I already posted a link to this blog, but it’s SO good I just had to copy and paste it here… I’d love to get some dialogue going on this…do you agree/disagree?
Is This What It Takes to Run a Small Business?
Today we’re publishing an interview with George Cloutier, who is founder of American Management Services and who specializes in advising small and midsize companies. He is the author of “Profits Aren’t Everything, They’re the Only Thing,” and he favors a take-no-prisoners approach to running a business. Among other things, he suggests firing all family members, using fear to motivate employees, micromanaging and not whining about the recession. He also tells business owners to love their businesses more than they love their families — a message, he acknowledges, that his current wife (his third) doesn’t fully endorse. He has no children, about which he says:
“The reality is if you’re not fully committed and prepared to sacrifice what many of us would view as the traditional family role, you have a much higher probability of failing in a small business. Whether there are no children or 10 children, you have to be extremely cautious about your time, paying attention to the day-to-day operations of your business and the financial success of your business.”
Is this what it takes to run a successful business?
