In my opinion, there are few things that will make the life of a business owner or manager more miserable than what you are about to read in this article. The president of a small business wears many hats dealing with personnel, financials, sales, production and numerous other parts of the company.

As a turn-around consultant, I cannot tell you how many times I have had business principals say, “I just cannot keep my head above water. If it’s not people then it’s customers and if it’s not customers then it’s sales or some other problem coming from left field. It just never seems to end.” All roads lead to the top. And as the company’s leader goes, so goes the company. That’s the way it is.

So if the top leader is over-stressed then it trickles down to all parts of the company. It is in the company’s best interest that the head man or woman is under control, manages stress and performs at a high level.  The following is one of the biggest problems I’ve encountered most while dealing with small companies and it makes managers nuts. So let’s look at the problem and a different way of addressing it.More...

Business Intelligence (BI) simply means using technologies, applications and practices to analyze business information. The purpose of BI is to foster better decision making.

Does all the jargon make your head spin? Don’t let it. Applying technologies that make sense for your business is a smart business decision.
As a business consultant in my former life, I saw many companies that didn’t know what they didn’t know. That is, you must have accurate and timely information to make good decisions. Otherwise, you are guessing. Often, things can “feel” right but turn out to be disasters. Don’t get me wrong. Your “gut feel” counts for a lot when running a business, but you must have much more than a “flying-by-the-seat-of-your-pants” plan to capitalize on opportunities and avoid making big mistakes.
So how do you use this BI without breaking the bank? Just as important, how do you find a tool or small business dashboard that isn’t overly complicated or functionally impossible to use – and that has the practical, operational solutions you want and need? Most small businesses do not have the IT staff or the business expertise in house to create or implement tools internally, and the costs of many third-party solutions are ridiculously high.More...