Monthly Archives: October 2014

A Business Lesson for the Optimistic Idea Monkey

31 October, 2014

By Mike Maddock, an EO Chicago member and president of Maddock Douglas, Inc.

In 2002, the fecal matter officially hit the fan at Maddock Douglas. During a brutal three-month period, the firm I had founded 11 years before lost 45 percent of its revenue. For our people, it was like watching a train wreck. Three of our biggest clients took a right turn that we didn’t anticipate; one was acquired, one was getting out of the business we supported, and the other was being downsized by investors.

Categories: Best Practices Company Culture Entrepreneurial Journey LEADERSHIP Lessons Learned PEOPLE/STAFF

5 Steps to a Successful Retail Brand

30 October, 2014

By Andrea Culligan, an EO Sydney member and CEO of Hart Effect

Recently I had the pleasure of hearing Megan Quinn, co-Founder of Net-a-Porter, speak to a group of entrepreneurs. To make the event even more captivating, Rodeo Show opened their warehouse doors for us to witness one of the most celebrated speakers in Australia at the moment.

Categories: FINANCES members WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS

Tags: Andrea Culligan entrepreneurs' organization eo sydney retail brand

Business Growth through Engagement

29 October, 2014

By Fernando Gonzalez, an EO Colombia member and vice president of strategic planning at Solutions Group S.A.

It was 2007, and my marketing and outsourcing firm, Solutions Group, was about to go bankrupt. I was facing a tremendous amount of pressure from my partner, not to mention personal, family and health-related problems, on account of all the stress. We had debts all over town, owing banks and third parties close to US$1 million. Added to the pressure were the 120 employees that relied on us for their livelihoods, dreams that would be dashed if we didn’t recover. We were in shock, to say the least.

Categories: FINANCES LEADERSHIP members Networking

Tags: business growth entrepreneurs' organization EO Colombia fernando gonzalez

Four Steps to a Successful 360-Degree Hiring Process

28 October, 2014

By Marissa Levin, an EO Chesapeake Bay member and CEO of Information Experts

A client asked me, “Marissa, should I involve my other employees in the interviewing process?” My answer was an enthusiastic YES. From the intern to the executive, the CEO should never unilaterally own a hiring decision.

Categories: FINANCES LEADERSHIP members WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS

Tags: eo chesapeake bay hiring process information experts marissa levin

Building a “Best Place to Work”

27 October, 2014

By Tom Salonek, an EO Minnesota member and CEO of Intertech

An engaged approach to human resources makes all the difference to your bottom line and work environment. As the founder and CEO of Intertech, a software development and training firm—and 10-time winner of The Business Journal’s “Best Places to Work” award—I know a thing or two about creating and sustaining a high-performance culture. Here are a few of the strategies we’ve adopted to cultivate a work environment that’s built to thrive:

Categories: Best Practices Company Culture members

Tags: entrepreneurs' organization eo minnesota Intertech thomas salonek

Job-Sharing as a Retention Tool

24 October, 2014

By Akhil Shahani, an EO Mumbai member and director of the Shahani Group

You have a handful of employees you really value but who want to leave— not to take up another job, but to do more with their lives. They like working for you, but are simply unable to find time for other things like family, leisure and personal pursuits, and have therefore decided to choose one over the other. But it need not be that way. By implementing a job-sharing arrangement, both employers and employees can find a simple solution to their problem.

Categories: members Productivity

Tags: akhil shahani entrepreneurs' organization eo mumbai

A Review of Life and Business after Divorce

23 October, 2014

By John Finegan, founder and owner of Beck Ag and a member of EO Sacramento

Divorce after 22 years of marriage turned my world upside down! The ordeal which lasted more than two years inspired me to reevaluate what it’s all about: relationships, mission, purpose, beliefs, family, friends, career and simply, life in general.

Categories: Best Practices Company Culture LEADERSHIP Legacy Lessons Learned

Insights from an EO Spouse

22 October, 2014

By Katty Douraghy, an EO Los Angeles spouse

My husband, Jamie, has been an EO Los Angeles member for more than 10 years, and has held several leadership positions within the organization. Ever since he became a member, EO has been an active topic of conversation in our household. I’ve seen firsthand the transformational effect EO has had on him, both at home and at work. Needless to say, I wanted to experience that incredible value for myself!

Categories: Coaching Guest contributors Inspirational

Tags: entrepreneurs' organization EO spouse katty douraghy

Facing up to Tough Decisions

21 October, 2014

Jamie Gerdsen, an EO Cincinnati member and CEO of Apollo Home

Many years ago, I began to question and doubt the performance of one of my senior manager’s performance. It started with little things such as, his missing the odd detail, but it escalated to failing to schedule reviews for three or four months, and not calling back key customers.

Categories: Best Practices Entrepreneurial Journey FINANCES LEADERSHIP Lessons Learned members

Tags: Apollo Home business decisions EO Cincinnati Jamie Gerdsen

Give Your Forum a Boost

20 October, 2014

By Gene Robertson, an EO Nashville member and president of Nhance

Need a Forum boost? Consider trying a personal SWOT analysis! SWOT, which stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats, is a well-known analysis process that urges business leaders to identify these elements to assess their company and competition. This process forces employers to think deeply about their businesses as the first step in formulating strategies to reach their goals.

Categories: Best Practices Company Culture members

Tags: entrepreneurs' organization eo nashville Gene Robertson

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Monthly Archives: October 2014