Five things to keep in mind when evaluating a co-founder
Nine years ago, a few friends who worked together and liked talking e-commerce decided to start a company. That “wolf pack” of four people turned into a company of 250, with more than $40 million in revenue and offices on three continents. While cleverbridge has had a successful run, it has not been without bumps […]
The drive to succeed can drive some right over the edge
Employees are working harder than ever, motivated by any number of factors — ambition, anxiety, necessity, passion. They’re increasingly pushing themselves to the brink of burnout as they strive to excel, or in some cases, just keep up. Americans work an average of 8.8 hours every day, including the weekends, according to 2012 data from […]
How building business connections before you need them is critical to success
One of the most important lessons I have learned over the last 14 years in Cleveland is to build business relationships before I need them. You never know who will be your next boss or next business investor. In most cases, if you try to build business relationships right at the time you need them, […]
Intrapreneurship leads to new channels for growth, more profit
Startups are known for their innovative thinking, energetic work environments, collaboration among peers, agile development and design thinking skills. In recent years, large corporations have started to take notice of the value that these unique qualities could bring to their overall business — enter the concept of internal innovation and intrapreneurship. Simply stated, intrapreneurship is […]
Guiding principles / Jodi Berg blends passion, inspiration and the desire to make a difference into a Vitamix winning recipe
Judging by the growth achieved by the manufacturer of the iconic Vitamix blender, it seems evident that President and CEO Jodi Berg makes sure that happens.
Victim Assistance Program helps itself so that it can better help others
Just two years into her role, Executive Director Leanne Graham found the first conflict she had to resolve was within her own organization.
Settlement’s musical mission gains prominent West Side foothold: Bop Stop
Music offers people of varying nationalities and linguistic abilities a common ground and helps break barriers when coming to a new land – and in effect, helps build stronger communities. That idea is one of the cornerstones of The Music Settlement’s mission. Founded as The Cleveland Music School Settlement in 1912 by Almeda Adams as […]
A largely unnoticed trend … What happened to the U.S. economic mojo?
Almost a year to the day of writing this column, I issued a rare tweet that said, “Very important article written by Ben Casselman in WSJ this a.m.! ‘Risk-averse culture infects Americans.’ A must read. Sound the alarm.” Frequent tweeters will note that I did not have any hashtags or other gobbledygook that is typical […]
How to react if your company is under investigation for white-collar crime
Embezzlement, money laundering, tax evasion and commercial bribery are common white-collar crimes that authorities regularly investigate. Oftentimes these alleged crimes happen without executives even knowing someone in their organization is committing them. However, ignorance does not count as a If authorities come knocking on your company’s door, how do you respond? Facing a subpoena, search […]
How to build an army of brand ambassadors
“Video Killed the Radio Star,” that’s the song running through my head as I think about the world today and what it takes to develop marketing that connects with prospects. A current version of the tune might be called “Social Media Killed the Formal Company Message.”