transitioning f...

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Phimation Strategy Group

Dec 1, 2018
3 min

Is the answer in the room?

One of the precepts of the EOS program is, “The answer is in the room.” It’s a phrase that’s used to emphasize the importance of discuss...

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Prioritizing priorities – making your strategy better

Phimation Strategy Group

Sep 24, 2018
2 min

Prioritizing priorities – making your strategy better

What do I mean by prioritizing your priorities? Why is it important? Why is it hard? It’s fairly easy for any business to come up with ...

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The Bots are Coming! The Bots are Coming!

Phimation Strategy Group

Dec 5, 2017
3 min

The Bots are Coming! The Bots are Coming!

AI and machine learning have exploded onto the business scene in 2017. If you haven’t gotten an email asking you if you want to learn how...

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Phimation Strategy Group

Aug 1, 2016
2 min

Harry Potter & The Cursed Plan

My daughter is a huge Harry Potter fan, and she has been smitten by the frenzy of the release of Harry Potter & The Cursed Child. So las...

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A funny thing happened on the way to our BHAG

Phimation Strategy Group

Mar 31, 2016
2 min

A funny thing happened on the way to our BHAG

Here’s a universal truth that doesn’t get enough airtime among business leaders – and that many leader teams, therefore, don’t fully appr...

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Phimation Strategy Group

Oct 24, 2015
2 min

Money makes it stronger

Use your budget to juice your strategy A few years ago I wrote an article about why it’s important to do both strategic planning and budg...

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Phimation Strategy Group

May 24, 2015
2 min

Designing Powerful Dashboards

Sometimes I’m asked to help companies find the right path for their next 3-5 years – which qualifies as “long-term” strategy for a Stage ...

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Phimation Strategy Group

Apr 3, 2015
3 min

10% – The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Many of you reading this post are 10%ers. And there’s something in the back of your mind eating away at your conscience. You know there...

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Phimation Strategy Group

Nov 23, 2011
2 min

“If It’s Easy…It’s Wrong”

My 11-year-old son started playing hockey goalie this year. At a recent goalie clinic, his coach said something I think applies to busin...

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Phimation Strategy Group

Jul 11, 2011
3 min

Getting lean and staying lean…without an office linebacker

I had a mid-year Board meeting last week, and it was déjà vu to hear the executives from other companies talk about the economy. What di...

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Phimation Strategy Group

Jun 17, 2011
2 min

Are you pedaling your car?

Hammering a screw … Baking a cake in your dishwasher… Pedaling your car… One of the most common ways that small business owners get stuck...

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Phimation Strategy Group

Feb 23, 2011
2 min

“Help me help you” – Talent Management in Second Stage Companies

Rebecca Davies has put together a great ½-day HR Summit at Walsh College on March 10th. (If anyone is interested, I have a few extra tick...

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