Gene Marks | Page 8

An entrepreneur who liked dogs far more than his corporate job looked walked a winding, messy path to launching his own business.

For everyone seeking an astronomically expensive and frustrating time suck with no health benefit, there is golf.

Seriously, you're "passionate" about organizational development? That sounds lonely.

Owning a business means being responsible for much more than you really have any control over.

Even the fairest of employers knows that, for some jobs, gender, age and physical ability are valid reasons for hiring one person and not another.

Nobody cares how busy you are, they only care what you get done.

If people don't want to read your e-prose, it's time to work harder at making it more interesting.

The more you study the conclusions of frivolous research, the more confidence you'll have in your gut instincts.

Your job might be on your nerves, but at least you're not paying to be there.

You could be a very comfortable cog in that very large machine. There are reasons why you went another way.

There is nothing wrong with "returning'' a call the prospect said they were going to give you but, apparently, has forgotten to.

The thing about meeting a lot of people is that you're certain not to like all of them.

Selling people something that surprises them when it works is no way to cultivate customer loyalty.

Stop making a fetish of technology and start focusing on the people you need to hire to use it.

People who need a ride to the airport or home spit "surge pricing'' but when did supply and demand become a reviled concept?

An accountant you can't get him on the phone or who doesn't know who you are after April 15 is worthless.

The Eagles owner fired the team's head coach, with no ready replacement and apparently without consulting anyone.

Nobody works or does business but everybody wants their bonus and a really nice party.

Customers think warmly of small businesses in principle but it's price, service and quality that decides where they buy.

To make your office party less of an ordeal for your team, tell them thanks for working hard and then leave them alone.

Remarkably few businesses invest the time, much less money, to maximize software they own but don't really understand.

And the best part? It won't cost you anything extra and it'll be available in a Flash.

You may make more money over your lifetime as a business owner, but at what cost?

No, there's no such thing as a free puppy, and that employee will cost you way more than just a salary.

If you, or someone in your life, chronically shows up after the scheduled time, it's time for a change.

We don't have the time or the resources to carefully think through everything. So we do a lot of things by our gut. Sometimes things turn out OK. Sometimes, well -- it's not so good.

Are you envious of Harper Lee's success? Too bad. You'll never reach that level of success. But does that really matter?

The tale of a local diner owner who sought local elected office, and the dangers he faced with his business.

Outsourcing is and will continue to be a vital way for small- and medium-sized companies to grow. But just knowing what to outsource isn't the issue.

As long as people have a right to freedom of speech, businesses are free to sell whatever is still legal.