Economics
Is uncertainty killing growth?
With the clock ticking on efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act, many are reluctant to hire new workers for fear of unforseen insurance expenses. Possible higher taxes on job creators adds to uncertainty and slowed expansion. Fortunatelly, there are alternatives to hiring full time staff. Marketing, advertising and design services can all be outsourced, and often for less than doing so internally.
Hiring a contractor also gives another perspective on your outreach programs. Internal departments have a similar perspective as other members of the organization, and are often unable to see things from the customer perspective. Outside agencies have a much more immediate incentive to perform, not only to meet the requirments of the contract, but to get repeat business and referrals.
We at Groundbreaking Media offer great design and SEO services for your organization, and you won’t have to worry about high taxes or healthcare.
Cutting the Budget
The CATO institute has provided readers with a comprehensive guide to cutting the federal budget. Hopefully the urgent need for cuts, not spending, will soon become apparent to more people. This guide can help future leaders analyze what we can a live without. We know what works and what doesn’t. A bloated government and burdensome taxes only hurt economic growth and destroy opportunities for everyone.
Top 10 Books on Business
A list of my top ten business and management books. All acquired through personal study and college courses.
1. The Truth About Managing People, The (2nd Edition)
It’s simple and to the point advice on managing people. The chapters are about two pages long, so it’s easy to work through daily, or use as a handy reference guide.
2. Entrepreneurship: Successfully Launching New Ventures (3rd Edition)
Barringer gives the budding entrepreneur and seasoned business person numerous case studies to draw insights from. From this book I developed a research oriented approach to new ideas. Many concepts have been or are being developed. The old adage “nothing new under the sun” holds some truth. While the newcomer can excel, it’s difficult to enter a crowded market.
3. Purple Cow, Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable
Seth Godin is one of my favorite authors and marketing gurus. This book is based on his “purple cow concept”, that viewers won’t pay attention to images or messages they’ve seen countless times. Successful businesses stand out from competitors to find a unique space of their own.
4. Networking with Millionnaires
Ever wonder how to get connected with influential movers and shakers? This book gives some great ideas for expanding and optimizing your personal network. One of the best principles is focusing on specific industries, to become an authority in that specific niche.
5. Customer Mania! It’s Never Too Late to Build a Customer-Focused Company
Customer Mania is all about exceeding customer expectations. Ken Blanchard encourages the reader to involve employees at all levels in wowing the public. This is presented with the understanding that customer expectations cannot always be met, and more resources should be spent on keeping existing customers than attempting to convert new ones.
6. The Top Ten Mistakes Leaders Make
In this insightful book, Hans Finzel, President and CEO of World Venture recounts the mistakes of well meaning leaders. This is perfect for the individual who finds themselves falling into leadership positions. Finzel gives us the preventive medicine that only comes with years of leadership experience.
7. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
The 7 Habits breaks down leadership philosophy into 7 easy to digest principles. It’s been a mainstay of corporate and non-profit management training for many years.
8. The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness
Author Stephen Covey expands on the concepts of his previous book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” with “The 8th Habit”. He explains that the final habit is inspiring people to lead and improve their own skills. It is all about being a charismatic and influential leader.
9. Brand Failures: The Truth about the 100 Biggest Branding Mistakes of All Times
There is nothing like learning from the many mistakes of others. This book is an extensive case study on failed assumptions about consumer and stake holder perceptions. It’s chuck full of ironic and seemingly obvious problems with branding programs that were not so clear to decision makers at the time.
10. Guerrilla Marketing, 4th edition: Easy and Inexpensive Strategies for Making Big Profits from Your Small Business
Guerrilla Marketing is a no holds barred, cheap and effective approach to marketing. My favorite example from the book is a small bookstore surrounded by two much larger competitors. Both large stores ran simultaneous 40%-50% off sales. The small dealer couldn’t move enough volume to afford a similar discount. Instead, the owner placed a large sign over the entrance that read “Main Entrance”. The book is full of funny and ingenious out of the box ideas.
Keynesianism vs Austrianism
Keynesianism (kayn-zee-an-ism) has dominated public decision making and economic policy. I remember learning that government spending on the military and public works projects boosted the economy. In fact, we had the huge financial effort and sacrifice in fighting WWII to thank for the post war surplus in the US. Fast forward to 2011, we’ve been spending trillions of borrowed dollars hoping that it will stimulate the economy, and it hasn’t worked. As much 80% of the US congress has no economic or business training. Understanding what drives a free economy should be expected of all politicians. Luckily they can now learn through a more palatable medium.


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