Work smarter, not harder: A look inside Michael O'Neill's philosophy for work-life balance at Preferred Sands
Michael O’Neill doesn’t focus much on how hard his employees work each day because that’s not what he pays people to do at Preferred Sands LLC. “What you get paid to do is to get results,” says O’Neill, founder and CEO at the 526-employee frac sand and proppant company. Frac sand is crush-resistant sand of […]
When Parsa Rohani saw a wavering commitment to mission and vision at Neudesic LLC, he knew it was time to regroup
When Parsa Rohani left Microsoft in 2000 to start his own business as a technology partner to Microsoft, he had some clear goals in mind of what he wanted to build. Rohani saw opportunity in the advent of the Microsoft.net platform and joining with co-founders Tim Marshall and Anthony Ferry, he set out to build […]
Dan Lubeck – Four critical steps to help your company achieve investor success
If your company is sold in part or whole, there will be change. It is inevitable and generally sought. It is hard, particularly if the company was yours. If the new investor is a strategic one, the change will be easier to predict. Typically strategic buyers, particularly the large ones, have well-developed systems and processes […]
Jon Congdon and Carl Daikeler work hard to get others to run with them at Beachbody
Jon Congdon and Carl Daikeler found a captive audience of people eager to get in shape and lead healthier lives when they launched Beachbody LLC in 1998. The business began as a marketing company producing fitness programs for TV, but soon started creating its own fitness products. “At the same time, we were building out […]
Sherri Elliott-Yeary – Why traditional marketing tactics don’t work on millennials
Millennials (a person born in the 1980s or 1990s) are a different animal to reach market-wise. They represent the largest demographic in the United States, according to USA Today, so knowing how to communicate with them is of prime importance. I want to break down how you can shift some of your more traditional methods […]
Natasha Ashton – How to make getting back to business after summer vacation easier
There may still be sand in their cars from summertime beach trips. Once Labor Day has passed, however, it is time for your employees to stop practicing their paddle boarding and dive back into their duties at work. Unfortunately, getting employees to snap out of vacation mode and renew their dedication to work can take […]
Why entrepreneurialism is key to rebuilding Detroit and southeast Michigan
The national headlines herald Detroit as a city decimated by financial ruin and urban blight. But the city known as Motown, the Motor City and years ago the “Paris of the Midwest,” is entering an era of entrepreneurial opportunity not seen since the industrial age. For many business owners and burgeoning entrepreneurs, Detroit’s financial woes […]
When the housing market changed, Fran Broude rallied her team at Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage Chicago/Milwaukee
Fran Broude looked at the business of buying and selling homes in 2008 and saw nothing but change ahead. The economy and the real estate market were both in steep decline. Consumers were left in a state of great uncertainty trying to figure out how to move forward with their plans or determine if those […]
Larry J. Bloom – How Zuckerberg's change of focus offers a lesson in leadership
Facebook’s recent recovery from its ill-fated IPO began with a blunder. “It was probably one of the biggest mistakes we’ve ever made,” expounded Mark Zuckerberg, famed billionaire co-founder and CEO of Facebook. His personal belief that standalone mobile device apps would go away and we would access mobile apps through websites like we do on […]
How Michael Abt is evolving Huddle House to better serve franchisees and customers alike
Michael Abt got his start in the restaurant industry at age 15, flipping burgers at Charlie’s Hamburgers in Houston, where they riffed on McDonald’s famous slogan with the catchy “Over Two Dozen Sold.” Abt was hooked; the restaurant industry was in his blood. Abt spent five years at Pizza Hut before heading to a franchise […]