Tag archives for search operate - Page 2
When to stop searching
No searcher wants to be a quitter, especially after "sacrificing" so much to head down the path to become a CEO. However, it is important to assess your progress, the impact you are having on…
Taking Over the Business
Stepping into the role of CEO of the business you acquire is the ultimate objective of your search. The skills that you will have developed and honed over the preceding 12-24 months as a searcher…
Board of Directors
Recruiting and working with a Board of Directors once your search process is complete can be one of the more significant learning opportunities as a new business owner. CEO's find that a well-constructed and managed…
Communicating with Employees
Learning how to effectively communicate with employees took me many years to develop and refine. It sounds simple: tell them what is going on, listen to what they have to say and then they will…
Wearing your sales hat
With the title "owner" on your business card, you will become the most effective salesperson your company has. For me, learning this lesson took quite a while, until I discovered that being the company’s “face”…
Sharing profits, not equity
When I worked for large companies, the concept of profit sharing was limited to the upper echelons of the organization generally in the form of annual bonuses that were mysteriously calculated, paid 3-5 months after…
Developing an Accountability Culture
All Searcher CEO's strive to lead a profitable, growing business with shared values across the organization, a common mission, and a culture of accountability. This is a lot harder to reduce to practice than it…
Strategic Partnerships
Strategic partners can be very important to your business. By ignoring this opportunity to gain significant resources may limit your growth and learning. I was not naturally a partnering kind of entrepreneur and wanted control,…
Downsizing your business
While you did not buy a business to see it shrink, most "on-going" businesses will experience a decline in revenues that will severely test its leadership. Emerging stronger from the decline will require some tough…