This edition has wonderful news for business owners looking for an infusion of capital or those that want to sell their entire business. Find out what’s in store for 2015 in the M&A industry, as well as learn a few cyber security tips to keep your company safe. As usual, click on the headline for the full piece. [Read more…]
The Next Scariest Type of Business Owner
Last week, we painted the picture of the scariest type of business owner. To recap, this business owner is one who doesn’t manage his or her energy well. Without first taking care of themselves, these execs can’t take care of their companies.
These frightening CEOs admit to not getting enough sleep, having trouble focusing during the workday, and not taking enough time to strategically plan the company’s next moves.
That last action is key: the scariest business owner doesn’t take enough time to strategically plan. Without strategic planning, a business is as good as gone. [Read more…]
The Scariest Type of Business Owner
Any guesses on what makes a business owner frightening? Do you picture a drill sergeant that’s constantly berating the staff? Or possibly someone who doesn’t communicate at all. Maybe the worst type of business owner is one that micromanages every single little thing.
While all of these are undesirable traits in a boss, they do not make up the scariest type of business owner. [Read more…]
The Positive Mindset of the Private Business Owner
On a biannual basis, Pepperdine University conducts a very comprehensive survey of the business community and its perceptions of the current health of capital markets. Entitled the Pepperdine Private Capital Markets Project (PCMP for short), the survey provides a window into the mindset of a variety of players in capital markets, and most importantly, private business owners.
For the purposes of this survey, more than 1,200 owners of privately held companies were contacted. Nearly 60% of the respondents had between 11 and 100 employees. So this survey truly captures the middle-market private business community.
Since they started this survey two years ago, Pepperdine has seen a gradual improvement in overall business owner confidence. Net increases in confidence were only 1.3% in the fall of 2009, increasing to 17% in the spring of 2010 and to more than 18% in fall 2010.
Business owner confidence has increased 36% in the latest survey. So over the past two years, private business owner confidence has dramatically improved. Of course given that Pepperdine began their surveys during the midst of the last recession, it is not surprising that private business owner confidence has improved significantly since then. [Read more…]
Top 3 Reasons Why A Hacker Would Target Your Business Website
In his June 3, 2011, article, Private Business Owner writer Carl Doerksen made it clear that middle-market business owners are at risk of cyber attacks. I wanted to elaborate on this great post and focus specifically on business websites. Whether your business website is a simple online marketing brochure or a complex e-commerce site that processes credit cards and payments, all are being targeted by hackers.
Most business owners place considerable value in their website. A business owner’s website is likely the focal point of their brand online and, in many cases, will host online commerce and other profit center related activities. Still, most middle-market business owners never really consider that their website would be the target of hackers. After all, the national news really only reports on hacking incidents that result in name brands who have compromised credit card information for millions of their customers. This is misleading as hackers have very specific interests in your website. Here are the top three reasons why a hacker would target your website. [Read more…]